Eco-friendly products in a progressive world

By: Mano Hanako Figueras

In today's environmentally conscious world, SG Eco Industries Inc. is in the business of manufacturing eco-friendly products that make use of natural daylight, ensuring a healthier environment for a brighter tomorrow.

SG Eco Industries is a Philippine registered corporation, with major shareholding held by two Australian citizens, George Davies and Steve Ayles, both of whom have many years of experience in manufacturing and product development.

For this month's Boardroom Connection, the President of SG Eco Industries, Mr. George Davies, spoke to International Metalworking News for Asia (IMNA) about this progressive company.

IMNA: Tell us about the inception of SG Eco Industries.

Davies: SG Eco Industries has over 20 years of experience in the natural lighting and ventilation industry. Recently, we brought the technology that began in Perth, Australia, to the Philippines.

In 1988, a new natural lighting product manufacturer was born in a small factory in Wangara, Australia. Direct Skylights Pty Ltd (DS) began manufacturing its own brand of the more conventional type of skylights that were in the marketplace then. Soon, DS became aware that there had to be a better way of channelling natural light into dark homes, offices, factories and the like - anywhere one finds themselves turning electric lights on during the day - and that awareness paved the way for the development of the tubular daylighting device, known as the Sola Skylight with Flexi-tube. This technology had numerous benefits, such as higher efficiency, with more light produced from a significantly smaller product. It was also a huge time saver, as the product had a much easier installation process.

In the next few years, Sola Skylights International became a local distributor of quality ventilation products, such as wind-driven turbine ventilators and commercial extract fans; and in 2003, SSI purchased an iconic natural lighting manufacturer, called Sunlite Skylights (SS). SS had a reputation for heavy duty quality skylights that architects and builders relied on.

In 2007, the innovative Sky Tunnel XL2 was released to the market. The tubular daylighting device with extra available light area relative to the tube diameter and extra easy installation was an instant success. And in 2008, while Western Australia was in the middle of a mining boom and unemployment was at a record low of 2.6%, the decision was made to restructure the corporation to become purely a warehousing and distribution company, and to relocate the manufacturing to the Philippines. Thus, a new corporation was formed and was called SG Eco Industries Inc.

IMNA: What are the products that your company offers?

Davies: SG Eco is a manufacturer and wholesaler of natural lighting products, such as the Sky Tunnel tubular daylighting device and the Green Vent. All of our products operate without the use of electricity.

The primary processes performed in SG Eco's factory are sheet metal and plastics fabrication, manufacturing of flexible shaft, assembly and packaging. While SG Eco produces five brand name skylight products, we also supply various custom designed metal and plastic components to other manufacturers, who in turn incorporate those into their own products.

IMNA: Who encompasses your major clientele?

Davies: Because our products can be used in residential, commercial, and industrial applications, we have a broad range of end users - from homeowners to large corporations.

IMNA: Where is SG Eco in the Philippines?

Davies: The main factory of SG Eco is located inside the Clark Freeport Zone, north of Manila. Our dealer is Maximum SolNIKE