Japan’s Sumitomo opens third plant in Phnom Penh’s SEZ
Japan’s Sumitomo opens third plant in Phnom Penh’s SEZ
Japanese-owned automotive wiring harness manufacturer Sumi (Cambodia) Wiring Systems Co Ltd has expanded business operations to meet growing demand after a decade of presence in the Kingdom.
Its third rental factory at the 357.3ha Royal Group Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone (SEZ) southwest of the capital’s airport has gone online, affirmed a statement posted on the SEZ’s Facebook page on July 20.
“As [an industrial] zone developer, we are proud to witness the constant growth, development, and expansion of Sumi [Cambodia], an investor from Japan, manufacturing wire harnesses for automobiles,” the statement said.
“[Sumi Cambodia] is a member of Sumitomo Wiring Systems group in Japan. This company started their first operation in Royal Group Phnom Penh SEZ in April 2012 and now employs 4,700 Cambodian workers and staff,” it said.
This represents a nearly one-quarter increase from the 3,800 employed almost two years ago, according to a September 1, 2020 report by the SEZ’s operator and developer Phnom Penh SEZ Plc (PPSP), which noted that the 2020 figure had been a threefold jump from 2018.
The statement added that at the beginning of this month, Sumi Cambodia “officially started their operation in a new Built-to-Suit rental factory.
“This Built-to-Suit rental factory is the third project that we built for [the firm]. We are highly honoured to be a part of this expansion process. And we will keep trying our best to support all of our investors in whatever way we can,” it said.
Royal Group Phnom Penh SEZ CEO Hiroshi Uematsu told The Post that Sumi Cambodia’s expansion reflects its commitment as well as public confidence in its operations.
“We are proud to witness the constant growth, development and expansion of their [business] and are highly honoured to be a part of this process,” he said, adding that Sumi Cambodia’s production is exclusively for export – which PPSP previously noted goes to Japan.
Uematsu said that the SEZ now houses 102 tenants and that both the number of staff they employ and the export value of the goods they produce keep trending up, despite Covid-19, a feat he credited to the continuing support of the government and cooperative efforts of the enterprises.
In an earlier interview, Uematsu noted that Sumi Cambodia’s first factory has a 15,500sqm floor area and its second 17,000sqm, both of which are in the SEZ. Its second factory went online in December 2019, which he said doubled the company’s production capacity, without providing more specific data.
Sumi Cambodia was incorporated on June 14, 2011, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
Royal Group Phnom Penh SEZ is the Kingdom’s second-largest industrial zone after Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone and is located in Kambol district’s Kantaok commune on the western outskirts of the capital.
