DOST-aided firm doing brisk brick business

NUMANCIA, Aklan – A government-assisted brick and pottery firm here can now look forward to a more solid operation in the years ahead.

The reason: It has been infused with scientific technology by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and some of its agencies.

Where before, the operations of Lida’s Bricks and Pottery were done manually, now its productivity and product quality have considerably improved with the technical assistance it has received from DOST, particularly DOST-Region 6 (Western Visayas), the Aklan Provincial Science and Technology Center (PSTC), and the Industrial Technology and Development Institute (ITDI).

The firm is but one of the scores of micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises (MSME) provided SAT interventions by the government, particularly DOST, to enable them to help generate employment for Filipinos.

Lida’s Bricks and Pottery was among the MSMEs in Aklan, Capiz, and Iloilo visited by DOST officials headed by Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro and members of the national and local media (including this writer) last Jan. 29-30. The visit formed part of the "DOST Technology Transfer Roadshow," a nationwide, year-long activity that highlights the government’s SAT interventions to help MSMEs develop and prosper.

Lida’s is engaged in the production of bricks, flower pots and vases, vats, jars, fountains, and other artware.

Perla Rapiz, the factory’s proprietor, told the DOST officials and journalists that the first major intervention provided by DOST-Region 6 headed by Director Zinni Teruel, through ITDI, was the technical assistance on kiln (oven) design and construction in 1999.

A 1.5-cubic meter shuttle kiln was designed and fabricated, enabling the firm to reduce production cost and increase production volume.

To further upgrade the firm’s technological capability, DOST-Region 6 provided financial assistance for the acquisition of a mechanized jiggering (molding) machine, potter’s wheel, and kneading machine. These pieces of equipment enabled the firm to improve the quality of its product and increase its volume and sale by 50 percent.

Lida’s products are now sold as far as Manila, Rapiz said. She added that her firm now employs 18 workers.