PMPC executives pose in front of Panasonic appliances in exhibit. From left: PMPC President Shinichi Hayashi, Appliances Company VP and PAPAP Managing Editor Hiroyuki Tagishi, and PMPC Sales and Marketing VP Masaru Toyota. INQUIRER.net/Pauline Reyes
Panasonic Manufacturing Philippines Corporation (PMPC) celebrated its golden anniversary last September 14, 2017 at the Shangri-La at The Fort with an event that was attended by company executives, esteemed guests, and the media. The celebration took place exactly 50 years after the signing of the joint venture agreement between Japan’s Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (MEI), now the Panasonic Corporation, and Precision Electronics Corporation (PEC), which is now the PMPC.
50 years after the company’s inception, PMPC continues to adhere to Panasonic’s global slogan, “A Better Life, A Better World”, through its contributions to the country’s economic development as well as its regular Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) campaigns. Aside from providing a lot of Filipinos with livelihood, PMPC also contributes to the over-all well-being of its customers through its Japan quality products that are Philippine-made.
PMPC Sales and Marketing VP Masaru Toyota. INQUIRER.net/Pauline Reyes
“The products of PMPC are of Japan Quality that are Made in the Philippines. Our company is privileged to have this powerful combination of uncompromising technology, ingenuity, and service through the years,” shared Masaru Toyota, PMPC’s Vice President for Sales and Marketing.
“The celebration of our 50th anniversary is not of a festivity, but more of a solemn reflection and re-confirmation of our corporate mission to serve society and improve the well-being of people,” Toyota remarked.
Early Years
Brought together by their common belief that business operations should be aimed towards the betterment of society and the development of people, MEI (then led by Panasonic founder Konosuke Matsushita) and PEC (represented by Jesus V. Del Rosario) signed a joint venture agreement on September 14, 1967 to formally begin their collaboration in producing quality appliances in the Philippines.
Shortly after, PMPC came out with the very first television set in the country. The company produced a lot of other firsts in the Philippines: the first single-tub washing machine, the first non-CFC refrigerator, the first non-mercury batteries, and recently, the first direct cool inverter refrigerator. From 1967 to present day, PMPC continues to create audiovisual equipment and kitchen appliances among other products, and remains one of the most trusted brands by Filipinos.
As any company that has made it to their golden milestone, PMPC had their fair share of trials over the years. Masaru Toyota shared the company’s recipe for success amidst obstacles:
“Revisiting our core values from time to time offers us some refreshing motivations to exert more efforts to move forward and continue to meet the challenges that will come before us,” he said.
PMPC Today
INQUIRER.net/Pauline Reyes
“We all know that the world is changing and the market is changing; and that means constant adaptation to the changing world. As we create stronger connections with our customers, we will do our very best to meet if not exceed their expectations,” Toyota remarked.
Exceed expectations indeed, because despite the continually intensifying competition in consumer electronics, PMPC remains a strong industry leader. It posted record-high sales of 10 billion pesos in 2016— marking more than 10% of the industry growth and increase the market share. Truly, this is a testament to the brands unwavering presence in the Philippines.
At present, the manufacturing lines of PMPC in Rizal and Laguna produce refrigerators, electric fans, washing machines, and air-conditioners of outstanding Japan Quality. It is a part of a global network of almost 500 Panasonic companies.
“The Philippines is always an important component of our Panasonic business operation in the region,” says Hiroyuki Tagishi, Vice President of the Appliances Company and Managing Director of Panasonic Appliance Asia Pacific (PAPAP).
“For two consecutive years now, our Panasonic Appliances Asia Pacific business managed to attain a double digit growth in our VIPs (Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines), and we owe this to all our customers,” Tagishi added.
In 2018, the Panasonic Corporation (Japan) is set to mark its 100th year and hopes to strengthen merchandising and marketing strategies in Asia that will include the enhancement of premium products and strengthen the alliance with partners and dealers. This ensures that the PMPC brand will continue to deliver products for A Better Life, A Better World in the coming years. INQUIRER.net/PAR