The Department of Trade and Industry’s Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Tokyo has reported the expansion of Tamiya’s investments in the Philippines.
Photo from DTI
Tamiya chairman and president Shunsaku Tamiya confirmed the company’s decision to pour in fresh investments this year worth P2 billion towards a new facility inside the Cebu Light Industrial Park.
The new plant and building are sized at 22,579 and 30,765 sq. meters respectively, which will generate 300 additional job opportunities and increase output by 5% over three years and overall capacity by 20%.
Tamiya’s annual production for export is currently valued at $30 million, 80% of which is produced in the Philippines. The company is targeting to begin operations in the new factory located in the Philippines by September 2023.
Tamiya is the world’s leader in the production of plastic and radio-controlled models of sports/racing cars, bikes, airplanes, ships, and battle tanks. Its models are patronized by hobbyists all over the globe for their exceptional quality and scale accuracy. The company has also received numerous awards for their products including the prestigious Model of the Year award from Germany’s ModellFan.
While Tamiya’s sizeable overseas regional operations span the United States (California) and Europe (Germany), Tamiya has only one production facility outside of Japan. The company’s factory in the Philippines, specifically in Mactan, Cebu is housed inside a 40,000 sq. meter facility with over 1,200 workers engaged in model assembly.
Philippine ambassador to Japan Jose Laurel V recently visited the headquarters of Tamiya in Shizuoka. During his visit, Laurel and chairman Shunsaku Tamiya discussed their shared passion for models, both as toys and collectibles, and how this hobbyist tradition has been passed on to the younger generations in their families.
