Mazda Philippines formally opened its new 100 percent green facility, the Mazda center of Excellence located in Cabuyao, Laguna. Spanning a total area of 2.5 hectares, the new warehouse and training facility is a testament to Mazda’s commitment to better serve the Philippine market.
“As the business grows, so does our commitment to the community. This is why we built the Mazda Center of Excellence, a 100 percent green facility. It is a testament to our dedication to the Philippine market, so our customers’ new Mazda vehicles are safe from the sun and rain during storage. The training facility is also a more conducive technical training venue, to make sure we offer nothing but excellent service to our customers,” says Steven Tan, president and CEO of Bermaz Auto Philippines.
In an effort to keep new Mazda vehicles pristine and safe from harsh elements before they are delivered to dealerships, Mazda Philippines began searching for a better vehicle storage solution four years ago. Covered depot options were difficult to find and costly. Hence, the company decided to build its own, an environment-conscious 952-car storage adjacent to its training facility. The 12,269-square-meter covered vehicle depot will house imported Mazda vehicles prior to its delivery to dealerships. An additional 334 units (total of 1,286) may also be parked inside the compound further expanding the capability to house future inventories.
Staying true to Mazda’s philosophy of Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030, the Mazda Center of Excellence was designed to be self-sustaining and built with eco-friendly materials. The training facility generates its own electric power through 270 solar panels, which can produce 145,000-kWh of energy annually. Excess electricity may be transferred to the grid and drawn back at nighttime for use.
Meant to be able to self-supply water, the Mazda Center of Excellence is conceived to harvest rainwater and store up to 135,000 liters in water tanks. This water will be used to wash the Mazda vehicles before delivery and for general housekeeping of the facility. The collected water can sustain the facility for 30 days without rainfall.
The pre-cast concrete technology that wraps the new office and training facility is a Filipino invention and made locally in Pasay City. Invented by Architect Eduardo Urcia, the pre-cast is an award-winning technology that is high density, but lightweight. In addition, it has a layer of insulation at the center that helps keep the space inside the building cool from the outside heat, thus reducing the energy required to bring the room temperature down.
The 100 percent green facility will be the new home of the company’s Customer Service Division (CSD), the largest team within the organization. “The relocation of CSD to Cabuyao immediately improves the quality of life for more than one-third of the CSD employees by reducing their average daily commuting time from 5 hours to less than one hour. A few Metro Manila residents will move to Santa Rosa to start anew in Laguna with company relocation support,” Tan further shares during the inauguration.
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