LTO to Acquire Automated Plate-Making Machine for Motorcycles

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) announced that it will soon acquire another automated plate-making machine to address the production of license plates for motorcycles.

LTO Executive Director Romeo Vera Cruz told CARMUDI PHILIPPINES that the office will soon purchase another automated machine to address the backlogs by fast-tracking the production and issuance of license plates.

"In nine month's time, we will get another one (automated plate making machine), for motorcycle plates," said Vera Cruz.

Currently, the country has one plate making machine that is designed to produce 5,600 plates per eight-hour shift, which is being used to produce plates for cars. The said machine, Cruz said, is the first to be acquired in the Asian region, and third worldwide.

One machine, which costs PHP75 million as per Cruz, is manned by two people as compared to the four to five people when producing license plates manually.

LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante saud during the press conference Tuesday that the acquisition is also meant to curb possible accidents on safety such as dismemberment. According to him, one operator in the plate-making facility lost hand,

"With the new machine, even your nails wouldn't get cut," Galvante told reporters in Filipino.

Some 1.9 motor vehicles and 7 million motorcycles around the country are to be registered by December 2019.

The Motor Vehicle License Plate Standardization program project under the Department of Transportation was awarded to JKG-PPI. The project covers more than 5.2 motor vehicles and a little less than 10 million motorcycles.