Vancouver Airport Authority, Bombardier explore PH hub
Canada’s Vancouver Airport Authority (VAA) and Bombardier Aviation have expressed openness to look at the Philippines as production hub and for maintenance services.
The two firms were part of the select Canadian companies being targetted by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) during an investment mission recently in Canada.
PEZA Director-General Charito B. Plaza said that Vancouver airport expressed openness to manufacturing their automation equipment and supplying their equipment to the Philippines and other countries in Asia.
VAA President and CEO Craig Richmond has also promised to link up PEZA with its affiliate company Vantage, which is involved w/ airport design, construction & development.
VAA, which has invented some automation equipment, involving passenger/luggage check in and luggage tagging/bag drop conveyor system.
VAA has deployed 2,000 units of these equipment in the leading airports in Canada, US, Europe and Cyprus.
The potential for Vancouver airport will depend if there is a Philippine airport interested in their technology.
“We badly need this because of long queuing in the airports. With their technology, airport operation is hassle free,” said Plaza.
As for Bombardier Aviation, Plaza said That Lufthansa Technik Philippines has engaged Bombardier for MRO services in the Philippines.
Other Vancouver-based prospects include: ENECO, through its partnership with ACS of Bellingham, Washington (an industry leader in thermal oxidation and emission control system) will invest a total of $80 million for the Thermal Oxidation Process System or TOPS gasifier with acid evaporator– a waste treatment/ disposal facility to be established in Mactan, Cavite & Batangas ecozones. ENECO will equip some of their TOPS with a waste-toenergy component to allow for tri-generation and mini-grid system in the ecozone for the production of energy, heat and chilled water. These integrated energy solutions will likewise reduce cost of power and promote the development of renewable sources of distributed energy, thus making the ecozones more competitive, energy efficient and environment friendly.
In the case of Silver Valley Farms (SVF), together which its affiliate Suncrest, is one of the leading producers and suppliers of frozen and fresh berries (i.e., blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, etc.) and other fruits in Canada. Established in 1984 in Vancouver, SVF recently ventured into its first off-shore facility in Japan for the production of blueberries. For the Philippines, SVF will engage in cacao production for export where they will apply for a 50-hectare ecozone with a project cost of $5 million per site (excluding ecozone developer investment). SVF plans to put up 3 production sites for cacao in the country, and has explored as well the viability of growing blueberries in Baguio and Bukidnon.