GT shuns machine production to provide jobs in the locality

CEBU, Philippines - Despite the growing market demand of its beauty products, homegrown company GT (God’s Talent) Cosmetics Manufacturing Inc. vowed never to use machinery in its commercial production to be able to continue providing jobs in the locality.

Aside from needing less workers, venturing into machines will also change the chemical formulation of the company’s products, thus, affecting their quality, GT chief executive officer Leonila Salvane said.

“The production of herbal products is sensitive. I will not sacrifice the quality of my products for an increase in profit,” she told The Freeman.

The chemical engineer-turned-entrepreneur also said she wants to give back to the people, through employment opportunities, the success that her company has experienced in its 10 years of operations.

During a roundtable discussion with The Freeman, presidential wannabe Manuel Villar Jr., said that if given the chance to become president, he will give more incentives to labor-intensive companies, as they provide employment.

Salvane said GT started in 1994 baking papaya soap in one baking pan. With word-of-mouth as marketing tool and “without realizing it,” the company was prompted to start commercial production in the year 2000 to meet the growing demand of its products. GT produces papaya soap, carrot soap, bleaching soap and other skin-care products like whitening cream, astringents and clarifiance.

Even with the financial challenges, GT’s sales increased by 100 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period last year.

“Maybe people just really allocate small amount of money for beauty. Even men, which covers 30 percent of our market,” Salvane said.

To date, GT still relies with the word-of-mouth advertisement. It has however directly hired 60 promotion girls and boys to take care of its products in leading department stores. GT has 10 workers in its manufacturing plant in Yati, Liloan.

Salvane said the company will soon start distributing its products in Manila. GT is also in talks with a British-Malaysian businessman, who was able to try its soap while in Cebu, for a possible distribution partnership in Malaysia, among others.