Ajinomoto Philippines Corp. (APC) plans to establish a third manufacturing facility in the country to meet the growing demand for its core products and support the expansion of its product lineup.
APC president Koichi Ozaki said that while no final decision had been made, the company was studying its future production strategy.
“We have two factories here in the Philippines—one in Bulacan, built in 1991, and another in Cebu, established in 2004. However, their capacities are nearing full utilization. We need to think about our future production strategy, but nothing has been decided yet,” Ozaki said.
The company employs 900 full-time workers and 1,100 contract employees, bringing the total workforce to about 2,000 people. The Philippines remains one of Ajinomoto’s top five markets globally.
APC is also expanding its product offerings beyond seasonings, venturing into the frozen food and instant soup businesses.
“We just entered the frozen food and instant soup market, which is a new challenge for us to provide Filipino consumers with new experiences,” Ozaki said.
The company is importing frozen gyoza and Japanese fried chicken karaage from its factory in Thailand but is open to local production if the business expands further.
As the company assesses its next steps, the possibility of a third facility remains under study to support its growth ambitions in the Philippine market.
The company said it is optimistic about sustaining a double-digit growth in 2025, driven primarily by its core seasoning business and expanding into new food categories.