Location Strategy across South East Asia
ICA was engaged by Knowles, a US stock listed company producing hearing instruments, to conduct a full scale plant location analysis for a 5000-employee investment project in South East Asia in order to optimize their Asian manufacturing footprint. Departing from a long list of 15 countries, their systematic approach supported by their software platform and database LocationSelector and well managed site visits, led the firm to a logical and widely supported location choice based on numerous criteria involving cost of labor, incentives and supply chain costs.
The project involved multiple rounds of site visits throughout South East Asia and meetings with c-level executives throughout the entire project. The analyses and modeling also focused on wage forecasts in the region and the impact of potential incentive packages on operational expenses. The final inspection of the sites provided a strong recommendation to the board. The manufacturing facility is now operational in Cebu, Philippines.