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[av_heading heading=’Produce unique products from scrap’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY JULIO P. YAP JR.
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Monday, February 26, 2018
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FURNITURE industry players in the province of Abra were able to produce unique products while keeping the environment clean by adapting the âDouble Zeroâ waste campaign initiated by the Cordillera Administrative Region office of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-CAR).
By adhering to the programâs guidelines, furniture producers can use leftover materials from their production line and turn them into something useful.
This development came after the furniture makers participated in a series of training for Abra-based furniture producers which was organized by the DOST-CAR thru the Provincial S&T Center-Abra in partnership with DOST-Forest Product Research and Development Institute (FPRDI).
The program focused on mixed media furniture, resin lamination, and upholstery.
The main advantage of mixed media design is that production scraps can be turned into something useful.
In furniture making, mixed media pertains to the use of different raw materials like wood, metal, bamboo, rattan, and others in a single product.
Furniture makers can create distinct products from their own designs and raw material combinations to set them apart from other companies.
Likewise, furniture makers can take advantage of raw materials endemic in their locality to create designs that would be difficult for others to copy.
Product development should be an integral part of a companyâs activities.
Developing forest products is a continuous process that involves research of possible materials and their characteristics, concept generation or visualizing and sketching possible designs, and evaluation of the components of the product.
Participants also had the chance to work on actual mixed-media designs provided by FPRDI.
In addition to mixed media design and wood finishing techniques, FPRDI also provided the participants hands-on training on resin casting/lamination.
Resin is a highly viscous substance that comes from plants or synthetically produced.
In resin casting or lamination, synthetic resin and other materials such as scrap wood, shells, leaves, etc. are placed into a desired pattern and allowed to harden.
Products that can be made through this process include accessories, drawer handles, and decorations, among others.
Furniture-making is one of thriving industries in the province because of the availability of raw materials for furniture.
However, recent restrictions on the harvest and use of certain hardwoods have posed some challenges to the local furniture industry.
According to DOST-Abra provincial director Menandro B. Buenafe, there is a need to expand the raw material base in furniture production so that local producers can remain competitive.
The recent training can also help the local furniture makers to minimize waste by providing them them ideas on how to transform scraps into useful materials.
It was learned that a local furniture maker has already started transforming scraps of wood, bamboo, wood shavings, and even saw dust into high-value by-products.
Trimmings are usually used as fuel for the lumber kiln dryer, while the excess are mixed with saw dust to turn into charcoal briquettes.
As a breakthrough in recent years, FPRDI experts introduced another way of using waste materials by turning scrap wood, bamboo, and saw dust into mosaic accents in furniture. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
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