The Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA) thru Fiber Utilization and Technology Division (FUTD) conducted the First National Meeting for Accredited Fabricators of Fiber Extraction Machines on November 6, 2014 held at Dohera Hotel in Mandaue City, Cebu. The meeting was held specifically to discuss the developments on the fabrication of fiber extraction machines, to resolve issues on the renewal of accreditation certificates and to encourage application of new prospective fabricators. The meeting was attended by accredited private manufacturers/fabricators of fiber extraction machines namely, Tramat Mercantile, Inc., Rankine Enterprises, Inc., Petter Engineering, Bongbong Mechanical Shop, Tropics Agro Industries, Inc. and P.I. Farm Products, Inc. Topics discussed include institutionalization of the PhilFIDA accreditation process, renewal of accreditation certificates, newly-developed PhilFIDA machines for fabrication and pipeline projects for 2015.
Executive Director Eduardo B. Holoyohoy presented the newly-consolidated PhilFIDA to inform the private sectors and also to encourage them to be part of the collaborative research in developing fiber extraction machines. He also mentioned possible machines/tools/devices needed by the industry to be developed and posed a challenge to each fabricator to work hand-in-hand with PhilFIDA to help the industry.
Dr. Remedios VJ. Abgona, the head of the Fiber Processing and Utilization Laboratory (FPUL) and in-charged of the Fiber Utilization and Technology Division (FUTD) presented the importance of institutionalizing the accreditation process as part of the regulatory function of the Agency and its significance in preparation for the coming ASEAN Integration in 2015.
The private sector especially Engineer Salvador T. Albia of Tropics Agro-Industries, Inc. or KOLBI actively participated by sharing their experiences as fabricators of PhilFIDA machines and their recommendations for their improvement.
