GOKONGWEI-LED Universal Robina Corp. (URC) on Thursday said that it had started development of a 30.7-hectare manufacturing facility in Malvar, Batangas, with expansion works slated over the next 15 years.

"This mega plant will feature state-of-the-art manufacturing technology — from the way it will be constructed all the way to how it will be operated," Irwin Lee, URC president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

"The manufacturing lines to be installed in Malvar will incorporate design improvements that will further reduce material resource inputs, production wastage, labor efforts and energy as well as water consumption," he added.

The facility will be equipped with solar panels to generate electricity, Lee noted, adding that the company will optimize the use of resources by utilizing rainwater and reusing wastewater.

URC, which markets salty snacks, candies, chocolates and ready-to-drink tea, has focused on increasing renewable energy use at its manufacturing hubs in the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Once the new facility is completed, the company said that at least 3,000 workers will be employed, both directly and indirectly.

"We look forward to building a healthy relationship with the people of Malvar," Lee said.

"We also look forward to doing our part in economic development and nation-building by providing jobs to the residents of Malvar and the rest of the country, with the full build-out of this manufacturing facility."

In the first nine months of 2023, URC notched a 6.0-percent growth in net income to P10.3 billion from P9.7 billion a year earlier on the continued expansion of its operating margins through profit recovery efforts.

Consolidated sales rose 9.0 percent year on year to P117.6 billion, the firm noted, anchored mainly on the agro-industrial and commodities businesses.

URC shares rose by P2.40 to P118.30 each on Thursday.