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| Partner in nation building |
 FIRST Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP) president Hector Y. Dimacali gives credit to the late Renato S. Diaz as his copioneer in developing the industrial park that rose out of clusters of small farming communities in Southern Luzon.“With a mandate from Mr. Oscar M. Lopez (then chairman of parent firm First Philippine Holdings Corporation), we searched for possible locations for FPIP visiting sites in Laguna and Batangas. What is now FPIP as we see it is obviously a far cry from what it was. That area was all grass that was neck high where we could have been bitten by numerous snakes caught there had we not been careful. The communities where the Park is now were all sleepy towns whose main economic activity was farming and trade occurred mainly in its public market,” recalled Dimacali. According to him, FPIP was a response by the Lopez family to the government’s call for big business to help in nation building. “It was this nationalism and strong entrepreneurial spirit that spurred the growth of FPIP. We had the backing of both FPHC and (partner) Sumitomo (Corporation) whose strengths and network helped attract big name locators like Fujitsu and Sumitomo Metal in the earlier years of FPIP,” he said. Through what Dimacali describes as “a healthy dose of value pioneering and rational risk taking,” FPIP has remained debt free throughout its history and funded its expansion and continuous development from internally generated funds. “Our financial strength has allowed us to weather the boom and bust cycles of the industrial land sale business. We have also been opportunistic in the sense that we have put a keen eye on the environment timing our expansion and new investments at the most appropriate time. We have not rushed the development or the expansion of the park that could have stretched our finances unnecessarily,” he said. Challenging and rewarding Dimacali said working for the Lopez Group and particularly in FPIP was both challenging and rewarding. The industrial property development business put him at the forefront of marketing the country to the whole world. The volatile image of the Philippines and a host of other reasons generally led locators to favor ASEAN neighbors like Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand. “Amidst those challenges, the whole industrial property sector along with the government specifically, the able leadership of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, all work to promote the country to potential investors. After we have attracted them to the Philippines, we put our best foot forward to convince them that our park is the best place for them to place their investment,” he explained. He also said the cyclical nature of the industrial land sale business presented its own challenges. FPIP had to develop other businesses to increase recurring revenues and drive sustainability. The continuous pursuit of organizational excellence through excellent people management practices, quality systems and processes, and worldclass facilities and services enabled FPIP to rise up to needs of the times. “In meeting those challenges, the Lopez Group has consistently supported us. The Lopez Group has always supported its employees not only through industry-leading pay and benefits but also through various programs on business excellence, environment stewardship and wellness,” said Dimacali. As a result, FPIP is the acknowledged and undisputed leader in the industry. It has the highest market share and profitability. It is the first and only industrial park in the Philippines to be Investors in Peoplecertified, and was the first to be Integrated Management System-certified in the three ISO standards for quality, environment and occupational safety and health. Multiplier effect In the next five to 10 years, Dimacali expects a much busier park with an additional 30 to 40 new locators resulting in total park direct employment of around 35,000 to 40,000. He estimates that direct employment in the electronics and technology manufacturing sector has a multiplier effect of seven times, so that the economic impact of such size can reach up to 250,000 people. To pursue its mission toward nation building, Dimacali sees many potential synergies between FPIP and other proud members of the Lopez Group. “We invite companies to consider FPIP as the location of their next expansion. I am sure they will not be disappointed to be in a place where they can focus on operating their business, and less on non-core but still essential aspects such as security, a clean environment, industrial peace, water supply and waste treatment facilities, and other support that they may need. We have strong community relations and environment programs. I invite other Lopez Group companies to partner with us and consider bringing their CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities in the Sto. Tomas and Tanauan areas; plant trees, help in preserving the river systems, use our sports facilities, participate in medical missions, rehabilitate schools and community infrastructure, exercise inside FPIP, especially through its beautiful eco parks,” he concluded. Comments (0)
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