Tamiya to invest P2 billion for Cebu facility

MANILA, Philippines — Japanese firm Tamiya is pouring in P2 billion for a new facility in Cebu to expand its manufacturing operations in the country, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Tamiya chairman and president Shunsaku Tamiya said the company, which is engaged in the production of plastic and radio-controlled models of sports or racing cars, bikes, airplanes, ships and battle tanks, has decided to make fresh investments for a new facility inside the Cebu Light Industrial Park.

The company’s expansion will involve a 22,579-square meter (sqm) plant and 30,765-sqm building and increase its output by five percent over a period of three years and overall capacity by 20 percent.

The firm’s annual production for export is currently valued at $30 million, with 80 percent coming from the Philippines.

Tamiya aims to start the operations of the new Philippine factory by September next year.

The new facility is expected to generate 300 additional jobs.

While Tamiya has operations in the US and Germany, the firm’s only production facility outside of Japan is in the Philippines.

Located in Mactan in Cebu, Tamiya’s Philippine factory is housed inside a 40,000-sqm facility with over 1,200 workers engaged in model assembly.

“The fact that Tamiya has been operating in the country for about 30 years and is now moving forward with expansion plans despite the challenges of the pandemic, is testament to the enabling environment that President Duterte together with his economic managers have set up for foreign direct investors,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said.

Tamiya’s models are patronized by hobbyists around the world for their exceptional quality and scale accuracy.

Philippine Ambassador to Japan Jose Laurel V recently met with Tamiya at the Japanese firm’s  headquarters in Shizuoka and discussed their shared passion for plastic models and how the tradition has been passed on to the younger generations in their families.