G-Start Builders Corporation: On Track for Industry 4.0
In a knowledge economy, the drivers of growth and progress have shifted from physical capital to intangible assets and the structures that support and encourage innovative ideas. With the onset of Industry 4.0 or the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the blinding pace by which new technologies and digital applications are coming out, companies are challenged, not only to keep up with emerging technologies, but to anticipate future developments as well.
One Philippine company based in Valenzuela City is taking this pro-active approach.
G-Start Builders Corporation, previously known as GSTART Electrical Enterprise, is now on its 10th year as a company specializing in electrical, IT, and telecommunications solutions. The company is known for manufacturing reliable switchgears, IT equipment racks, electrical panelboards, and offers services like custom metal fabrication, panel installation, cable laying, and maintenance.
The change in corporate name reflects the company’s growth, from initially catering to the needs of the electrical sector by producing reliable switchgears and electrical panel boards for organizations in need of power-protection solutions, to now also include clients from the Information Technology and telecommunications industries.
Committed to its slogan of “Bridging Solutions Together,” G-Start Builders Corporation reached out to the Department of Science and Technology- National Capital Region (DOST-NCR) in 2020 to help the company to level up and navigate Industry 4.0 while maintaining the same exemplary level of expertise, practical products, reasonable timelines, and good customer service that it is currently providing.
Under the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP), DOST’s comprehensive assistance program for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country, DOST-NCR deployed its staff and engaged experts from the Department’s Research and Development Institutes (RDIs) to assist the company in enhancing efficiency through technology adoption and management training.
Through the approved project, the company acquired, installed, and commissioned an NC Press Brake Machine. This machine was complemented by the NC Turret Machine that was later acquired by the company, freeing the company from its dependence on outsourced services and eliminating the lead time and additional costs previously caused by outsourcing of the bending and cutting processes.
In line with Industry 4.0, the DOST’s Metals Industry Research and Development Center’s (DOST-MIRDC) Prototyping Division pilot-tested its IOT Monitoring Device to enable real time monitoring of the NC Press Brake Machine.
Aside from equipment acquisition, DOST-NCR conducted capacity building activities for the company namely Work Ethics of a Productive Worker, 7S of Good Housekeeping, Lean Management Training, and Productivity Improvement Techniques. To manage corporate disruptions in the event of natural disasters, the staff were also briefed on the Fundamentals of a Business Continuity Plan.
This comprehensive package of technical interventions enabled G-Start Builders Corporation to expand its IT and electrical product lines and introduce customized products, including customized enclosures. In addition, in-house production capabilities were strengthened through company-funded expansion, including the addition of powder coating services. All this resulted in an 800% increase in market sales, allowing the company to increase the size of its workforce to 50.
But perhaps one of the best indicators of success is that the company has now acquired an additional nearby facility to support its expanded production operations.
G-Start Builders Corporation is just one in a long line of companies that have grown through the integration of science, technology, and innovation in their company’s operations. Some SETUP adoptors are now some of the more recognizable names in both the domestic and international markets. Others have transitioned from being a micro into a small or medium enterprise.
The bottom line is that no company is too small nor too big to continually innovate through science and technology. In today’s highly competitive marketplace, there is no room for complacency or the company risks being left behind.
By Pinky Foz Marcelo of TSS-SSCU
