By Vernon Velasco
THE world’s largest diaphragm carburetor manufacturer and technology leader Zama Group erected a new production plant at the First Philippine Industrial Park in Santo Tomas, Batangas, a strategic move by the German power tool-maker STIHL Group subsidiary seen to “further worldwide growth and increase its competitiveness.”
The 60,000-square-meter facility equates to 22,000 sq m of production, warehouse and office floor space, which is composed by 10 assembly lines replete with 160 operating machines and manned by over 600-man work force, expected to produce 8 million carburetors annually, or more than half of the company’s total annual production. The carburetors will be shipped out to consumers in Europe, China, Brazil and Japan.
Poised as an attractive industrial location in one of the fastest-growing economies in the Asia Pacific, Stihl Executive Board Chairman Dr. Bertram Kandziora said the well-structured educational system of the Philippines and English being an official language of Filipinos is the country’s main selling point, which necessitated the location of Zama’s newest plant.
Zama has other plants in Japan, Hong Kong, China and the USA, supplying chain lubrication-solutions, tensioning kits for chainsaws and carburetors to several manufacturers of other mobile and handheld gasoline-powered tools.