AR La Naval is DOST Biliran's 2014 best technology adoptor

What does it mean to dream of bolts-and-nuts?

Perhaps there are psychic explanations, but for Mr. Rogelio G. Cabulang, proprietor of AR La Naval Motor Parts and General Marketing, that dream is the beginning of a growing business in the metals and engineering field.

AR La Naval, as we call his business name in short, is the leading supplier of motor parts in Biliran today and has the first complete facility for motorcycle servicing in the province. It has a metal fabrication facility that could provide customized small motorcycle components such as mufflers, crash guards, bushings, customized bolts and nuts, gears, and a lot more. Its metal working facility could provide, sleeving and reboring of small engines and fabricate different kinds of farm implements like rice winnower, land master, thresher, and industrial tools and equipment like coco milk extractors, electric graters, stainless tables, pipe benders, and many others.

When Mr. Cabulang first meet Engr. Willy Lim of the Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC) of the Department of Science and Technology during the visit of the latter in Naval sometime in 2008, his first question was "How can I start a business of bolts and nuts production?" This idea came into his mind because as a supplier of motor parts in a developing town of Naval in the young province of Biliran, bolts and nuts is one of its best selling product with high demands. But the discussion turned into some twist that lead Mr. Cabulang to realize his passion is in machining.

AR La Naval has a small shop which is annexed to his first store, a rented space in downtown Naval, that provided re-boring services to motorcycle engines. Since, motorcycle is the primary transportation system in the rural areas of Biliran, his services was in demand. But he had a problem, he was only using an old boring machine and improvised honing machine. So his first step to realizing the dream was by contacting the Department of Science and Technology in Biliran Province.

The technology needs assessment conducted during the MIRDC visit assisted by DOST Biliran staff paved the way for a SETUP assistance to improve his machining facility intended to improve the quality of the rebored products plus the improved capability to produce customized motorcycle components. The assistance included acquisition of equipment worth PhP 985,000.00.

But like his bolts-and-nuts dream, the going sometimes gets tough. Because of his expansion efforts he had to invest on the infrastructure by acquiring a lot and constructing his own building to house the newly acquired equipment. He sourced his capital through mortgaged loan from commercial banks.

AR La Naval needed to double his efforts in order to pay his obligations. He started refunding DOST assistance in December 2009. He faced some highs and lows along the way but was able to complete refund in April 2014. Way before the time the repayments has been completed, AR has already opened a new store outlet in Sogod, Southern Leyte with a small shop providing the same reboring services to the Southern Leyte clients.

From the initial 5 workers before DOST entered into AR La Naval's business the firm now employs 30 personnel in his 3 outlets. Comparing the financial records submitted to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the firm has a total assets of around PhP 7million before DOST intervention and a total of about PhP 10M by the enterprise completed its refund.

Mr. Cabulang's dream maybe far from ending but his determination and hard-work is always there just like bolts-and-nuts strongly attached together.