Taiwanese firm sets P300-M add’l investment

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT– Hokei Subic Corp., a Taiwanese firm engaged in manufacturing parts and accessories of fashion travel bags of top quality brands, has earmarked a total of P300-million worth of fresh investments for its long-term expansion project.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Felicito C. Payumo said that Hokei has started constructing a new factory as part of its first phase expansion program for them to meet the growing demand for their products exported to the US and Europe.

"Expansion project like this is a good indicator in the manufacturing industry that certainly illustrates progressing business in Subic Freeport," Payumo said during the plant inspection recently.

Hokei plant manager James Tsai that the expansion project is an end result of top quality products made by its 300 dedicated and highly skilled Filipino workers in its Subic Freeport plant.

"We have a very good workforce who could easily cope with quality standards set by the company sans language barriers providing easier manpower training. This place also offers a serene and harmonious work setting with safe and secure environment," Tsai noted.

Hokei sets two phases in its expansion project including increasing the existing assembly area to 9,000 square meters and additional production lines inside the Subic Bay Industrial Park. The predicted total cost of the project could reach up to $5. 7 million.

After the completion of the first phase project, the output is expected to double from present production of 70,000 luggage carts per month and could reached up to 200,000 carts per month setting to add more workers the full expansion has set in.

The company, a pioneer in fashion designed traveling bags whose mother plant in Taiwan is in existence for almost 30 years old, came to Subic in 1995 when the Freeport opened the first phase industrial park, here.

The SBMA chief noted that several major multi-national companies in Subic Freeport including giant air-courier Federal Express, wood-processor Juken Sangyo, Japanese electronic firm Sanyo Denki, Taiwanese computer firm, Wistron (formerly Acer Computers) and several others are engaged in various expansion program.

"Several of our companies particularly in the manufacturing sector here have already started expanding operations to keep up with the growing demand of their high quality Subic-made products," Payumo added.