Toshiba to hire thousands of workers for new factories

MANILA, Philippines - Toshiba will be hiring “several thousand” new employees early next year for their two factories in Laguna, a top official said yesterday.

“We will hire several thousand new employees early next year,” chief representative for Asia Pacific Hiroyuki Ishida said on the sidelines of Toshiba’s product launch at the Peninsula Manila.

According to Ishida, they have 13,000 employees producing hard disk drives. He said that there was no decrease in their sales even if there was a slowdown in global consumer demand.

Meanwhile, Ishida said that the launch of their two new personal computers is expected to increase their sales by 30 percent to 40 percent.

Currently, Toshiba has seven percent to eight percent of the market. Ishida said that they are number five but they plan to move up to number three spot next year.

For television, Ishida said that they will triple their sales. Toshiba has two percent to three percent of the market share for TV.

Toshiba Singapore has identified the Philippines as one of the key countries for LCD business expansion in Asia. The firm has added two new LCD series to strengthen their line.

Likewise, Toshiba’s Computer System Division launched its new Protégé slim series to meet the demands of everyday mobility. The computer has up to 11 hours battery life on a single charge.

It measures less than an inch thin at the slimmest point and lightweight at just 1.58 kg. Also, it has a hard drive protection with 3D motor sensors, a built in webcam with smartface technology.

Toshiba also launched its home appliances in the country. The complete range of refrigerators is from Toshiba’s global line up and are manufactured and imported from Toshiba Thailand factory.

At the same conference, Toshiba announced it has partnered with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to bring NBA excitement to Filipinos. Toshiba will use the NBA’s comprehensive marketing assets, media and on ground initiatives to showcase its products.