JETRO supports local industry thru technology transfer,
dispatches Japanese Expert on rubber technology
JETRO MANILA - News Release J2003-013
For
this fiscal year's upcoming Supporting Industries (SI)
project for the rubber industry, target companies are
mainly automotive and industrial parts manufacturers specifically
those members of the Philippine Rubber Industries Association,
Inc. (PRIA). Mr. Kunio Kageyama, Senior
Rubber Chemist & Councilor of the Society of Rubber Industry
in Japan, is scheduled to visit Manila from November
30 - December 13, 2003, to provide free technical
assistance to 11 member companies of PRIA and to conduct
a one-day seminar on rubber technology, topic of which
are possible solutions and sources of problems encountered
during the production process.
The
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) has been consistently
promoting the development of small and medium enterprises
(SME) through its various assistance programs aimed at
strengthening their competitiveness in the global market.
ASEAN and other developing countries have undergone industrialization
built around a core of direct investment from foreign
countries, including Japan. However, the mainstream of
foreign investment has been in assembly industries, of
which majority are the automobile and electronic and electrical
equipment industries. The rapid growth experienced by
these industries was accompanied by rapid expansion of
the demand for parts and materials. However, local manufacturers
of these items were not yet developed sufficiently to
take on the role of a supporting industry for those assembly
industries.
In
a study conducted by JETRO, the Philippines has the lowest
rate of locally procured material (17.4%), even lower
than Vietnam where 19.4% of survey respondents indicated
more than half of their components were produced locally.
The increase in the number of supporting industries could
also mean an opportunity to attract component manufacturers
from Japan and other countries to set up operations in
the country. In recognizing the importance of developing
supporting industries, JETRO initiated the SI Projects.
JETRO
Manila has been conducting technology transfer projects
for 3 years now, whereby Japanese experts are dispatched
to assess local plants, provide technical consultancy
and conduct seminars. The scope of the experts'
guidance include rubber technology, die design, metal
stamping and casting.
