SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Japanese precision motors manufacturer Nidec Subic Philippines Corporation has announced a P4.2 billion venture here to produce precision gearboxes for use in high-technology applications like robotics, aerospace and solar tracking.

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said the new investment project was among those signed during a recent meeting in Japan between President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

“This new venture by Nidec Subic is a validation of foreign investors’ strong confidence in the leadership of President Marcos and in the Subic Bay Freeport,” the SBMA said in a statement.

According to the SBMA Business and Investment Department for Manufacturing and Maritime, Nidec Subic will manufacture precision gearboxes that ensure smooth and efficient gear operation for a wide range of high-end uses.

The new venture will initially require 1,074 workers, the SBMA said.  

Nidec is the world’s top manufacturer of small precision motors, and currently maintains the largest market share in the world for spindle motors, which rotate disks and are at the heart of hard disk drives used in personal computers.

In 2019, Nidec Subic launched an expansion program to produce industrial robotic gears with an actual investment worth US$250 million, generating additional employment of 632.

The company ventured into manufacturing reduction gears which are considered vital in controlling the speed and traction of electronic equipment.

Nidec Subic was named among the top ten exporters of 2022 with an export value totaling US$49.43 million. ~