SEIPI implements strategies to support Philippine electronics recovery

The Philippines has vast potential as an investment destination for the Semiconductor and Electronics manufacturing due to its strategic geographic location in Asia, cost-competitive wages with a young workforce—the median age in the Philippines is 24—that is highly skilled, English proficient and on par with world-class workers. Moreover, our country is among the fastest growing economies in the ASEAN region, which is the third largest market in the world. Economic and business prospects for this year have improved due to the essential policies and measures put in place to manage the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the resilience of the Filipino workforce.

The Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Industry closed the year 2020 with US$39.7 billion in exports, about 62% of total Philippine exports, which in itself was a positive outcome considering the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in supply chain disruptions, workforce and workplace concerns. With the invaluable assistance of Philippine Government Agencies, such as the Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and the Inter-Agency Task Force, electronics companies have been able to resume operations with strict health protocols to ensure the safety of its more than 3 million direct and indirect workers. These measures included social distancing, daily disinfection, temperature scanning, implementation of an emergency response system, and contact-tracing for employees.

The Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI) is the leading organization of multinational and Filipino-owned semiconductor and electronics companies in the Philippines with 341 members, including manufacturing firms, allied and support industries, and the academe. To continue the electronics Semiconductor and Electronics industry's role as a key player in the nation-building and economic recovery, SEIPI's vision for the Philippines is to improve its competitiveness as a business environment for semiconductors and electronics technologies in the global market. SEIPI carries out its mission through TRAINS, namely Training, Roadmap/R&D, Advocacies, Informaton, Networking and Services.

SEIPI has been closely working with key partners in government and private sectors for export and investment promotion initiatives. Moreover, it is implementing its roadmap aptly named Product and Technology Holistic Strategy (PATHS), which identifies specific products and technologies the industry must pursue in the growing sectors during the next five years to increase its share in the global market. As part of the strategy, SEIPI, together with its partner institution, De La Salle University-Laguna, is taking the next steps for the development of the Science and Technology Center (SSTC) to undertake quality research and accelerate the development of the fledgling IC Design industry in the Philippines. SEIPI is also expanding its partnerships with member-universities in various parts of the Philippines for IC Design training and R&D projects to enhance the industry readiness of future graduates.

Moreover, SEIPI is helping establish a partnership model on sharing Research and Development technology between Philippine and French Universities, through SEIPI’s collaboration with ACSIEL Alliance Électronique, the biggest electronics industry association in France. Aside from ACSIEL, SEIPI has also been collaborating with several industry organizations in China, Singapore, Taiwan and the USA for events and trade promotions, B2B and R&D projects.

To keep its members and partners engaged, SEIPI holds virtual quarterly General Membership Meetings (GMMs) that address pressing industry issues, technology trends and company best practices. SEIPI will also stage a series of webinars to train and equip the industry’s valuable human capital.