Info Magzine: Mega Global: Driven to excel by COVID-19

Written by Linda B. Bolido for INQUIRER.internet

While most firms—from small home-based ventures to large conglomerates—had to shut or decelerate final 12 months due to the worldwide coronavirus illness 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Mega Global Corp. really doubled its manufacturing fee to meet elevated shopper demand and to assist these in want.

The challenges posed by the pandemic additionally strengthened the corporate’s resolve to push by way of with its plans for additional enlargement, tweaking the blueprints based mostly on classes discovered from the devastating well being disaster.

Mega Global

Being within the meals enterprise, Mega Global, maker of the Philippines’ high canned sardine model, couldn’t sit out the pandemic till issues had been again to regular. From working under capability through the enhanced neighborhood quarantine, it raised its each day manufacturing to the conventional stage of two million cans of sardines, as demand grew from shoppers who had to quarantine at house and had to depend on much less perishable canned items or prepacked meals.

The output additionally went into the corporate’s care applications for front-liners, its staff and their households, and communities in want.

Mega Global

As founder and chief govt officer William Tiu Lim mentioned, “Whenever there is a calamity or a national emergency, we go into overdrive, knowing that the cans of sardines we produce may be what would sustain our kababayan for days.”

Tiu Lim mentioned the initiative was consistent with the spirit of malasakit (concern or compassion), which had at all times been a part of Mega Global’s company tradition in additional than 4 many years.

The firm, which marked its forty fifth anniversary in 2020, arrange the Mega Malasakit Kitchen, which supplied scorching meals to employees in providers important to communities—cops manning checkpoints, barangay well being employees and neighborhood volunteers, grocery store and grocery employees, financial institution staff and safety guards, in addition to road dwellers.

It spent hundreds of thousands to present front-line well being employees private protecting tools and gave out care packages to its retailer merchandisers and distributors’ gross sales personnel.

Although the corporate pushed its manufacturing capabilities to reply to the well being emergency, it was cautious not to compromise its personal employees’ well being and security. The firm treats its staff as household, and is as involved about their work efficiency, as a lot as their security and well-being.

Its factories and warehouses adhered strictly to the well being and security protocols set by medical authorities to shield their employees and their households from the devastating illness. Work-from-home preparations had been allowed when doable.

Adaptability and suppleness

The challenges introduced by the pandemic didn’t solely present Mega Global a possibility to give again to those that had made it a Growth Champion, but additionally strengthened its resolve to pursue its enlargement plans, already on the drafting board earlier than COVID-19 struck.

The deliberate enlargement would be the greatest within the firm’s historical past, a response to the double-digit development in home demand for its merchandise even earlier than the pandemic.

“The company is poised for further exponential growth. Demand has been outstripping supply for the past five years. We will continue to strive to be a solid quality food provider for the Filipino,” Tiu Lim mentioned.

Some adjustments within the plans are to be anticipated due to the pandemic. The well being disaster had been instructive, offering classes which can be valued and brought to coronary heart, as the corporate seems to be forward to celebrating its fiftieth anniversary.

“Our (original) plans, especially our marketing programs, are no longer applicable. We have to be able to act fast and make the necessary changes to adapt to the situation, help the community and address consumers’ needs,” Tiu Lim mentioned. He would love their enlargement plans to reply to future disruptions, like these brought about by COVID-19, by being extra versatile.

Expansion will, after all, imply rising the workforce. At the second, Mega Global has 4,000 staff across the nation. With its plans to arrange a brand new manufacturing plant and add to its fleet of fishing vessels, the corporate shall be creating new jobs, which can advance the aim of reviving the financial system when the nation lastly manages to vanquish COVID-19.

Mega Global, which additionally exports its merchandise, has the Philippines’ largest fishing fleet, permitting the corporate to maintain its 12-hour catching-to-canning course of. Its fishing fleet and canning factories are in Zamboanga nevertheless it has distribution hubs in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Investing in know-how

Aside from including to its workforce, Mega Global can even proceed to harness know-how to streamline its operations and make manufacturing cheaper.

Mega Fishing Corp., which operates the corporate’s fishing vessels, already employs state-of- the-art fishing know-how to discover wealthy fishing grounds and make the journey from the ocean to the canning manufacturing facility as brief as doable. Fishing vessels are outfitted with sonar and fish finders. Fish pumps are used to shorten the interval for loading the catch from one hour to simply two minutes.

The firm mentioned use of the pump was an essential innovation, because the shorter loading time ensured that the fish was brisker when it arrived within the canning manufacturing facility. Contamination was additionally minimized because the fish was not dealt with by people.

Marvin Tiu Lim, Mega Global chief development and growth officer, mentioned, “We have always been proud of our fishing technologies and practices and have been continuously innovating, which has made it possible for Mega Global to bring convenience and high quality products that are healthier, tastier and affordable to Filipinos.”

The recent sardine catch is introduced to two canning factories—in Talisayan and Ayala, each in Zamboanga—which can be absolutely automated, decreasing the necessity for folks to deal with the merchandise. The manufacturing facility at the moment produces two million cans of sardines a day. Annual manufacturing is 300 to 400 million cans. No fishing is finished between November and February to permit the sardine inhabitants to recuperate.

Malcolm Tiu Lim, who oversees the Zamboanga operations as chief technical and innovation officer, mentioned the majority of their manufacturing—about 80 p.c—went to Luzon, primarily Metro Manila. He mentioned the fast-paced life within the National Capital Region created an enormous demand for the comfort of canned items.

He mentioned, with the rising demand for its merchandise, Mega Global would proceed to improve its services by investing in tools that may make manufacturing sooner and extra environment friendly.

Complementing using new equipment is the upgrading of the data and abilities of employees, Malcolm mentioned. Training applications are repeatedly carried out, particularly through the closed fishing season when the canning plant suspends operations.

New manufacturing plant

A serious a part of the enlargement and improve is the development of its first manufacturing plant in Luzon. Mega Global chief working officer Michelle Tiu Lim Chan mentioned, “We are allocating at least P1 billion for the whole year (of 2020) and next year (2021).”

The quantity could be used for the development of the brand new Mega manufacturing plant in Batangas. The new plant will increase Mega Global’s efforts to elevate its present share of the sardine market by a double-digit determine in three to 5 years.

Chan mentioned the Batangas manufacturing plant would increase the corporate’s functionality to meet the rising demand for its merchandise in Luzon and overseas and would assist revitalize the Philippine financial system after the pandemic.

The state-of-the-art, multi-line energy-efficient facility situated in Santo Tomas is designed to improve the corporate’s manufacturing capability by 20 p.c when it turns into absolutely operational in 2022. It is anticipated to create some 1,000 new jobs.

Chan mentioned, “This plant will also allow us to support local businesses as we plan to source our raw materials and manpower from suppliers within Luzon as part of DTI’s (Department of Trade and Industry) Buy Local, Go Lokal initiative.”

Even as the corporate expands and additional modernizes its services, it has additionally grown its product choices to embrace Mega Tuna, Mega Prime Quality, Mega Creations, Mega Mackerel and Primo Sparkling Juice, except for its flagship Mega Sardines.

The diversification of its merchandise and the buildup of its manufacturing functionality will permit Mega Global not solely to meet rising and altering shopper calls for but additionally to put into movement shortly and effectively its malasakit initiative the following time the nation faces one other main disaster just like the COVID-19 pandemic.

ADVT

Read extra Business tales:

Alagang Jollibee: Safety and extra care for customers served daily

Taking community building to heart

A love language like no other: Defeating diabetes amid the pandemic