Tamiya (Philippines) Inc. is investing P2 billion to expand its manufacturing operations in Cebu, the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Tokyo said Tuesday.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Tamiya’s new investments reflect the company’s confidence on the Philippines as an investment destination after 30 years of operating in the country.
“We are proud that a company known to espouse a philosophy of ‘First in Quality Around the World’ has entrusted our workers with such a huge responsibility. The quality, efficiency and productivity of Filipino workers will always remain to be the Philippines’ best and most competitive resource,” Lopez said.
Tamiya president and chairman Shunsaku Tamiya said the company is looking forward to expanding to a new facility inside the Cebu Light Industrial Park.
Expanding in a new plant and building, Tamiya will open 300 job opportunities, increase output by 5 percent over three years and raise overall capacity by 20 percent. The new facility will start operations by September 2023.
The company exports $30 million worth of finished products, of which 80 percent are produced in the Philippines.
Tamiya is the world’s leader in the production of plastic and radio-controlled models of sports/racing cars, bikes, airplanes, ships and battle tanks. Its models are patronized by hobbyists all over the globe for their exceptional quality and scale accuracy.
The company also received numerous awards for their products including the prestigious Model of the Year award from Germany’s ModellFan.
The Philippines is at the center of Tamiya’s operations as the sole manufacturing hub outside Japan. The company also operates from California in the US and Germany in Europe.
Its 40,000-square-meter facility in Mactan, Cebu employs 1,200 workers engaged in model assembly.