The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has announced that a major Thai fiber cement building materials manufacturer, Shera Public Company Limited, has requested their assistance to accelerate its ambitious growth in the country.

This was following a dialogue led by DTI Secretary Cristina Roque with Thai firms active in Philippine operations and those exploring opportunities when she visited Bangkok, Thailand recently.

Shera revealed its current capacity to produce 120,000 metric tons of fiber cement products annually.

CEO Ongon Taechahamaphant affirmed, “We want the second phase of our investment to supply the entire country, and we plan to achieve that by investing more.” The company aims to provide products for both government and private projects, including schools and other infrastructure.

Roque emphasized ample room for Shera to expand, particularly in mass housing. “We are building many houses for Filipinos,” she shared.

Its present capacity generated P2.7 billion in revenue last year, while employing 150 Filipinos to meet staffing needs.

SHERA’s manufacturing facility in Pampanga — the company’s first outside Thailand — supports import substitution, reduces reliance on foreign supply, and strengthens local industrial capability through advanced technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence.

The project also positions the Philippines as a production and export base for fiber cement products in the region.

Thai conglomerate

Also, Secretary Roque and his team met with the leading Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Co. Limited (CPF), renowned for its fully integrated agro-industrial operations in animal feed production, livestock farming, food processing, and sustainable agriculture, and outlined Philippine expansion.  

Roque said CPF executives explained that their management “wants to build business in the Philippines more and more.”

CPF Philippines chairman Sakol Cheewakoset noted the company has grown at a robust 35 percent annually since starting operations in the Philippines 10 years ago, fueling further expansion.

“We want the Philippines to overtake Vietnam in a few years,” he said.

Cheewakoset stressed the need for government support to realize these goals.

Already operating facilities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, the group anticipates hiring more Filipinos as new sites come online.

Currently, CP Group thrives in agro farming — raising pigs, chickens, and producing eggs — alongside aquaculture ventures in shrimp and feeds, and these efforts meet strong local demand, with export markets in sight.

The Thai business leader urged, “Please get support for us. Our business depends on construction,” he said, referring to the farm facilities they must build.”

Secretary Roque assured full government backing, committing to connect CPF with relevant agencies under a “whole-of-government” approach mandated by the President.

“We now work together as one to drive investment and job creation,” she affirmed. She expressed the DTI’s willingness to support CPF’s vision, advising it to locate in pro-business, industrializing areas,” she said.

Roque added that CP Group’s success is crucial to the Philippine economy: “The food security business is important because of our growing population.”