DOST 7 SET-UP Product Catalogue - DOST 7! - Department of ...

Arte de Negros
Functional Art
A wood that would almost be thrown away finds itself in the hands of a Negrense artist and is later seen
as unique, furniture and decorative pieces – a Pamilya set, a Lover’s Set, benches, coral fish, and the
Last Supper. No two designs are the same.
“Everything is useful. Everything can be recycled. As
an artist, I imagine what I can to do to create a piece
of art.” Bong Callao explains that just like people,
materials like wood have an original character and
he carves his art by following such character. Innovation
is the key to his designs, some of which can
be characterized as “crude” compared to most
home furniture found in furniture shops. But it is
this “crudeness” that gives the earthly feel and
unique nature that characterizes each piece of
creation found in Arte de Negros. The influence
of different ethnic craft making techniques from the
Ifugaos in the North, to the Yakans of Basilan in the
South, is harmoniously blended into the furniture.
For Bong, wood as a furniture material was easy.
In the 80s, he designed for and managed a factory
exporting wood products with 500 workers. Coming
home to Dumaguete after that stint, he devoted his
time to his passion. He furnished his home with the
pieces that he crafted from waste materials. Soon,
his visitors took notice of his personal furniture and
orders started to come in. In 2003, Arte de Negros
was set up with Bong’s wife, Fely as Manager. Most
of the clients were from Dumaguete and the rest,
from Bacolod and Manila.
The participation of Arte de Negros in exhibits paved
the way for its encounter with DOST. While admiring
the works of art, the Provincial Head of DOST asked
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DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY VII
Product Catalogue 2011
Bong about their production process and the tools
that his workers use. This initial meeting revealed
that the existing equipment could hardly cope with
the orders.
The company was the subject of the Manufacturing
Productivity Extension for Export Promotion (MPEX)
Study in 2007 and the recommendations of the study
were implemented through SET-UP. With the technology
upgrade through the acquisition of additional
equipment, an increase in productivity was expected.
This meant faster production, decrease in number of
rejects, less maintenance costs, and maximized use
of the skilled workers.
With the planer thicknesser, hand jointer, tilting
arbor saw, radial arm saw, and wrought iron
forming equipment, outputs produced are now ten
times more. Waste materials are negligible as these
are made into small functional pieces such as back
scratcher, organizer, paper weight, and containers of
small items.
Bong cited as an example of speed and accuracy,
the production of 100 pieces of wooden trophy in
four to five days, compared to a one-month production
time before. Prior to SET-UP, it took one week
to make one door from rough wood. Now, two to
three doors are produced in one day. Twisting
wrought iron now takes only a minute.
These concrete examples of reduction in production
time likewise increased the volume of production.
With precise equipment, rejects and reworks have
been drastically reduced. More orders were served.
The economic situation of the country also affected
the business. To keep the business going, the plan
is to diversify into other products, like doors, which
are saleable items. Mass production of affordable
furniture pieces using gemelina and mahogany is
also being looked into as well as joining public
biddings for specific furniture requirements.
“Every night, he draws. And at around three in the
morning, he works.” That is how Fely describes
Bong’s love for his craft. Bong’s success in his
business may not pass the standard of the common
businessman, but his attitude that his gift is from
God and needs to be shared to others, is one tough
act to follow.
Arte de Negros
Dumaguete City
Mrs. Felly P. Callao
Proprietor
Telefax: (63)(35) 420 1532
Email: artede_negros@yahoo.com