Fujifilm Optics local unit starts full-scale production

MANILA, Philippines - A unit of Japan-based camera maker Fujifilm Corp. has started full-scale production of optical lenses  in its newly-opened plant in Laguna.

Fujifilm Optics Philippines Inc. yesterday formally opened its new plant in the Carmelray International Business Park in Laguna.

The company invested 2.3 billion yen in the new plant which occupies less than an hectare of the 5.3 hectares of leased property. 

Construction of the plant began in November 2012 and production started late last May.

In a briefing in its Laguna plant yesterday, Fujifilm Optics president Akinori Harada said the facility implements an integrated production process in the production of optical lenses for digital cameras, projectors and surveillance cameras.

Optical lenses are used in consumer and professional imaging devices which also include smartphones, broadcast cameras and projectors. 

Fujifilm Corp. president and COO Shigehiro Nakajima said that as demand for such devices rises, demand for high-performing lenses also rises.

He said the Philippines was chosen as an investment location because of the youthful work force with a good working attitude of Filipino workers. 

Also taken into consideration were the attractive incentives provided to the economic zone.

“Filipinos are hard workers. The turnover rate in the Philippines is lower compared to other countries,” he said through an interpreter.

“The government also provides very good tax incentives,” he added.

Fujifilm has been selling photographic film to the Philippines since 1974 through a network of distributors.

As demand for photographic film fell, the company shifted its business focus to optical devices and electronic imaging.

The optical lens plant in Laguna currently has 100 workers which will be gradually increased to 600 workers by 2015.

The plant is expected to produce two million optical lenses in its first year of its operations and is seen to expand to 18 million lens units in 2015.

Fujifilm Corp. operates several factories in China and is building one in Vietnam.

Nakajima said the current facility in Laguna may be expanded in the future because it occupies a small portion of the leased property.

“We are considering a factory for fully-assembled digital cameras but we cannot put a time frame on it yet,” he said.

Around 30 percent of the optical lenses produced in the factory would be sold to economic zone locators while the balance will be exported to China and Japan.