Monday, November 12, 2007 Synthetic plastic that looks like rattan By Jenara Regis Newman
THE latest “in” outdoor furniture is made of synthetic plastic that looks like rattan. It is weather resistant, durable and comes in all shapes and sizes.
One factory dealing in this type of furniture is Factory Direct Ventures. Its chief operating officer, Manuel Jayme Fernandez, was instrumental in setting up Dedon in Mandaue City. It is the largest manufacturer of this type of furniture.
After some years with Dedon, Fernandez set up his own company. Since he is a “tinkerer” and something of an inventor, with several Philippine patents to his credit, he made it a point to manufacture his own plastic. He calls it “polytech.”
This technology makes him capable of making plastic strips in the length and the width he wants, and in the color that he or his client wants. He also has his own aluminum extruder and so he makes his own aluminum tubes. In his pollution-free factory, nothing is wasted, everything is recyclable: cuttings are reused and remolded.
At his weaving plant in Consolacion, he has a variety of chair designs on display, but he can also make one according to the client’s specifications. He has tables, sofas, daybeds and even a tent that is being used in the set of Marimar, a teleseries. There’s also waste bins for a resort in Puerto Rico. And a motorcycle-drawn contraption that looks like a golf cart, which he made especially for his grandchildren so they can be safely brought to and from school. It already has a buyer in Boracay.
Fernandez says the advantage of plastic over abaca or rattan is that it is more readily available. It is smooth and has no irregularities, and therefore is easier for the workers to handle. And the type of plastic he uses is weather resistant. The aluminum tubing he treats so it does not rust.
Fernandez is open to sharing his technology with others. “Di angayan magdawo. (It’s not becoming to be greedy.) I’m open to technology transfer, the reason being that if many are into this venture, buyers will come to Cebu because there are many factories to choose from. Then collectively, we may be able to handle the orders that come our way. The first time I joined a trade show, there were many possible buyers but I could only accept a few because I did not have the capacity then to fulfill such large orders.”
Fernandez’s willingness to share, he says, he owes to his parents: the late Remedios Jayme Fernandez, lawyer, write/editor, judge, dean of the college of law of Southwestern University; and his father, a labor officer. Also from his mother, who organized the first cottage industry project in Guadalupe, he nurtured his creative talent while his father exposed him to technical, mechanical and organization skills, and worker relations. Fernandez may never have finished college, but he is certainly good at what he is doing now, employing 350 people and still growing. No wonder he has won several awards, among them the 2007 small business entrepreneur award from the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
During off hours when he does not have to think of new designs or production deadlines, he indulges in his need for speed in the fast lane, either on his sports car, a Corvette or riding with the wind on his V Max motorcycle.
