Electronics sector adopts 7-point export initiative

Electronic industry players are implementing seven key initiatives, including transforming the country into a regional center of excellence in selected products and processes, to raise the industry’s export revenues to $45 billion by 2010 from this year’s projected $32 billion.

Arthur J. Young Jr., chairman of Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Inc., told participants of ‘People Competitiveness Summit 2007’ held in a Makati hotel Thursday that the revenue target is contained in the industry competitive landscape study.

Such study addresses two key areas: improving the country’s competitiveness and expanding the value chain of the industry.    

Young said making the Philippines a regional center of excellence in selected electronic industry products will attract more investments into the country which could create  650,000 new jobs three years from now.

The electronics industry has surpassed its $1-billion investments target for this year,  reaching $ 1.12 billion in the first three quarters.   

Working  with government and academic leaders to undertake measures crucial to achieving their goal, Young said key industry players  intend to upgrade engineering curriculum to keep pace with technology, with the improvement of Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Professional Regulatory Board’s (PRC) curriculum and board licensure exam design process.

The country’s engineering curriculum should be benchmarked with international universities, he said, adding that centers of excellence should be set up in universities.

He also cited the need to provide sustained scholarship program to support industry growth.

“A law that will provide continued funding allocation for MS and PhD in science and engineering courses is needed. Also, there must be a program to improve school administration’s competency for fund generation,” Young said.

He said stakeholders’ active engagement in faculty development is also important and this can be achieved  through opening industry facilities, laboratories and other relevant resources for faculty immersion and research tie-ups and strategic linkages with foreign benchmark universities leveraging local multinational companies. 

Young said they will  coordinate with the government and the academe to develop a culture of science research among young students and integrate various ongoing engineering and science competency development programs.

Other initiatives aimed at raising the competitiveness of the electronics industry and increase its revenues are: manufacturing cost control, improving country’s image; targeted sector development; allied industry development; multinational companies and domestic value chain expansion; and research and development wafer fabrication.

The electronics sector accounts for  64 percent of the country’s total exports and 34 percent of its gross domestic product.   —  Philexport News and Features