Philippines set to take a share of the aerospace investments

aerospace invetsments Philippines
The quality control process of aerospace parts by multi-axis Coordinate Measuring Machine with probe. Image by Pixel B | Bigstockphoto

The Philippines is set to take a share of the aerospace investments pie after local automotive and aircraft parts manufacturer Daiwa Seiko received an Aerospace Standard (AS9100D) certification this week.

AS9100 allows companies to transact with airlines, aerospace organizations such as NASA, and aerospace manufacturers and suppliers within the aerospace and aircraft industries. AS9100 incorporates ISO 9001 and includes other quality and safety requirements.

For companies, AS9100 certification provides them with the following key benefits: improved decision-making, increases in efficiency, strong supplier relationships, making continual improvement a habit, and reducing risks.

According to the Philippine Board of Investments (BOI), Daiwa Seiko’s certification is also a fruit of their aerospace quality management program. Since 2017, BOI has been running the program for 18 companies, including Daiwa Seiko, to ultimately help them get the AS9100 certification.

The program consists of five modules: (1) AS9100 Rev D Executive Overview for CEOs; (2) AS 9100:2016 Awareness Seminar; (3) Documentation Training; (4) Training on Risk Management in the Aerospace QMS; and (5) Mock Audit.

In 2015, the Aerospace Industries Association of the Philippines rolled out the Philippine Aerospace Industries Roadmap, which aims for the country to be a major hub for manufacturing of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) parts and allied services (MRO) for the global commercial aircraft industry.

The Roadmap also targets $2.57 billion worth of aerospace parts and components exports by 2022 and the employment of 15,000 people by the same year.

“Developing a pool of AS9100-certified parts suppliers is also key to attracting foreign aerospace companies to set up manufacturing operations in the Philippines,” BoI Executive Director Ma. Corazon H. Dichosa said in a statement.

Trade Secretary and BoI Chairman Ramon M. Lopez said that as the global economy recovers from COVID-19, they aim for the Philippines to become a recognized manufacturer in Asia. According to him, the Philippines is already becoming an expert in aerospace and aviation manufacturing. BOI leaves the decision to apply for certification to the companies but predicts that Daiwa Seiko’s certification will encourage them to follow suit. It usually takes companies six months to go through the process of certification.

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