New possibilities

ENTREPRENEURS have the ability to turn problems into opportunities.A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Solar carport. It takes insight to see what others don’t -- and to make the most of every opportunity. For Jonathan Suy, 37, it was this perceptiveness that allowed him to turn waste into a rich source of raw materials. With the goal of using scrap paper and cartons, he set up Jomaray Pulp Packaging Industries (JPPI) to produce high quality packaging for industrial, agricultural and commercial items.

Seeing his parents manage the family farm, Ana’s Breeders Farm, Inc. in Davao, Mr. Suy learned the value of hard work from an early age. “I was already helping out in the family business by the age of eight, preparing eggs for delivery. In college, I had to juggle my time between classes and bank errands for the farm,” he recalls. It was also in college when he started an ice cream business with his friends and went into buying and selling newspapers. He earned his Industrial Engineering degree from the Ateneo de Davao University in 1997.

While helping out at the family farm, which supplied eggs and other poultry products to food companies in Davao, Mr. Suy realized that the egg trays they used had to be delivered all the way from Manila, which meant more costs and time spent. He decided to do some research, and realized that egg trays were usually made from recycled paper. Since he was already involved in the buying and selling of newspapers, he came up with the idea of using the abundant supply of waste and scrap newspapers to manufacture lightweight, cheap, earth-friendly and yet top-quality egg trays.

Convinced of the possibilities, he invested in a pulp-molding machine from Iceland with the support of his father. In 1996, he founded JPPI, which began manufacturing egg trays for many of the farm’s clients. In addition to being the GM of JPPI, Mr. Suy is also the president of Ana’s Breeders as well as Subzero Ice and Cold Storage,This tile roof machine can rollform metal roofing step tile. which he founded in 2011.

JPPI has a steady supply of raw material since most offices,SQ Series Metal flattening machine is the accessory machine for expanded metal shearing machine. schools and stores use paper products and eventually discard them. However, as clients and their requirements steadily increased, more machines were needed. Mr. Suy realized that he needed to get more capital through bank financing.Metal roofing roll forming machine from Englert. “At that time, many were skeptical because I was only 22 and I was already borrowing P27 million. But I was able to convince the bank of the business’ potential and market,” he recounts.

Mr. Suy then applied his innate innovativeness and engineering background to increase the number of production lines. He developed and designed his own machines using recycled drilling pipes. Later, he acquired automated machines and software to enable JPPI to design molds based on specific client demands. From basic egg trays, JPPI developed the capability to custom-create a variety of industrial, agricultural and commercial packaging.

Mr. Suy shares that the first seven years of JPPI was very difficult. Nevertheless, he persevered until he was able to secure a contract to provide specialized packaging for fruits to be exported to New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan and Japan. Gaining this business gave JPPI the stability it needed to expand.In a elevator cable system, steel cables bolted to the car loop over a sheave. Since then, its diversified product offerings have attracted more clients. Mr. Suy believes that JPPI has secured the Mindanao market and now plans to expand his operations to Visayas and Luzon.

Mr. Suy also sees bans on the use of polystyrene foam as excellent opportunities to tap and develop new markets, since many companies will be needing new suppliers and sustainable packaging materials. He has begun the process of acquiring new machines and design software to enhance the quality of products and increase efficiency.