Philips Semiconductors announced the opening of an integrated-circuit (IC) test and assembly plant in Calamba, Laguna, on May 10, 1999. The company said it expected the facility to reach full operation by the end of 2000; that was a forecast, not confirmation that the target was later achieved.
What Philips announced in May 1999
EE Times and EDN reported on May 10, 1999, that Philips Semiconductors had opened a new IC test and assembly plant in Calamba, Philippines. The reports also said the plant had been commissioned in November 1997 and was expected to be completely operational by the end of 2000. These dates describe separate milestones: commissioning preceded the 1999 opening announcement, while full operation remained a future target. EE Times and EDN
The project record for Philips Integrated Circuits Philippines places the facility in Light Industry and Science Park, Phase 2 (LISP-2), Calamba, Laguna, and lists substantial completion in May 1999. The project record describes an 8.27-hectare site with about 36,000 square meters of gross floor area across five principal buildings: production, administration, warehouse, energy, and wastewater treatment. Those are project-record specifications, not independently audited figures for ongoing plant operations. RN Ferrer & Associates project record
What the Calamba facility was built to do
Calamba was a semiconductor manufacturing facility for assembling and testing integrated circuits—not a factory making finished cars, phones, computers, or household appliances. Philips said the chips would serve automotive, telecommunications, computer, and consumer-electronics markets around the world. Its initial focus was complex plastic quad flat pack (QFP) chips, with other package types to be added as demand required, according to the 1999 reports.
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Contemporary reporting described Calamba as Philips Semiconductors’ third IC test and assembly facility, following facilities in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and Bangkok, Thailand. The intended role was to support the company’s worldwide semiconductor customers. EE Times; EDN
Calamba and Cabuyao were different operations
The nearby Cabuyao site was not another name for the Calamba plant. Philips’ company-history account distinguishes a discrete-semiconductor production center opened in Cabuyao in 1996 from the IC test and assembly facility in Calamba. That history says work on the Calamba facility began in 1998; contemporary reports identify its commissioning in November 1997, so the sources give different dates for the work’s beginning and commissioning rather than a single uncontested start date. Philips company history
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| Site | Semiconductor activity | Timeline in the cited accounts |
|---|---|---|
| Calamba, Laguna | IC assembly and test | Commissioned November 1997 and announced open May 10, 1999, according to EE Times and EDN; Philips’ company history says work began in 1998. |
| Cabuyao, Laguna | Discrete semiconductor devices | Production center opened in 1996, according to Philips’ company history. |
Investment, output, and staffing were plans—not verified results
The 1999 figures describe announced investment and forecasts. They should not be read as proof of later spending, sales, or employment at the site.
- Planned investment: Philips Semiconductors was reported to be investing more than $300 million in the facility. EE Times and EDN reported this in 1999. EE Times; EDN
- Projected annual IC value: Arthur van der Poel, then Philips Semiconductors chairman and CEO, said the plant was expected to produce $1 billion to $1.5 billion worth of ICs per year at the end of its first phase. This was a forecast of annual output value, not a reported sales result. EE Times
- Staffing target: EDN reported that Philips planned to employ 1,500 people by the end of 2000, mostly local Filipinos. This was a staffing plan, not confirmation of the eventual headcount. EDN
Van der Poel described the company’s broader ambition in the Philippines this way: “With plans for a second phase already underway, our capabilities in the Philippines will play a crucial role in our strategy to provide the best possible semiconductor solutions for our worldwide customer base.” EE Times
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The cited accounts establish the opening announcement and the company’s late-1990s plans, but they do not establish whether the Calamba facility is operating now, who owns it, or what happened after the end-of-2000 full-operation target. Philips’ 2023 overview of manufacturing activities says it is not conclusive or comprehensive, so its facility list cannot prove that the Calamba site closed or changed ownership. Philips manufacturing activities in 2023
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