Teachings from mom and dad

It started with making minute parts for flashlight batteries worth less than a centavo a piece. Today, Valerie Products Manufacturing, Inc. exports vehicle bodies to Vietnam, Indonesia, and the United States. It has also clinched a deal with Dutch firm, Teleflex GFI Europe/AG Autogas to develop liquefied petroleum gas or LPG conversion kits.

"This will put the Philippines in league with the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Italy, Turkey, Iran, India, Korea, Malaysia, and Australia as a future exporter of the LPG autogas system," said president Emigio Jose.

An LPG conversion kit is a bi-fuel system that enables car drivers to make a choice between regular petroleum or unleaded gas when the contents of the LPG cylinder runs out.

In most industrialized countries, LPG conversion kits are installed in vehicles to lessen pollution. Government programs all over the world have backed initiatives to create a sustainable market for clean fuel vehicles. Among these are the country’s own Clear Air Act.

"In Japan, 95% of vehicles run on LPG, with taxis as the heaviest users. Now, we are selling LPG-run vehicles. We have installed LPG kits in two cars in the Philippines, one at the Development Bank of the Philippines. Each LPG kit costs P3,5000," said Jose. "The savings in gas is not that big for regular users but the benefits to the environment are great. In our estimate, if we don’t develop environment-friendly substitutes for gasoline, we will find it difficult to breath the air around us by 2020."

Furthermore, Valerie’s shipment of the LPG autogas system to the Netherlands will boost the country’s growing export of automotive parts and accessories in the international market.

From January to October 2003, export of auto parts and components increased by 11.50% to $1.075 billion compared to the $964.28 million generated in the same period in 2002.

Historical export performance of local auto parts and components for the last five years also showed an increasing trend. From only $732,490 in 1997, shipments grew by 8.87% to $954,686 in 2001. The top five markets of auto parts include Japan, the United States, Thailand, Germany, and Indonesia.

Background

Significantly, entrepreneurship was a requirement in the Jose household although his parents had been employed for most of their lives.

Jose’s father was an employee for three decades; his mother, a school teacher, put up a textile shop in Divisoria to augment the family income.

As a boy, Jose worked in his mother’s textile store by day and studied nights. "After college, my brother and I became business partners. I was the salesman and he was the factory manager. After five to six years, my father told us we had to go our separate ways. I had to establish my own business."

He ventured into appliances, automotive, and computers.

"The most important part is breaking the ice. When I was starting out, it took me a month to get inside the factory and to speak to the manager. As long as you are dedicated, you can survive. And you need to work hard and be patient. Support from your family is vital. It’s the teachings of one’s parents that matter most. When our kids were young, I used to lecture them on business during Sunday dinner. Now that they’re grown up and we’re all together in the office, we discuss business in the office, not at home,"said Jose.