Philips-regional service center to be opened in Georgia
By Tatia Megeneishvili
Wednesday, April 23
The Dutch-based Royal Philips Regional Service Center will be opened in Georgia – this information became public after the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili met with Executive Chairman of Royal Philips, Harry Hendricks in Tbilisi on Tuesday.
According to Gharibashvili, the Philips Company had been discussing this issue since meeting with former PM Bidzina Ivanishvili, on the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2013. The Prime Minister noted that entrance of the world’s leading companies in Georgia promotes the formation of a hub-type of economy.
According to Gharibashvili, one of the most important priorities for the government of Georgia is to attract the world’s leading companies in Georgia.
“Such investments are not good only in terms of that material and labor is attractive, but the fact that the country is less developed, brings new knowledge in strategically important sectors of the economy, know-how and expertise," stated the PM.
Discussing the ways of cooperation with the Georgian PM, Hendricks said that the stable and solid political climate in Georgia is very important for companies like ours.
“In the future, we plan to build a regional center here in Georgia,” stressed Hendricks.
Head of the Georgian Investment Agency Giorgi Pertaia also attended the meeting. He said that the Philips Service Center operating in Georgia will distribute their products and services not only in the South Caucasus but also in Central Asian countries.
"We are pleased that after the Davos meeting, Philips decided to open the central regional office in Georgia. This is very important,” Pertaia stressed.
Philips was founded in 1891. In 2013 the company's sales revenue was 23.3 billion Euros. Currently, there are 100 companies with more than 115,000 workers employed around the world.
Philips's Tbilisi office will focus on the services such as energy effective lighting systems, innovative health care and consumer products.
