New Sumitomo factory in PH to generate 10K jobs

NEW SUMITOMO FACTORY. Sumi North-Philippines Wiring Systems Corp. president Takeshi Morikawa (left) and vice president Masaru Yamamoto (right) lead the groundbreaking of the new Sumitomo factory in Binalonan, Pangasinan on Sept. 16, 2020. Once fully operational, the manufacturing facility will create 10,000 jobs. (Photo courtesy of DTI via PNA)

MANILA – Some 10,000 jobs will be generated once the factory of Sumitomo Wiring System factory in Binalonan, Pangasinan becomes fully operational, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.

Sumitomo broke grounds on Sept. 16 for its new project located in the North Luzon Aero Industrial Park.

DTI has yet to release the amount of Sumitomo’s investment for the new factory.

Sumitomo is a leading global supplier of wiring harness, related components, and several electronic products for the automotive and office equipment industries.

Its factory here will manufacture wiring harness and related materials for exports to Japan and North America.

“Not only will the Sumitomo factory generate more jobs and employment for communities in the area, it will boost the development of our wiring industry to become part of the global value chain,” DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said.

DTI noted that the new investment of Sumitomo here is an offshoot from President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to Tokyo, Japan in May 2019, where the Philippine delegation bagged PHP289-billion worth of business deals that will create 82,000 jobs in the country.

“With the introduction by Sumitomo Wiring of its patented technologies in high voltage wire harness product manufacturing operations in the country, DTI’s push for innovation and technology-driven value-added production for local industry development in the Philippines has borne fruit,” Lopez said.

Prior to this investment, the Japanese firm established a new subsidiary – Sumi North-Philippines Wiring System. This is the company’s ninth unit in the country, DTI said.

DTI Special Trade Representative (STR) in Tokyo Dita Angara-Mathay noted that the department’s field office in Tokyo is promoting the Philippines to be a competitive hub for wiring harness production in the region.

“With eight players already operating in the country, we are expecting one more investor from Japan to join this ever-growing group of foreign investors in wiring harness manufacturing,” she added.