With more than 50 years of automotive manufacturing under its belt and being one of the motoring industry’s vanguards, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) recently inaugurated their 21-hectare facility in Sta Rosa, Laguna. Formerly owned by the Ford Motor Company, the new manufacturing hub of MMPC’s domestic operation is situated at the Greenfield Automotive Park. According to Hikosaburo Shibata, President and CEO of MMPC, the manufacturing plant is part of the company’s “New Stage 2016” Mid-term plan which is geared towards reinforcing the business plan of Mitsubishi in the country as well as the rest of ASEAN. “The inauguration of this new plant reflects our commitment to continue vehicle manufacturing operations in the Philippines and at the same time to further business expansion with the projected rapid increase in vehicle demand in the coming years,” states Shibata.
Leading the guests list of people with influence during the inauguration were His Excellency President Benigno Aquino III; Osamu Masuko, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation; and Japan ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhide Ishikawa with other prominent local and national officials.
Mitsubishi will be upgrading the new facility with high technology equipment to improve the assembly process and to maintain the quality of the parts in line with Mitsubishi’s global standards. “One of our equipment is an automated plastic parts paint robot which is a first of its kind in the country. This automated plastic parts painting will complement the top coat body spray robots for quicker and more consistent painting process,” explains Froilan Dytianquin, VP for Marketing Services of MMPC. “In addition, a sophisticated body measuring machine that provides a high degree of consistency will also be a part of this Sta Rosa plant,” he adds. The new manufacturing facility can produce a maximum of 50,000 units annually. The company has set its target of selling 62,000 units this year, and has announced the establishment of five new outlets this year.
For the fiscal year 2014, MMPC sold a total of 50,085 vehicles making them the second largest seller of vehicles in the domestic market with a 21.7 percent share. Bulk of their sales came from the strong showing of the Montero Sport SUV, Adventure AUV and the Mirage sub-compact sedan.