UK-based consumer goods manufacturer Unilever has opened a collaborative manufacturing facility in Mandaue City, Cebu, dedicated to its Home Care product range, according to a MyCebu.ph report.

The 1,600-square-metre site marks Unilever Philippines' first manufacturing facility outside Luzon and will produce liquid home care products including Surf Fabric Conditioners and Fabclean Liquids for distribution across the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

The expansion follows the opening of a Cavite facility in September 2023 and forms part of the company's broader strategy to bring manufacturing closer to diverse consumer markets across the Philippines.

The facility is designed to eliminate the need for sea shipments from Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao regions, reducing logistics-related emissions, port congestion, lead times and transport costs. The site will integrate systems aligned with Unilever's long-term net-zero agenda.

The plant will operate using the Unilever Manufacturing System, a digital framework applied across the company's regional factories that incorporates digital technologies, analytics and artificial intelligence to deliver leaner and more agile supply chain operations.

Van Nguyen-thi-bich, general manager for Home Care at Unilever Greater Asia, said: "Collaborating with local partners is essential to building a more agile and resilient local supply chain. It allows us to serve Filipino households faster and efficiently, all while fostering livelihood opportunities and strengthening regional economies."

Navdeep Singh, head of supply chain for the Philippines and vice president of customer operations at Unilever Greater Asia, said: "This collaborative manufacturing facility expands a more distributed production footprint across the country, supporting Filipino communities and strengthening the consumer goods industry. It enables faster logistics and quicker access for consumers to Unilever products while reducing the overall carbon footprint."

Get the full story on Unilever's Cebu manufacturing expansion in the complete report.