21st Century Steel Mill, Inc.

The Philippines steel production capacity is so small it registers as effectively 0% when put into the world production pie of 1.55 billion tonnes per year. (We produce 1.4 million tonnes incidentally.) The scary thing about this pie is the overproduction in China at a whopping 900 million tonnes per year. It may be a big country in need of much development but even it cannot absorb the staggering volumes coming out of its manufacturing plants.

So what do they do?
They “dump” their goods on various countries (since they need to continue producing to keep people employed and recoup their capital investment). This should be good news for the consumer who can buy the steel at cheap prices- unfortunately, when someone is selling at very cheap prices trying to recoup their losses, you can bet your bottom dollar they are not selling you something of quality.

Don’t take our word for it, steel that has found its way to the Philippines from the overcapacity in China has proven to be: underweight, undersized and uncertified as repeatedly reported by the Philippine Product Safety and Quality Foundation Inc. (PPSQF). Now steel, unless it is used for decorative purposes, is not something you can have a “bahala na” attitude with. Since it is a material that is meant to carry a load, using undersized or underweight materials means putting your life at risk. So make sure, before you make that purchase, that what you are putting into your building is safe for everyone.

Before you buy: check out the BSP Standards Gabay sa pagbili on steel bars.

SASSMAPI (Steel Angles, Shapes & Sections Manufacturers Association of the Philippines, Inc.) Vol. 1 Series 2010

Panimula

Ang Steel Angle Bars ay pangunahing ginagamit sa straktura at konstraksyon kaya ang kalidad nito ay mahalaga upang mapangalagaan ang kaligtasan ng publiko.  Upang maksasiguro na may kalidad ang binibiling bakal kaliangan ito ay kumokomporme sa Philippine National Standards.

Babala

Ang equal-keg steel angle bars ay napapailalim sa mandatory certification ng PNS 657:2008 kaya ang sinuman gumaga, nag aangkat, bumibili at gumagamit ng uncertified angle bars ay may pananagutan sa batas sangayon sa DAO 2:2007. Kelanga din na mayroong Import Commodity Clearance (DAO 5:2008) para sa mga importers at PS License (DAO 4:2008) naman para sa Local Manufacturers.

Ipag-bigay alam sa pinakamalapit na DTI-BPS office ang sinumang gumagawa, nagbebenta at gumagamit ng uncertified steel angle bars.

MAPANGANIB
Ang bakal na hindi kumokomporme sa standards ay maaring magdulot ng malaking pinsala sa ari-arian at pagkawala ng buhay. Kaya siguraduhing certified angle bars lang ang binibili at ginagamit.

PALATANDAAN NG UNCERTIFIED ANGLE BARS
1. Walang marka/logo na nagsasaad ng kumpanyua na gumawa ng bakal, leg dimension at grade. Note: Dapat ang logo ng kumpanya ay naka rehistro sa Bureau of Product Standards.

2. Kulang sa timbang at sukat.

3. Kailangan tama ang kulay sa magkabilang dulo at naaayon sa color coding ng kapal ng angle bar.

Bumili lang ng equal-leg steel angle bars na gawa ng mga kumpanya na may PS License na pinagkaloob ng Bureau of Product Standards ng Department of Trade & Industry.

21st Century Steel Mill, Inc. is a PS Licensed and BPS Certified.

We cannot stop the wrath of mother nature and we will never win a battle against her. But often times, we also blame her for things that are our own fault. When Supertyphoon Juan hit last 2010, 15 steel towers on the Gamu-Tuguegarao line toppled.

“First we would like to find out if the materials used were substandard. And if they are substandard, determine if they are locally made or imported. Being responsible corporate citizens, we cannot just sit back knowing that this is hazardous to life and property, aside from causing disruption to the delivery of power to communities
and business establishments,” said Maria Victoria Padilla, executive director of PPSQF (Philippine Product Safety and Quality Foundation)

In a separate case in Batangas City, Padilla reported the , seizing of substandard steel goods amounting to 1 million pesos (of which over 700,000 were subsequently sold). Padilla reiterated that “substandard steel angles in the market puts the lives and properties of the public at risk” and said the government together with the private sector must work together to put a stop to its proliferation.

Illegal importation of steel is a big worry in the Philippines not only due to loss jobs and taxes but also to the very safety of our fellow Filipinos.

According to the Bureau of Customs report, “upon conducting 100% examination, the container vans were found to contain angle bars with width of less than 80mm. The shipment is subject to payment of Special Safeguard duty.”

Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez, who led the on-the-spot inspection of the shipments at the Port of Manila Warehouse 2, immediately ordered the seizure of said illegal shipments.

In Feb 2009, Manila Standard reported that 7 steel plants close down due to imports from China. Unfortunately, we were one of them. The influx of cheaper but substandard imports from China made us uncompetitive and we had to let go of our workers.

As reported in the paper, Henry Leungson, vice president of the Steel Angles, Shapes and Section Manufacturers Association of the Philippines Inc., said only two companies: Lunar Steel Corp. and Cathay Metal Corp. – operated their mills in 2008, and even then at below their capacity levels.

Leungson also mentioned that the capacity utilization rate among the nine registered local manufacturers of steel angle bars dropped to just 10 percent in the past three years, because of the entry of imported products from China that do not meet local standards.

Such unfair competition posed by imported products, not because they are cheaper, but because they are inferior (weigh less, shorter, not up to standard, etc.) and therefore cost less, resulted in hundreds of jobs lost and this redounded to other sectors.

The picture changed when standards were finally imposed by the government, Philippine National Standards 49 (PNS 49) as formulated by the Bureau of Product Standards (BPS). And there was a clear reversal in importation establishing that the goods being imported were cheaper but were undersized or underweight.

It’s now 2010 and we’re running in full capacity again after the government started its crack down on illegal goods. But we can’t rely on them to police the industry. We need consumers to also be aware of what they’re buying.

So the next time you buy something because it’s cheaper- make sure it actually is. When it’s substandard and costs less, it’s not cheaper because you’re not getting the same product. What’s worse is standards are there for our protection- and ignoring them altogether puts lives in danger. You don’t have to buy from us. We’re not even pushing BUY FILIPINO. We just want you to make sure you’re really getting your money’s worth and most importantly, that you stay safe.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer warned of importers claiming that their angle bars are legitimate when in fact they are underweight, undersized and uncertified.

Ma. Victoria Padilla, executive director of the Philippine Product Safety and Quality Foundation Inc. (PPSQF), and Ramon Tan, vice president for external relations of Steel Angles, Shapes and Sections Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc., yesterday warned against buying angle bars from unscrupulous importers.

They said that some suppliers would show bogus papers to retailers claiming that their products already secured an import commodity clearance.

“This clearance is required for the importing of mandatory products which can affect life, property and safety, such as steel angle bars.”

LOGO MARKINGS
Consumers should make sure that the angle bars have embossed logo markings of manufacturers accredited by the Department of Trade and Industry – Bureau of Products Standards (DTI-BPS). They indicate leg length dimension, and a slash sign signifying the grade of the steel angle bar.

Padilla also said that it is “possible the raw materials used for these products are not billets but just wire rods, which are used to make nails and pose a great danger to those using them for billboards or roofing.”

Consumers who doubt the marks on the steel bar or the manufacturer?s logo can call the DTI-BPS at (02) 7513139 to check on their authenticity.