Champassak wig factory officially opens
Champassak wig factory officially opens
The Leonka World Lao Co., Ltd., a wig and hair products maker in Champassak province, last week officially opened its new factory, which will give it sufficient capacity to produce for export.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Japanese Ambassador to Laos, Mr Hiroyuki Kishino, Champassak provincial Deputy Governor, Mr Somsanit Bouttavong, Savan TVS Consultant Co., Ltd. representative Mr Vannada Phommashit, Japanese VIP guests Mr Hasegawa Wataru and Mr Kusuno Toshiya, and government officials and representatives from 22 companies in Japan and four Japanese factories in the province.
The factory is located in Nongvaeng village, Pathoumphone district, and is expected to produce about 20,000 hairpieces and wigs a year. The company began production in 2013 with only 20 employees and currently has about 200 workers which is sufficient to meet demand, company Director Mr Hasahiko Ueda said.
The products are made by hand for export to Japan and the raw materials are also imported from Japan.
Due to the limits on the availability of skilled labour, the factory currently can produce only one type of hairpiece but in the near future the company plans to import new machinery that can produce a variety of items, Mr Ueda said.
The company's target is to develop human resources and boost family incomes, he added.
Employees currently working at the factory receive a minimum of 800,000 kip a month, with some able to earn more than one million kip due to their skills and experience.
Champassak province has insufficient labour to meet the factory's requirements because many people work in neighbouring countries, while others have gone to Vientiane for work.
The factory would not be successful without the support of various sectors of the Lao government and the Savan TVS Consultant Co., Ltd. which coordinated the documentation.
The factory provides job opportunities for local people and helps to reduce the number taking up work both legally and illegally in other countries.
The company has provided a free dormitory for employees who live a long way from the factory.
Japanese investors hold a 70 percent share in the business with the remaining 30 percent Lao owned. The investors have injected US$530,000 into the venture.
