After a two-year hiatus, SEIPI will hold the 17th Philippine Semiconductor Electronics Convention and Exhibition (PSECE), the premier electronics event in the country, this week at the SMX Convention Center Manila.
The total Philippine electronics exports grew by 12.9% in 2021 and reached an all-time high of $45.92 billion. This export performance is even 6% higher than the pre-pandemic exports of $43.3 billion, thereby signaling a resurgence in the industry. As of September 2022, the cumulative electronics exports reached $35.34 billion, a 4.71% increase from last year’s figures. This was 60.6% of the $58.31 billion total Philippine commodity exports, thus retaining the industry’s position as the country’s top commodity exporter.
As the new administration leaders settle into their positions, the Semiconductor Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation Inc. (SEIPI) continues to advocate for the industry’s well-being by voicing out legislative and regulatory concerns, and providing relevant recommendations that will improve the business environment in the Philippines. SEIPI met with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary to discuss the prevailing issues in the industry, its impact on foreign investments, and what can be done to prevent further capital flight. In addition, SEIPI is also working on the implementation of the Commission on Election’s Ban on Firearms and Controlled Chemicals in light of the postponement of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
Moreover, SEIPI is advocating that non-manufacturing jobs in PEZA Registered Business Enterprises (RBEs) be allowed to adopt a Work-From-Home arrangement without the threat of losing their incentives. Despite the roadblocks, we are optimistic that these challenges can be overcome through close collaboration between the public and private sector, and we look forward to the new heights that we can reach in 2023.
SEIPI’s electronics industry roadmap called the Product and Technology Holistic Strategy (PATHS) foreshadows the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) roadmap for the electronics industry for 2022-2028. PATHS includes plans to set up an IC (Integrated Circuit) Design Training Laboratory (ICDL). The ICDL project proposal will be submitted for DOST Grants-in-Aid funding in consolidation with a Lab-Scale Wafer Fabrication Facility, to capacitate IC Design training and semiconductor device fabrication in the Philippines. The ICDL will complement DOST’s Center for Integrated Circuits and Devices Research (CIDR) ecosystem in strengthening the country’s competitiveness in the IC design and semiconductor technology development.
Leveraging the experience of SEIPI, the IC Design Technical Working Group (TWG) aims to help expand the Philippine IC design industry. The TWG is composed of S E (semiconductor and electronics) companies and universities working together for the development of the country’s talent pool, access to IC design tools such as electronic design automation (EDA), and specific applications identified by the collaborating member companies and universities.
Through the Parts Localization TWG, SEIPI has tapped local suppliers and manufacturers to enhance their capacities to supply critical materials for the manufacturing member companies. The linkage aims to minimize dependence on imported materials. Category 1 materials are identified consumables and packing materials; Category 2 are direct and indirect product commodities that could be locally sourced, and; Category 3 are constructive exports of ICs and passive components. Since the creation of the TWG, this initiative resulted in modest gains in locally sourced supplies worth PhP318.3 million.
The Wire Harness TWG will tap into SEIPI s Parts Localization initiative and launch projects to develop a sustainable supply of wire harness products from local manufacturers. Power cords and magnetic wires were recently added to the scope of the Wire Harness TWG to accommodate more local manufacturers of copper-based products.
In collaboration with DTI and DOST, SEIPI organized the Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) TWG to promote digital transformation among its manufacturing members. To gauge the readiness of manufacturing members for IR 4.0, the TWG initially focused on three (3) manufacturing dimensions namely, Shopfloor Automation, Shopfloor Connectivity, and Shopfloor Intelligence. A roadmap was created to guide the member companies on Industry 4.0 implementation. The roadmap includes the education of member companies on IR4.0, support among members for IR4.0 learning and benchmarking, collaboration with academe and other institutions with some IR4.0 leadership, and partnering with government agencies for grants and incentives. The industry’s transformation will be a reference point for other manufacturing sectors.
SEIPI and ACSIEL Alliance Électronique, the biggest French electronics industry organization, matched respective member-companies and universities between the Philippines and France. Five (5) MOUs (memorandum of understanding) were signed on December 2021. Of these, the University of Lille in France has reached an agreement with Batangas State University to embark on exchange programs for faculty members and degree program offerings. The first exchange activity is anticipated to commence in the first quarter of 2023.
To support the human resource and manpower that the industry needs, the SEIPI Sector Skills Council (SSC) has been advocating for reducing the mismatch of jobs and skills with the educational background of the workforce. The SSC has identified some of the gaps and is in coordination with the various technical panels of CHED for the review of the science, engineering, and IT curricula. The council has drawn up a list of potential improvements in the PSG (Policies, Standards, and Guidelines), of several degree programs in science, engineering, and IT baccalaureate programs; and collaboration with universities that can provide certificate and graduate degrees.
In addition, the SSC has provided the recommended skills set to TESDA to update the priority skills requirements of the industry. This will be valuable to create the Training Regulations (TRs), the training courses to be administered by TESDA for upskilling of the industry manpower.
SEIPI, in partnership with Toshiba Information Equipment Phils., Inc. and Teradyne Philippines Ltd, will hold its 17th Philippine Semiconductor Electronics Convention and Exhibition (PSECE), the premier electronics event in the country, after a two-year hiatus. This will take place on November 16-18, 2022, at the SMX Convention Center Manila, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.
Toshiba will showcase its technologies that will support the government’s campaign on making the Philippines a strategic hyperscaler hub in the Asia Pacific region. Teradyne will feature its global automation and testing capabilities that will support industry and economic growth.
• Exhibition of more than 200 advanced technology companies including pavilions of our international partner organizations from China, Germany, and Singapore
• Business Matching and Parts Localization for the development of allied and support industries in partnership with the DTI-Export Marketing Bureau
• Three-day Themed Plenary Sessions (Industry, Government, and Academe) Day 1 Plenary Session themed “Trends, Technologies, and Outlook: Game-changers in Value Creation and Innovation” Day 2 Plenary session themed “Digital Transformation for Academic Excellence and Industry Growth” Day 3 Q4 General Membership Meeting (GMM) and CEOs Forum themed “Strategic Policy Initiatives to Revitalize the Electronics Industry and Economy”
• Job Fair in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
• SEIPI’s first-ever Academe Pavilion
• National Technical Symposium featuring winning papers submitted by manufacturing engineers from SEIPI member-companies
• Up to 8,000 trade visitors and buyers coming from different industries and neighboring countries and 1,000 delegates are expected to attend the biggest event of the industry.
Registration and other details can be found at this link: https://www.seipi.org.ph/event/psece-2022-save-the-date.
SEIPI will continue organizing beneficial events for the Philippine semiconductor and electronics industry members and partners such as its Q1 General Membership Meeting and Partner of the Industry Awards on January 27, 2023.
To know more about SEIPI’s projects and events, please visit www.seipi.org.ph.