Dyson picks Philippines as software hub

MANILA, Philippines — Technology firm Dyson is expanding its existing operations in the Philippines by investing in a software hub which will employ 400 engineers.

“I am pleased to announce that we are opening a software lab in Alabang in the Philippines. That will grow over the next few years to 400 software engineers and they will be doing real R&D (research and development) that will fuel the future of our Dyson intelligent machines as well,” Dyson chief operating officer Scott Maguire said in an online briefing.

He declined to say how much Dyson would be spending for the software lab, but noted the investment is intended to grow the firm’s software engineering capability in the country in the next three years.

The software lab in the Philippines forms part of the £2.75-billion investment being made globally by Dyson in future technology.

It will also be part of Dyson’s global research, design and development team which covers the US, United Kingdom, China, Singapore and Malaysia.

Through the software lab in the Philippines, Dyson will develop embedded software for a new generation of intelligent machines.

As Dyson is looking to double its portfolio of products and enter new fields by 2025, it is accelerating R&D activities into robotics, software, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Currently, Dyson engineers and scientists are coming up with a new generation of intelligent machines which can understand their environment and users and autonomously adjust their performance.

These include the Dyson 360 Heurist™ robot vacuum for cleaning homes intelligently and thoroughly, as well as the Dyson Pure Cool™ purifying fans which use advanced sensing and filtration technology to report live air quality to the user and autonomously provide clean air in the home, and the Dyson Corrale™ straightener that would regulate and adjust the temperature of its plates 100 times per second to ensure constant power and heat for enhanced styling.

Dyson’s success in the Philippines in previous years, as well as the available talent pool are among the reasons the company decided to invest in a software hub in the country.

“The Philippines is home to bright, young engineers who share Dyson’s ambition to develop technologies for the future. Dyson has been growing in the Philippines for this reason and it is a nation that clearly celebrates both engineers and technology,” Maguire said.

Dyson has an advanced manufacturing facility in Calamba in Laguna which annually produces 13 million Dyson Hyperdymium™ motors used in its various products such as vacuum cleaners and personal care technologies, and employs 600 individuals.

“We will continue to invest in the Philippines and look forward to having more highly skilled Filipino engineers join our ranks to develop and manufacture exciting new technologies for the future, which will be used all around the world,” Maguire said.

Both the Department of Trade and Industry and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) welcomed the planned further expansion of Dyson in the country.

“This is testament to our business-friendly environment, and speaks to the Philippines being an attractive destination for investment. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Dyson in the years ahead,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said.

For her part, PEZA director general Charito Plaza said the expansion of Dyson which has shown good performance since it registered with the investment promotion agency in 2016, reflects the firm’s long term commitment to the country and the validation of the skills of the local engineering workforce.

“This will create exciting career opportunities for the brightest of our engineers who wish to design and develop software for a renowned and fast-growing global technology company,” she said.

At present, Dyson employs over 14,000 people including 6,000 engineers and scientists globally.