A shining Golden Anniversary celebration with Uratex

A shining Golden Anniversary celebration with Uratex

Monday, October 22

Five decades in the business says much about the virtues a company gives importance to. On top of that, it has become the number one foam supplier and innovator in the country today. It has also expanded its horizons beyond manufacturing foam products and has also become a major player in metal fabrication for car parts and textile manufacturing. Feats like these have proven that Uratex deserves the accolades and respect it is getting from the industry and its customers. 

During Uratex’s 50th Anniversary Celebration with its industry partners and customers at Manila Hotel’s The Tent City, many gathered to send their well-wishes and at the same time spend the evening with fun entertainment, good food, and great company. Among the high-profile guests in the event was Senate President Tito Sotto III together with his wife, veteran actress Helen Gamboa.

Tawag ng Tanghalan judge and OPM Legend, Rey Valera entertaining the crowd with some old time jokes and his classic hits

The night was filled with fun and exciting performances from celebrities, such as OPM legend Rey Valera, who sang his classic hits and cracked some old timey jokes to ease up the crowd into the evening. Singer-comedienne K Brosas, on the other hand, got the audience cackling throughout her set with impressions of iconic singers and some hard-hitting punchlines. The Concert King Martin Nievera crooned his way to the crowd and urged them to sing with him. And Uratex’s newest celebrity endorser, Matteo Guidicelli gave an equally swooning serenade, and expressed his heart-felt gratitude on being a part of the Uratex family. 

Matteo Guidicelli is the latest endorser of Uratex

In between performances, Uratex featured short videos telling the company’s story and how they got to where they are right now. They showcased some of their innovations to prepare for the company’s future— by bolstering their capacity and advancements with the other industries they are involved with and by continuously providing Filipinos with affordable sleep solutions that could last for a lifetime. 

Everyone cheered at the toast to Uratex, for it to continue its business for another 50 years, or more. 

Read More

Novuhair Brand Ambassador Abby Asistio Meets Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg

Novuhair Brand Ambassador Abby Asistio Meets Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg

Thursday, March 31

Filipino Abby Asistio flew to San Francisco last January 31, 2016 and had the wonderful opportunity of being chosen as one of the eighteen invited by Facebook on their 12th Anniversary Friends Day celebration with California-based Alopecia awareness advocate, Rachel Regal. Alopecia is an autoimmune condition which results in partial or total head and body hair loss. Abby Asistio have had it since she was four while Rachel just developed it sometime in 2012, the same year she discovered that her 10-year-old daughter, Eliana, had it, too. Six inspiring stories were picked by Facebook among its 1.64 billion users and Abby’s friends were all amazed when they found out that Abby’s Alopecia story was one of them. Imagine that!

Rachel Regal and Abby Asistio

Abby and Rachel met each other through the double A hand sign campaign that Abby started in 2012, and they have been "connected" since then. Last year, Facebook Stories featured how these two were able to build a friendship, as well as campaign for disease awareness through Facebook. Last February 1st, Abby and Rachel had the chance to tour Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, San Francisco, meet and chat with the people behind Facebook (Founder & CEO Mark Zuckerberg, COO Sheryl Sandberg, CPO Chris Cox, and a whole lot of awesome people), get crazy cool gadgets and have one of the best experiences of their lives.

Abby recounted that it was such a surreal feeling to be in the same room as the creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. Mark Z was wearing his trademark look -- jeans, sneakers, shirt and a big smile on his face, and had such a friendly, approachable aura and demeanor about him. Not at all intimidating! He shared stories about how the company started, its mission-vision, the ups and downs that come along, and their future plans. Those invited also had the chance to ask him questions. When Mark Z was asked about achieving success and life’s “impossibilities”, he said, “There’s a difference between impossible and things taking a really long time. Even if you’re not going to be able to do something in a short time period, if you care about something, you want to see the world to move into that direction. So the best thing to do is just get started and not be discouraged. It’s tough because this stuff is hard, or else people would’ve already done it.”

Abby Asistio got the chance to ask a question to one of the world’s 50 most powerful, successful women in business, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Aside from Alopecia awareness, Abby is also an active Real Beauty advocate with girls and women struggling with various insecurities, being so consumed by the world’s unrealistic and sometimes superficial standards of beauty. So Abby asked Sheryl about her perception of it. Sheryl said that beauty is just like success and that no one could really define it for you. We are all unique. We have different stories, dreams and desires. We should explore our own inner and outer beauty, believe and embrace that we are beautiful, and never allow anyone to tell us otherwise.

Mark capped off his talk by sharing their company philosophy with everyone present. Though already having over 1 billion subscribers, there are still 7 billion people all over the world without access to all the meaningful connections and information that Facebook brings. One thing that the company stands by is that “things are always 1% completed”. It keeps them grounded, reminding them that there is always so much work, growth and progress to be done, and so many people to reach out to and help.

Everything about the Facebook trip was overwhelming and inspiring according to Abby. More than anything, it reminded her about “responsibility”. We are all given our own platforms, in this case “accounts and connections”, to make a dent in this world. It is up to us to become complacent and take these vehicles for granted, or maximize the opportunities and use them to make a positive impact in this generation. Abby is grateful that Facebook has become a medium for her to communicate disease awareness and touch people beyond the confines of her tiny room and her country. Abby is also glad that she and Rachel are two out of millions of people choosing to recognize the importance of social media in contributing to making this world a better place, and actually doing something about it.

Truly, God plans the best adventures and creates the most beautiful surprises. Abby knows that she wouldn't have been handpicked for this if it weren't for Him, as well as the countless individuals who have cared and showed support for her advocacy. Abby would like to leave a positive thought to everyone that we should really take the time to search for and identify our “purpose” – that one unique, very specific calling that is the result of our talents, dreams, desires, passions and experiences. Once you find it, be faithful to it no matter how long or difficult the journey towards its fulfillment may be. You’ll never know where it could lead to, how far it could go and how large it could grow. 

Abby is also thankful that her campaign continues to spread and reach new heights and she is particularly grateful to Facebook for giving her this opportunity and to Novuhair, Nature's Answer to Hair Loss (www.novuhair.com), for always being so supportive of her advocacy and endeavors. Abby is proud and honored to have represented the Philippines and the Alopecia community in this once-in-a-lifetime, international event.

Read More

Brother Philippines At Your Side For 15 Years And More

Brother Philippines At Your Side For 15 Years And More

Sunday, January 31

I used to work in a company that exclusively distributes Brother CNC Tapping Centers and our office uses Brother fax machines and printers. I still remember labeling my accounting files and folders using the Brother label maker. When I was invited to attend Brother Philippines' 15th anniversary celebration last friday, I just couldn't say no because it was like reconnecting to a brand I know so well.

Brother Philippines started operation in the country in 2000 as one of the satellite sales offices worldwide of Japan based Brother Group. What started out as a small group of a dozen employees, the company that initially sold facsimile machines has become one of the country's leading providers of home and business IT solutions.

Brother Philippines has grown into a PhP 1 billion sales company from its first full year sales of PhP 65 million. The milestone was achieved by having a dedicated workforce, an extensive network of provincial offices in Angeles City, Cebu, Davao, Naga and Cagayan de Oro, accredited distributors, nationwide resellers and a network of authorized service centers.

Mr. Glenn Hocson, Brother Philippines President

According to Mr. Glenn Hocson, Brother Philippines current and first Filipino president, "The right products, committed partners, dedicated associates and adherence to global standards have fueled the company's success in this market."

Brother Group's "At Your Side" mantra pertains to its "customer first" approach where it provides the best possible quality of products and service to its clientele.

Providing The Right Technology

In the past fifteen years of operating in the country, Brother Philippines has provided Filipinos with reliable, durable and high speed laser and inkjet printers, multi-function centers (MFC), sewing machines and label makers.

The Filipino customers changing needs over the years has challenged Brother to innovate. From offering single function printers, the company now has an innovative lineup of multi-function, or all-in-one printers. Brother is the first company in the Philippines to launch the A3 Inkjet MFC where you can also print in the A3 or poster size paper. It is a big advantage for those in the creative profession and those in the printing business. The company also made printing more efficient with the introduction of its refill tank system MCF models.

Hello Kitty P-Touch D200KT

Brother further enhances Filipinos' creativity and skill set in crafting by providing endless creative possibilities with its home products - the sewing and embroidery machines. In the offing are more exciting products for both hobbyists and entrepreneurs like the ScanNCut, character-model embroidery machines as well as character-model P-Touch label makers.

"We will continue moving forward, and be one with our partners and stakeholders in providing unique, original and reliable products and services that help our customers be creative and succeed in their respective endeavors.

Fulfilling Social Responsibility

Brother Philippines Deputy General Manager for Sales and Marketing
Mr. Masao Kasagi

The Brother Group makes sure that it gives back to the communities. The company takes protecting the environment seriously, hence Brother Earth was launched to share the group's ongoing efforts for environment protection and to introduce various environmental technologies being developed.

• Marikina Watershed Project in the past 6 years
• Tree planting
• Livelihood project for 400 families
• Preservation of endangered species
• Green Project "Envirocycle"

Social responsibility projects include

• Brigada Eskwela (2012,2013,2014,2015)
• Lakbay Aral (field trip to Mind Museum, Manila Ocean Park, Kidzania)
• Relay for Life for the benefit of breast cancer patients and survivors

Moving Forward

Celebrity well-wishers (L-R) Boom Gonzales, Phoemela Barranda, Jeric Teng,
Jeron Teng, Elmo Magalona, Doug Kramer and Cheska Garcia-Kramer

Brother Philippines has gone a long way since it started fifteen years ago. The company has faced many challenges in the business but those circumstances made Brother a bigger and more established company. Mr. Hocson said that the company will further intensify customer engagement with better customer service through "Customer Plus Program". The company will also expand sales to government, corporate, small and medium business sector and provide non-box solutions and services such as Corporate Customer Portal.

"In the next years, we will be working hard towards welcoming another fifteen years of fulfilling growth as we help more Filipinos with the products we provide them. We are committed to giving them the best of technology to make working at their homes and offices more productive and efficient.", said Mr. Hocson.

Brother Philippines hosted an anniversary celebration at the Green Sun Hotel last January 29, 2016. The gathering was also attended by Brother Philippines Deputy General Manager for Sales and Marketing Masao Kasagi and Brother International Singapore Director of Finance and Human Resource Lim Heng Boon. Celebrities who graced to event were basketball players Jeric Teng and Jeron Teng, Elmo Magalona and couple Doug and Cheska Kramer.

Read More

Nissan Philippines Celebrates 2nd Anniversary

Nissan Philippines Celebrates 2nd Anniversary

Tuesday, October 6

If you ask me what comes to mind when I hear the word "Nissan",  it's Sentra and Exalta. The former reminds me of the car ng barkada during college years and the latter was the company assigned vehicle service whenever I have a client call.

The  glory days of the 80s and 90s saw how Nissan became a household name in the local automotive scene, ingraining itself  in the Filipino psyche through their iconic vehicles like the Nissan Sentra, California and Stanza. However, over the years, Nissan slowly took the backseat in the minds of the market because of shifting consumer preferences.

Nissan, with a proud global heritage in over 80 years, determined to bring back that excitement to the Philippine market, through the establishment of a consolidated national sales company. This 2015, Nissan Philippines Inc. (NPI) celebrates its second anniversary of delivering on the brand promise of "Innovation that Excites". With the boom of motorization in the Philippines, NPI has continuously addressed the needs of the modern citizen with a wide variety of vehicles and innovative services.

Mr. Antonio "Toti" Zara, Nissan Philippines President and Managing Director

"Every day in Nissan, we turn WHAT IF into WHAT IS. It is our promise to deliver "Innovation that Excites", explains NPI President and Managing Director Antonio Zara. "We are driven by our desire to excite people through continuous innovation. We push at the boundaries of what's possible for the sole purpose of making every day driving experiences more rewarding for everyone."

To celebrate Nissan's tradition of delivering excitement and innovation to the public, NPI today launched the "Rediscover Excitement, Rediscover Nissan" campaign to encourage the market to rediscover the brand they thought was once left in the past.

"In our two short years of operations as Nissan Philippines, Inc., we have been able to achieve a lot of significant milestones for the Nissan brand. Through our loyal customers and Nissan dealers, we have been able to continuously strengthen our presence here in the local market as we deliver exciting innovations." Said Zara "However, we believe that we still have ways to go in bringing back our glory days of the 80s and early 90s. This is why we are encouraging more people to rediscover Nissan and what Nissan is now offering to Filipino customers."

New Kid On The Block

Within its first two years of operations, NPI has brought back the excitement in driving through a series of new product launches which brings the refreshed versions of almost each vehicle to the local market.

Nissan Sylphy

This includes the Nissan Sylphy, a modern take on the beloved Sentra badge, offering more for its class; the Nissan Altima that combines the excitement of driving with the elegance of style; the soon to be refreshed Nissan Almera which delivers unmatched space and comfort in a compact sedan; the Nissan X-Trail, the testosterone-driven compact SUV that lets you perform any action in style; the all new NV350 Urvan, a powerful and versatile road companion; the all new Nissan NP300 Navara, a tough and smart pickup equipped with many firsts in its class features, providing comfortable ride thanks to the rear multilink coil spring suspension; and the Nissan Patrol Royale, the prestigious large SUV capable in any road, now available at PhP3,990,000.

Nissan Patrol Royale

Now, Nissan introduces the new Nissan Juke, a compact crossover that is built to thrill. A bold dynamic exterior design, intuitive Integrated Control System, powerful 1.6L DOHC gasoline engine, and Xtronic CVT transmission make the Nissan Juke one of the most highly anticipated Nissan vehicles in the market. The promise of a fun and exciting drive gives the market another reason to rediscover the excitement of Nissan.

Nissan Juke available in the Philippines on January 2016

Expanding The Nissan Network On Ground And Online

After two years of success, NPI is currently working to bring the brand closer to its customers, allowing them to rediscover the ease and convenience of Nissan. NPI is spearheading an aggresive expansion for its dealership network nationwide to bring Nissan closer to its customers. From the current 28 dealerships, 11 more dealers were signed up, covering the strategic areas of NCR and Luzon (Sucat, Sta. Rosa, Bulacan), Visayas (Cebu, IloIlo, Dumaguete) and Mindanao (Butuan, Zamboanga and General Santos).

"We foresee that growth will be outside of Metro Manila, that is why we are bringing Nissan vehicles closer to our provincial market base," Zara said.

www.nissanparts.ph

Complementing this is another innovation in the local automotive industry; the Nissan Parts Online Store Portal (www.nissanparts.ph), which will go live by November 3, 2015. With this local industry first initiative of Nissan, its customers in the entire country can now enjoy purchasing parts, accessories, and merchandise at affordable prices from the comfort of their own homes and enjoy the convenience of free shipping. This service is guaranteed 24-hour delivery within Metro Manila.

Turning Virtual Into Reality

Joward Ocampo, First Ever Nissan GT Academy Asia Champion

Nissan also called on gamers to rediscover their racing dream with the launch of the first ever Nissan GT Academy program in the Philippines. An innovation wherein young gamers are challenged to prove their racing prowess both on screen and on the race track, the Nissan GT Academy heralded in the democratization of motorsports in the country. (Read more HERE.)

The first Nissan GT Academy Philippine leg helped pave the way for dreamers to achieve their goals, as their stellar performance in the virtual world of racing led them to the real thing. Joward Policarpio, one of the contenders during the Nissan GT Academy Philippine leg, succeeded to be the first ever Nissan GT Academy Asia champion.

Rediscover Excitement With Nissan

"From its very beginnings, Nissan has displayed a flair for innovation and a willingness to strike out into territories unknown. This passion is what led the company to become a major player in the world automotive stage," claims Zara. "We want our passion for innovation to be felt by our customers. We want them to rediscover that excitement they felt once when they heard the word "Nissan". Through all of our efforts, we hope that we can encourage the Philippine market to rediscover Nissan."

"Rediscover Excitement. Rediscover Nissan." isn't just a milestone. It is Nissan's way of showcasing to the public that it is truly back, and is here to stay.


===================
About Nissan Motor Co.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Japan's second largest automotive company is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 247,500 employees globally, Nissan sold 5.32 million vehicles and generated revenue of 11.38 trillion yen (US$103.6B) in fiscal year 2014.

Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. Nissan leads the world in zero-emission mobility, dominated by sales of the LEAF, the first mass-market, pure electric vehicle. It is the bestselling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment. For more information of products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit the website www.nissan-global.com

About Nissan Philippines, Inc.
Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) is the sole national sales company of Nissan in the Philippines which started its operations in 2014. NPI is responsible for strengthening the brand, marketing and sales strategy, and dealer operations in the Filipino market. For more information on products and services, visit www.nissan.ph

Read More