1ST OF ITS KIND. Mitsui & Co., Ltd.-Manila Branch Country Chairman Kazuhiro Nomura (from.left), Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation President Masando Hashimoto, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Technical Division Chief Joel Bolano, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Philippines Kazuya Endo, Japan International Cooperation Agency Philippines Chief Representative Takema Sakamoto, En Tsumugi ELV Dismantler Corporation Lead Representative Riczon Hung, and Tsuruoka Co., Ltd. President and CEO Masaaki. The executives attended the inauguration ceremony of En Tsumugi dismantling facility in Mexico, Pampanga on Sept. 30, 2024. (Courtesy of TMP)
MANILA – The Philippines now has its own end-of-life vehicle (ELV) dismantler with the inauguration of the En Tsumugi ELV Dismantler Corp.'s facility in Mexico, Pampanga.
The country's pioneer dismantling facility is a milestone in the local automotive industry in pushing for responsible management of ELVs, which are considered as waste.
ELVs are motor vehicles that have reached the end of their life cycle technically or economically, as well as the new ones which have been written off due to accident.
En Tsumugi's dismantling facility in Pampanga aims to cut the waste from ELVs, including hazardous waste, while maximizing the recovery of materials that can be recycled.
The firm is a wholly-owned venture of the Hung family – owner of local metal recycling companies Supreme Mile Trading Corp. (SMTC) and CoroCrown Corporation.
The dismantling facility is an offshoot of a pilot project led by Japanese ELV dismantler Tsuruoka Co., Ltd. and financially supported by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Several Japanese businesses, including Toyota Motor Corp. and Mitsui & Co., Ltd., provided business development and technical assistance for the project.
The facility is located in a 3-hectare property with a capacity of dismantling 100 ELVs per day.
In a statement Wednesday, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP) said it provides technical support for the project, such as environmental compliance, facility design, dismantling methodology, equipment requirements, and hazardous waste management.
It also gave five ELVs, including an electric vehicle unit, to En Tusmugi as training units for the facility.
"The establishment of a local ELV dismantler aligns with the goals of the ‘Toyota Global 100 Dismantlers Project,’ which aims to establish a network of proper ELV dismantling facilities worldwide,” TMP president Masando Hashimoto said.
Hashimoto also handed over a certificate of endorsement to En Tsumugi, the fourth dismantling facility in Southeast Asia to receive such endorsement from the Japanese carmaker.
Toyota also awarded certificates of endorsement to dismantlers in Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. (PNA)
