With the opening of Design and Innovation Center of the free zone Eaton Corporation DRthe Dominican Republic takes a qualitative leap to establish itself as a Patent Development Hub and strengthen the strategy of becoming a Nearshore destination, specialized in the manufacture of high-tech products that are exported to the USA.
The inauguration of this center is aligned with the strategy of the government to take advantage of the country’s privileged geographical position to promote trade in goods and services with countries close to its territory, such as the United States, taking advantage of the fact that large companies are relocating their production to closer destinations.
Leading the opening ceremony of the new extension Constance SD Design Center, the president Luis Abinader highlighted the trend towards diversification of the national free zones, which are heading to become spaces for the development of brains specialized in design and technological innovation.
“The tax incentives offered by the government for foreign investment, added to our privileged geographical location, have allowed us to continue laying the foundations in the Dominican Republic to promote the development of export processing zones and the national Nearshore strategy”said the president.
Abinader cited as an example that in recent years, this company Eaton it displaced China in the assembly of components for certain electrical products that are now made in the Dominican Republic and later marketed in the United States.
He added that investors are taking advantage of the logistics facilities in the supply chain, the preferential tax and tariff regime offered by the country and the significant reduction in the time for the transfer of goods to that North American nation.
For his part, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and MSMEsVíctor (Ito) Bisonó, highlighted the modernization process that the free zone sector has exhibited in the country and emphasized the importance of betting on the development of innovation and disruptive ideas to raise the country’s productivity and competitiveness.
“We are proud to see the historic growth that the export processing zones have experienced in the last two years. The investors they continue to trust in the macroeconomic stability of the Dominican Republic both to establish their businesses and to expand their operations and this inauguration is a firm example of this reality”, said Bisonó.
The minister reiterated that the government will continue betting on increasing the development and professionalization of the workforce in export processing zones, because with the development of new ventures technological The flight of high-level talent will be avoided and more quality jobs and higher foreign exchange will be generated.
“The intellect of these Dominican brains is transforming the export processing zones and elevating them to a higher level of technological innovation and sustained growth. These talents have access to better-paid jobs and with their preparation they contribute to boosting the growth of exports and the national productive chain, through Nearshoring”, detailed Bisonó.
Eaton DR will develop highly skilled talent
Young engineers, graduated from different universities in the country, are working on the development of 16 patents that the Eaton Innovation Center currently has registered and that will be implemented internationally, according to Ernesto Lebrón, general manager of the company.
“In this Center we will have a workforce of 95 highly qualified and specialized professionals in the areas of mechanical and electronic design engineering. These talents will work on the development of electrical switches and starters, design and maintenance of mixed signals for switches and industrial control, process development, patents, among other innovative areas,” added Lebrón.
The Center signed a collaboration agreement with the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC), to support the training of future talents graduated from the engineering careers of said high house of studies and promote common projects of innovation and development of patents. The infrastructure of the space, which is located on Los Próceres avenue in front of INTEC, extends over 17,653 square feet of construction, within which there are 3,000 square feet for laboratories on the first floor. The building consists of four floors and 2 independent basements.
Eaton Corporation D.R. was installed in the country in 1985 as a free zone company in the electrical equipment manufacturing area. In recent years, the evolution of its product and business portfolio has allowed the company to contribute to national economic growth, with the generation of more than 5,000 direct jobs and a volume of exports that, at the end of 2020, exceeded 630 million dollars. As part of the process of expanding its operations, the company obtained last June the approval permit from the National Council of Export Free Zones to install the new Center.
The company’s senior executives who were present at the activity were Francis Misenheimer, president of the CPD Division; Ryan Keen, Vice President of Human Resources; Brooke Lang, vice president of the PCD Division; Brian Carlson, Vice President of Engineering; Bart Ideker, CRDS Division Engineering Vice President, Adam Krug, ICD Division Engineering Director, and Justin Dodge, PCD Division Human Resources Director.
