Taipei, Japan-based Canon Inc. broke ground on its new manufacturing complex in Chiayi County Monday, a project that is expected to bring 4,000 new jobs to the primarily agricultural county and give local residents reason to stay at home.
County Magistrate Chang Hwa-kuan said at the groundbreaking ceremony that the county’s population outflow has grown serious because of the lack of opportunity in non-agricultural sectors, and she hoped the new facility would stem the net negative migration.
Canon plans to recruit workers from Chiayi and neighboring Yunlin counties to man the operations at the new NT$4 billion (US$131.1 million) facility, which is scheduled to be completed in April 2012 and begin production in July.
The company decided to invest in the new plant in December 2010 in response to rising demand and to further diversify its production bases.
A few months ago, it also committed to investing NT$11 billion to expand its factory in Tanzih District, Taichung, according to Vice Economic Affairs Minister Hwang Jung-chiou.
Canon has operated the Tanzih plant since 1970, when it became the company’s first overseas production stronghold.
After Canon’s new investment in Chiayi, along with a bilateral investment pact signed between Taiwan and Japan on Sept. 22, more Japanese enterprises are expected to invest in the country, Huang said. |