Packaging firm eyes Phl facility

MANILA, Philippines - A-V Cal LLC, an American firm specializing in the calibration of test equipment for the packaging and aviation industries, is looking to setup a facility for testing packages in the Philippines.

A-V Cal president Robert Logan said in an interview the firm is planning to setup a testing facility here as many local companies are engaged in the business of exporting products.

“The opportunity is here. Being more or less in the middle of Southeast Asia, where import and export is going on...it (our service) is going to be very much needed,” he said.

The firm is planning to invest between $12 million to $15 million for putting up an office in the country.

“We are looking at (locating) somewhere in Manila. We are also looking at (locating in) an export processing zone,” Logan said.

The facility would house testing equipment to be used to check the quality of packaging of products.

The equipment would involve exposing the packages to certain heat pressure and temperature.

The packages would also be dropped from a certain height using the testing equipment to see if these would still require improvement.

The right packaging is important particularly in preserving the quality of the product for export since these usually have to go through a long travel period.

Logan said the facility would also be used for training people on how to use and understand the importance of the testing equipment.

He said the firm intends to start the set-up of its testing facility here by next year and to hire an initial 25 workers.