Ever since his business started using the Department of Science and Technology’s Forest Products Research and Development Institute’s furnace-type lumber dryer, Cirilo Sumampong’s life has never been the same again.
While he used to be a small lumber retailer in the town of Dauis in Bohol, he is now the province’s biggest supplier of custom-built furniture. His company, Bohol Furniture and Lumber Supply, earns a gross income of P1.16 million a month, and enjoys brisk business all-year round.
“During our first years in the business, we were producing nothing but door jambs and air-dried lumber, and earning only P1,500 a month,” Sumampong relates. “Sales were good only between September and December each year.”
“Now, with our kiln-dried wood, we make trusses, floor planks, doors, door jambs and all kinds of furniture—beds, chairs, dining sets. Thanks to our number one client—the hotels and beach resorts that have sprung all over Bohol in recent years—our products are in demand all the time,” he added.
“When we decided to expand in 2012, we asked the Bohol Provincial S&T Center to help us acquire a 10,000 board feet FTLD,” Sumampong continued. “They introduced us to DOST’s Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program or SETUP, which gave us a grant of P1 million. During our first operation in 2014, we grossed a whopping P2.5 million from a beach resort owner.”
“From then on, life was never the same for us. While we used to consume only 7,000 board feet of lumber per year, we now use up to 100,000 board feet of gmelina and mahogany wood annually,” he added. “Our product lines grew, and because we knew that we were using quality materials, we gained confidence in dealing with our buyers.”
“Our clients became aware of the value of kiln-dried lumber and learned to trust our products. We managed to pay the SETUP grant after one year, and later, we bought a big lot where we put up another store and a showroom. The dryer also created jobs for people in the community, as we trained and hired operators,” he said.
“We never expected this kind of success, and we are very thankful for everything that the FTLD has brought to us,” Sumampong admitted. “For now, we do not have plans of adding more units to our factory. We simply want to use our dryer to bring to our clients wood products that will last a long time because these have been dried the best way possible.”