Manuel J. Salazar is the president and chief executive officer of Pascual Laboratories Inc. (PLI), a privately held company with over 50 years experience in manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products in the Philippines. 

                By end of 2000, IMS Philippines ranked PLI as the country’s 13th-largest pharmaceutical corporate group in terms of sales, and second-largest among Filipino-owned pharmaceutical companies.

                Among PLI’s best-selling products are Ascof (lagundi), a cough remedy and for asthma control, and Releaf (sambong), a diuretic and for dissolution of kidney stone.

                Both are natural products developed by and licensed from the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, an agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

                PLI is a market leader in the over-the counter wound remedy, phytomedicine and generic segments. It also has significant presence in the antiinfectives, cardiovascular and nutritional supplements segments.

                Three years following PLI’s adoption of production technologies for lagundi and sambong tablets in 1995, Ascof and Releaf earned for the Philippines its first recognition for Quality Excellence in locally produced medicines from the prestigious International Exhibition of Inventions, New Techniques and Products in Geneva, Switzerland. 

                It also got a “Rising Star” citation from the Department of Trade and Industry’s Golden Shell Awards, which confirms the products’ export potential.

                Moreover, Pascual’s venture into herbal medicines contributes to the improvement of the quality of life of many poor families in Nueva Ecija, Quezon and Palawan, under a contract to grow and supply the herbal plants. The company also renewed interest in pharmaceutical products locally produced from indigenous plants and herbs.

Arden A. Siarot an unassuming BS Electrical Engineering graduate from the University of San Jose-Recoletos, is the dynamo behind the successful Cebu-based Arden Classic Inc. (ACI)

                When the competition started to cut prices, ACI went the opposite way, raising prices of its products. But not before it shifted to high-end home furnishings that had fewer competitors in Cebu, supporting a more sophisticated and affluent market.

                ACI’s success is a testament to the creativity and passion of young couple Arden and Jen Elizabeth Siarot.

                In 1993 the Siarots started producing miniature furniture. Eventually, they became a subcontractor, fabricating intricate brass items with miniature furniture making as fallback in 1995.

                In 1998 a new factory in Soong II, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, was built to meet growing demand from foreign buyers. This started ACI’s transition from subcontractor to complete furniture maker and exporter, specializing in handcrafted home furnishings accented with coco inlay, silver, brass or metal accessories.

                But ACI’s design capability was limited, resulting in rejects and reworks to as high as 10 percent of production volume. Plated metal accessories made by off-plant electroplaters in many instances could not meet the required quality, volume and delivery time.

                The Siarots considered to establish their own electroplating facility but did not have the resources. Closing the shop to avert further losses was an option.

                Hope shimmered when Arden Siarot, then 45, invited DOST-Central Visayas representatives to visit his factory. A technical team from the DOST recommended that Arden’s plated accessories be assessed by an expert from DOST’s Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC).

                MIRDC’s engineer Rowena Soria did, and advised that ACI should establish in-house electroplating facility to control quality. The DOST regional office enrolled ACI to its Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program (Setup), and ACI’s electroplating technology acquisition was completed. Siarot and his production personnel were trained on the electroplating facility’s operation.

                The in-house electroplating facility sharply cut rejects down to 3 percent or less, resulting in savings of P1.4 million for the company based on 2006 production. ACI’s gross sales went up P21 million in 2006, compared with P6.5 million before Setup’s intervention in 2004.

                Monthly production volume expanded 113 percent, from 3,000 to 6,400 furniture and home furnishing items in 2006. This improved capability allowed ACI high flexibility on design and quality. Its products are featured in some of the world’s famous specialty shops, such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Harrods, Vannuci, the Ritz Carlton chain, the Tavola Collection by Oggetti, Ralph Polo and Ralph Lauren.

                Siarot’s shining business achievement didn’t go unnoticed.  He earned the 2002 President Ramon Magsaysay Award from Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and the 2003 Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

… TO BE CONTINUED

THE seed industry has vowed to increase its production as the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and the Dioscoro  Umali Foundation Inc. laid down its road map to 2020 for the “velero” industry.

Manuel J. Salazar is the president and chief executive officer of Pascual Laboratories Inc. (PLI), a privately held company with over 50 years experience in manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products in the Philippines.