Member companies of the Confederation of Philippine Manufacturers of PPE (CPMP) are adding USD 36 million investments to ramp up their production of medical-grade personal protective equipment (PPE) to serve the local demand. CPMP is composed of Medtecs International Corp. Ltd., EMS Components Assembly Inc., Reliance Producers Cooperative, Luen Thai International Group Philippines, Inc., and Tacca Industries Pty Ltd.
EMS chairman said the company has started to pour in additional investments, while Australian firm Tacca is bringing in manufacturing of non-woven fabric used in surgical masks and Luen Thai is also investing to localize the production of PPE components. The cumulative investment is expected to create new jobs for 4,000 workers in the country.
It is to be noted that there has been a gap between the local supply and the largest source of demand –the government. Current procurement needs involve demand for 200 million surgical masks that shall be delivered immediately, but local production can only supply 57 million pieces a month. Large volumes of cheap imports from China have raised concerns about the quality and safety of PPE.
(Source: Philippine News Agency)
