AJINOMOTO Philippines Corp. said it is currently studying the viability of adding a third factory in the Philippines.
“We have two factories here in the Philippines, in Bulacan and Cebu, but the capacity is approaching 100%,” Koichi Ozaki, the company’s president, told reporters this week.
“We need to think about our future production strategy. But it has not been decided yet, just under study,” he added.
He said that the company expects its plants to hit full capacity in three to five years’ time.
The Bulacan facility was built in 1991 and the Cebu one in 2004. The company currently employs around 2,000 employees.
The third facility will likely support plans to make recently released products to the Philippines.
“Our product lineup is expanding. So it is not only seasoning but (other products from Ajinomoto group). We just entered the frozen food and instant soup segments,” he said.
He said the company is currently importing frozen food and instant soup products from Thailand.
“We have a frozen food factory in Thailand. So now we are importing from Thailand. But of course, if the business becomes bigger, we also want to produce them here in the Philippines,” he added.
Currently, Ajinomoto’s factories in the Philippines manufacture over 90% of the products sold in-country.
In partnership with ACEN Renewable Energy Solutions, the two factories are now powered by 100% renewable energy, significantly lowering their scope 2 carbon emissions, which cuts carbon dioxide emissions by around 5,000 metric tons each year. — Justine Irish D. Tabile