The Filipino invention can far supersede technologies from foreign counterparts at least in the eyes of GECAR Machine Solutions, Inc. (GECAR), a partner of the Department of Science and Technology – Metals Industry Research and Development Center (DOST-MIRDC).
Based in Quezon City, GECAR, a machine fabricator, recently renewed its partnership with DOST-MIRDC by signing a Technology Licensing Agreement (TLA).
GECAR has been commercializing DOST-MIRDC-developed technologies since 2019, and both parties have agreed to renew their partnership in July 2022. For the next three years, GECAR will have the license to manufacture and sell DOST-MIRDC technologies.
DOST-MIRDC believes that adoption and wide commercialization of home-grown technologies are effective strategies for economic development as it will create jobs and opportunities, lower the cost of procurement, and allow inventors, engineers, and fabricators to nurture their skills in producing world-class machinery.
Under the TLA, GECAR remains an accredited fabricator of the Freeze Drying Machine, the Modular Water Retort, the Spray Dryer, and the Vacuum Fryer, which are food processing equipment designed and developed by the DOST-MIRDC.
"It is fulfilling to have partners such as GECAR Machine Solutions, Inc. who consistently support Filipino-developed technologies. We are optimistic that we will export our technologies soon so that the world will know how talented and competitive Filipinos are," Engr. Robert O. Dizon, Executive Director of DOST-MIRDC said in a statement.
Meanwhile,.George T. Lao, General Manager of GECAR, stated that their company's objective is to be the leading provider of machine solutions for various manufacturing lines in the Philippines.
He added that they are confident that the technologies created by local technology developers such as the DOST-MIRDC are at par with or even superior to their imported counterparts. We assure the DOST-MIRDC and the public that our company will continue to support Filipino-developed technologies.” According to DOST-MIRDC, the renewed partnership is seen to increase the innovative capacity of both the government and the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Government agencies such as the DOST-MIRDC is committed to embarking on research and development to offer technologies that will address the business needs of the MSMEs. The openness of firms such as GECAR Machine Solutions, Inc. to adopt and commercialize home-grown technologies will propel the country toward a more stable economy.