By Franklin P. Gumapon
DUMALINAO, Zamboanga del Sur – Nearly a decade ago he used to place orders of solid panel doors, mouldings and other kiln-dried wood products for his lumber and hardware store in Pagadian City from Cebu.
Today he is shipping the same wood products direct from his factory in Motosawa, Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur to Cebu.
Alvin U. Ang, 43, obliged with this writer an interview, sharing how his company, Wood Tech Builders, started some four years ago.
He said the need for kiln-dried woods prompted him to establish his new business with the help of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
Wood Tech Builders, which nestles in a six-hectare Mahogany plantation, adopts the furnace-type kiln dryer for lumber, a technology developed by DOST’s Forest Product Research and Development Institute (FPRDI).
The FPRDI has also provided the company with technical consultancy services and manpower training.
DOST’s loan assistance
The company acquired its first kiln dryer equipment in 2010 through a loan assistance from the DOST under the “Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program” or SETUP, which is interest-free and payable within three years.
Alvin beamed with pride in saying that his company was able to fully pay the P1.8-million loan in less than three years.
This enabled his company to again avail itself of another loan from the DOST to put up a bigger kiln dryer plant in the amount of P4 million.
High recovery
With the kiln dryer, the wood’s moisture content (MC) could be brought down to 12% or below, resulting in high recovery of wood products. Kiln-dried wood is not prone to warping, keeping it stable and in good quality.
Saw dust is also used as fuel in the furnace to produce hot gases for the kiln dryer. “Practically nothing is wasted in the entire process,” Alvin declared.
No minor workers
Absolutely child labor has no place in the premises of Wood Tech Builders. “We don’t hire minors or children as workers here,” Alvin said adding “we have female workers, though.”
He also disclosed that these female workers, who are mostly the wives of his male employees, are also given easier tasks like painting, sanding and polishing.
Female workers comprise 20 percent of the company’s more than a hundred employees.
First of its kind
The furnace-type kiln dryer facility of Wood Tech Builders in Dumalinao town is the first of its kind in region 9.
The nearest manufacturers of kiln-dried wood and lumber are Cebu in region 7 and the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Oroquieta in region 10.
Market
“Ninety percent of our products are being shipped to Cebu with an average of one shipment per month.
The remaining 10 percent are sold in local markets,” Alvin revealed.
According to DOST-9, “the Wood Tech Builders has become a multi-billion enterprise with an annual gross sales of over P13 million.” Its products bear the brand name “Creative.”
Best SETUP adopter
In 2013 the company had been awarded by DOST-9 as “Regional Best SETUP Adopter” for utilizing DOST’s technology interventions and technical assistance resulting in the company’s impressive market performance and outstanding improvements in productivity and product quality.
Moreover, Alvin confided that treating every worker like a family has also contributed in no small amount to the productivity of his company.
