Ayala’s IMI conquers global EMS arena

MANILA, Philippines - Now on its 35th year of operations, Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. (IMI) continues to prove to the world that a homegrown electronics manufacturer can stand alongside and compete successfully with other foreign multinational companies.

Headquartered in the Philippines and majority owned by the Ayala Corp., IMI today operates in multiple manufacturing sites spread out in the Philippines, China, Mexico, the USA, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic, providing solutions to original electronics makers catering for both regional and international markets.

With a workforce of only around 100 in 1980, the company now boasts of more than 15,000 employees worldwide.

IMI’s ability to innovate catapulted the company to what it is now, a giant in the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry.

“Innovation to us is more of a mindset and a culture. In reality technology is just a catalyst in being able to drive innovation. You can always innovate any process, business model, workflow, idea, product, service, that you have embedded in your system. So, what we try to do is develop a group of people that actually have innovation as part of their mindset,” IMI president and chief executive officer Arthur Tan said.

“What we want to make sure, from a management perspective, is that we create an environment where that type of thinking thrives and then we provide the resources on the technology, on the systems, equipment, education, training, that will consistently fuel that mindset,” Tan added.

From being a simple electronics manufacturing services company when it began operations, IMI has evolved into a comprehensive solutions provider for product design and development.

IMI at present is also into prototyping, manufacturing, product test development, testing and order fulfillment.

IMI believes such diversity will help ensure a greater stability for the company as it continues to cultivate a broader and healthier mix of clients that protect the company from the effects of market downturns.

“We are an Asian EMS company with a global footprint, with a very diverse management team that understands western methodology of engagement and knows how to operate in western environments,” Tan emphasized.

Global footprint

IMI’s dedication to innovation has been bearing fruits for many years now. Based on 2014 EMS-related revenues as reported by Manufacturing Market Insider, the company ranks 18th on the list of top EMS providers in the world with consolidated revenues reaching $844.5 million.

It is also the 7th largest EMS player in the automotive industry as reported by New Venture Research based on 2014 EMS-related revenues.

“As we celebrate our 35th year of operations this year, we have become a strong EMS player with more diversified solutions to capture more programs in higher-margin niches in the automotive, industrial, medical, and telecommunication infrastructure industries,” Tan said.

But IMI is not content with merely manufacturing products and providing solutions as it also continuously strive to do good and manufacture products that impact lives and make the world a better place.

For IMI, Tan said it is no longer about simply making a profit. The company believes that an ideal business is one that is innovative, profitable and at the same time addresses a social and environmental issue.

“IMI is able to provide not only the profitability and the growth on a financial basis,” he said, adding that “more importantly the people that are involved, the communities that we serve and the products that we build are actually intertwined in making the world a better place,” Tan said.

In line with this, the firm has been manufacturing safety electronics in cars such as automotive cameras to prevent road accidents and airbag controls to lessen impact of accidents.

IMI also co-develops automotive cameras for original electronics makers. Such cameras are used for parking, lane departure warning, road signage recognition, and collision avoidance.

For industrial electronics, IMI produces security or access control devices to prevent theft and dosimeters that measure exposure to ionizing radiation for human radiation protection.

IMI also engages in robotics as well as manufacturing of medical diagnostic devices for detecting illness and telecom infrastructure devices.

As IMI celebrates its 35th year in the business, the company vows to continue making every effort to go way beyond economic performance and financial measures by taking into account its connections, relationships and interdependence with all its stakeholders, including the communities surrounding it and the environment.