Japan Cash Machine Co Ltd, known as JCM Global, says it will shift to the Philippines some of the manufacturing that currently takes place in mainland China, Kyodo News reports.
The Japanese news agency quoted an unidentified spokesperson for JCM Global as saying the company was trying to dodge the crossfire of the Sino-United States trade war, which carries the danger of higher U.S. tariffs on goods made in China.
JCM Global makes machines that validate banknotes and handle currency, casino printers and other gaming hardware-related devices.
Kyodo News quoted the spokesperson as saying JCM Global intended to shift to the Philippines production of banknote validators for casino gaming machines, and related printer products.
The spokesperson said JCM Global had 65 percent of the market for banknote bill validators for casinos in the United States, and that many of the devices it sold there were shipped from China.
The spokesperson said JCM Global had partners in the Philippines which it had begun giving work to in 2012.
JCM Global would consider setting up a production management unit in the Philippines once the Philippines accounted for half the production it farms out to countries other than Japan, Kyodo News quoted the company spokesperson as saying.
In May, JCM Global senior vice-president of sales, marketing and operations Dave Kubajak told GGRAsia that besides having a presence in the Macau casino market, the firm had also gained footholds in the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore in the past years.
“We now also transition to [markets in] Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Sri Lanka and India,” Mr Kubajak said on the sidelines of the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia 2019 industry trade show, held at the Venetian Macao casino resort.
