Lesotho light-bulb plant by Philips
Philips to Build Lesotho Plant
Another factory, more jobs. I suppose we can boil it down to that. We need jobs in Lesotho, and they’re not coming from anywhere within the country but local-based foreign companies. So be it. Welcome to Lesotho, Philips. We hope you’re not gonna be a sweat-shop.Thursday March 27, 12:43 pm ET
Philips Electronics to Build Energy Saving Lightbulb Plant in Southern Africa AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Philips Electronics NV, the world’s largest maker of light bulbs, said Thursday it planned to cooperate with the government and another partner on building a plant in the southern African nation of Lesotho.The company did not say how large the investment would be, but said the plant will produce 15 million compact fluorescent lamps annually once it is fully operational.
One hopes that unlike the status quo with a lot of Taiwanese factories, this time around someone will actually think this one through. Inserting a few clauses to guarantee skills transfer(I’m not talking about semi-skilled labour, but managerial and technical expertise)would go a long way. Having had a stint in a factory, I can assure you that it is not for the faint-hearted: Imagine a night-shift in June, with extractors fluttering to take care of the drip drop from the ceiling - and in the process sending the internal temp to a sure 2 degrees. And how about a share offer to nationals say after 10 years… Just a thought.
Comment by lebotsa — 4 April 2008 @ 4:12 pm