A pioneer in the manufacturing of gypsum-based products in the Philippines has broken ground within the industrial park of the Udenna Group in Calaca, Batangas.
Knauf Gypsum Philippines, Inc. signaled the start of construction of its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant within Calaca Seaport with a groundbreaking ceremony on May 9.
The facility will cover six hectares of the 107-hectare industrial park, formerly known as Phoenix Petroterminals & Industrial Park.
Calaca Industrial Seaport Corp., which owns the industrial park, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Udenna Development Corp. (UDEVCO), the real estate business unit of the Udenna Group.
“The state-of-the-art manufacturing plant serves as another push for Calaca Seaport’s thrust of becoming a premier provider of land, storage space and port services in the country,” Calaca Seaport President Dennis A. Uy said.
Calaca Seaport hosts various locators engaged in the business of trading petroleum products, liquefied petroleum gas, industrial chemicals and salt; manufacturing of reinforcing steel bars; and operation of power plants. It has a port facility that caters to the shipping requirements of its locators and other shippers in the vicinity.
Knauf Gypsum Philippines became the latest locator in the middle of 2016.
Knauf Gypsum Philippines is a partnership between Germany’s leading building solutions manufacturer Knauf Gips KG and the German investment and development corporation Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, or DEG.
The Knauf Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of modern insulation materials; dry-lining systems; plasters and accessories; thermal insulation composite systems; paints; floor screed; floor systems; and construction equipment and tools.
The German company has 150 production facilities and sales organizations in over 60 countries, with about 26,000 employees worldwide. It has presence in Europe, the United States, South America, Russia, Asia, Africa and Australia.
“This state-of-the-art manufacturing plant marks our confidence and optimism in one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economies, if not the best performing one,” said Mr. Murray Read, chief executive officer of Knauf in Asia and the Pacific.
“We hope to contribute to the Philippines’ growth by creating employment opportunities while serving the plasterboard requirement of its booming construction industry,” Mr. Read added.
Plasterboard has increasingly become popular in the Philippines for its quicker and easier installation, fire resistance, and versatility. At present, the local construction industry largely relies on exports.
“We are pleased to serve as one of Knauf Gypsum Philippines’ agents in serving the growing demand for gypsum-based products in the country amid a boom in construction in both the private and public sectors,” Mr. Uy said.
Knauf Gypsum Philippines has registered on a “pioneer” status with the Philippine government’s Board of Investments.
Pioneer enterprises, according to the Omnibus Investments Code of 1987, engage in the “manufacture, processing or production, and not merely in the assembly or packaging, of goods, products, commodities or raw materials that have not been or are not being produced in the Philippines on a commercial scale.”
In addition, such enterprises use a design, formula, scheme, method, process or system of production or transformation of any element, substance or raw materials into another raw material or finished goods, which is new and untried in the Philippines, among others.
“We commit to continue developing Calaca Seaport and other industrial estates that will help the Philippines attract more high-impact investments and make doing business here more efficient,” Mr. Uy said.
In the photo are Jon Padolina, Knauf country sales manager; Murray Read, Knauf CEO Asia Pacific; Dennis A. Uy, Calaca Seaport president; and Chryss Alfonsus V. Damuy, Calaca Seaport general manager, during the signing of the lease contract last year.