The adaptation work is expected to begin in mid-August of this year, with the first production run slated for February 2014. This plant will be the first of its kind in the Andean region and Furukawa's third in South America in the telecommunications market.

Although Furukawa has been selling structured cabling in Colombia through its distributors for five years, the construction of this fiber optic cable plant marks the Japanese multinational's direct entry into the market. The decision to locate in the Valle del Cauca region stems from the department's strategic location, which will facilitate the import of raw materials and the export of finished products to countries in the Pacific Rim. This plant will serve as the production and distribution center for the Andean region and Central America.

The foreign direct investment project has been under development since 2011 between Proexport and Invest Pacific, which have provided advisory services to the Japanese company through its Brazilian subsidiary and facilitated visits by Furukawa representatives to Cali and Palmira. In the Valle del Cauca region, representatives from the Japanese firm had the opportunity to meet with and learn more about the Colombian market through several meetings with Emcali, EPSA, the two free trade zones in Palmira, the head of education programs at Cali Digital, the University of Valle, and other companies in the region.

Furukawa is committed to the social development of Valle del Cauca and the country as a whole. According to company executives, the estimated investment is five million dollars between 2013 and 2016. Initially, they will create 25 high-quality direct jobs per shift and approximately 200 indirect jobs throughout the supply chain (civil construction, logistics, transportation, food, supplies, etc.). They will also provide top-tier technical training programs. “The Valle del Cauca region will benefit from the technology transfer processes to be developed by Furukawa, the world’s third-largest producer in this field. Some of the employees hired for the Colombian plant will be trained in Brazil for six months and will then train the rest of the local staff,” stated María Claudia Lacouture, President of Proexport.

“We are very proud to announce Furukawa’s arrival in Valle del Cauca, especially in Palmira; the location of this important multinational is key for the municipality. We can continue to say that great things are happening in our department, and proof of this is being the pioneers in the Andean region in the construction of a fiber optic cable plant. Our business network is becoming increasingly robust,” affirmed María Eugenia Lloreda, Executive Director of Invest Pacific.