Demand critical to Lexmark-Cebu's expansion

CEBU, Philippines - Technology company Lexmark Research and Development Corp. (LRDC) announced to expand its operations in Cebu depending on the market demand among the core services done in its site here.

In an interview yesterday with LRDC president RL Bandy, he said that because of the good pool of talents in the Philippines, specifically Cebu, the multinational company is committed to grow its manpower base being the second largest Lexmark research and development center next to their  Kentucky, USA site.

At present LRDC or Lexmark-Cebu employs a total of 1,800 people mostly engineers, programmers and administrative professionals manning the Cebu R&D and shared services operations.

Previously known for its printers, now the company is trailblazing the fast movement of technology providing various technology solutions to its growing customers worldwide.

In Cebu, Lexmark is building three medium-rise towers within the Cebu Business Park (CBC) employing thousands of Filipino engineers and programmers and developing world-class technology solutions for Lexmark's global clientele.

Bandy did not divulge the exact number of people to be added to its current manpower, however, he confirmed the company's optimism on Cebu's ability to be one of the world's "brains" in the technology research and development arena.

Early last year, Lexmark announced the closure of its inkjet printheads manufacturing plant at the Mactan Export Zone as the company moved to focusing on technology-driven solutions services.

Under the LRDC, Lexmark-Cebu has two main divisions: research and development (R&D) and shared services. The research and development function is a globally integrated organization with responsibility for software, firmware and hardware development for its printer solutions for Lexmark customers and  the development in rebranding of Lexmark printers for original equipment manufacturer partners worldwide.

The Lexmark-Cebu Shared Services Center (CSSC), on the other hand, was established in 2006. The early direction was to bundle global support services and some non-strategic activities unto a centralized organization for operational efficiency through process harmonization.

Lexmark established the LRDC in 2001 encompassing 30,817 square meters. These buildings are the base of Lexmark's research and development and shared services operations in the Asia Pacific region.

LRDC is one of the pioneering R&D plants established in Cebu to take advantage of the highly skilled talent pool here. Now, Cebu is said to be one of the preferred destinations for R&D based companies in the world.   (FREEMAN)