School opens powder coating facility

TALISAY CITY, Negros Occ. – The Technological University of the Philippines Visayas is set to open the first and only powder coating facility in Region 6 on July 1, 2019.

The facility is housed at the Luis J. Montinola Resource and Research Center located in Brgy. Matab-ang, Talisay City. The services will be opened to the public most especially for businesses in the manufacturing, automotive, construction, consumer products, and other similar industries.

TUPV was pre-evaluated and identified as a “Cooperator” by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and is now functioning as a partner that will manage the facility. It received a grant amounting to two million pesos.

 

Powder Coating Facility and Process

The powder coating facility was installed through DTI’s Shared Service Facilities (SSF) project, a major component of the Micro, Small, Medium Enterprise Development (MSMED) program which aims to achieve the government’s goal of inclusive growth and job generation.

Under the SSF project, MSMEs are provided with machinery, equipment, tools, systems, skills, and knowledge under a shared system.

In addition, “a Shared Service Facility within the university will improve the learning experience of our students by providing hands-on experience in the powder coating process,” said Engr. Ace Zander Antonio, TUPV Research Head.

“Further, the SSF will enhance the collaboration among industry and the academe within the province as it would provide an avenue for cooperation whether for research or production,” Antonio said.

Powder coating is the process by which certain types of metal are coated with paint in powder form. It is a dry finishing process that has become extremely popular. Representing over 15% of the total industrial finishing market, powder is used on a wide array of products.

 

Socio Economic Impact

Exporters in Negros Occidental, who are in the Gifts, Decors, and Housewares sector usually have metal frames or components in their products that can make use of powder coating.

At present, manufacturers in Region 6 send their metal components to Cebu City for powder coating, proving to be time consuming and expensive due to the transport and handling fees. This results in high production costs.

To help the MSMEs grow and become more competitive in the market, the powder coating facility will dramatically enhance the metal products coming from Negros Occidental and the region overall at a much lesser cost, thereby contributing to an increase in revenue.

Established in 1977, the Technological University of the Philippines Visayas is one of the top providers of engineering education in the country today. It envisions itself to be the premier state university with recognized excellence in engineering and technology at par with leading universities in the ASEAN region.