AMCen, MEIC, and Food Processing Equipment Among STI for Sustainability Technologies Featured at the DOST RSTIW 2023 Celebration in Sultan Kudarat
By Kai H. Negado
September 20, 2023
In the pursuit of its mandate of supporting the local metals and engineering (M&E) industry, the Department of Science and Technology-Metals Industry Research and Development Center’s (DOST-MIRDC) services reach even beyond the M&E industry - these services are relevant to end users such as businesses, the academe, and the end users as a whole.
At the request of DOST Region XII, DOST-MIRDC has brought its array of science, technology, and innovation (STI) outputs to Sultan Kudarat to showcase solutions for sustainability. These technologies address critical areas such as food security, digital transformation, and human development, aligning with DOST's current priority programs.
Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMCen)
“Together, let’s go beyond the conventional,” Engr. Alvin M. Buison, Senior Science Research Specialist (Sr. SRS) of the DOST-MIRDC and a project member of the AMCen, encouraged the audience to go beyond conventional ways of manufacturing products by utilizing one of the pioneering Industry 4.0 technologies - additive manufacturing (AM). Since its establishment in 2021, the DOST-MIRDC’s AMCen has manufactured AM products and engaged in collaborative research with partners from the academe, health sector, defense sector, government, and private institutions.
Engr. Alvin Buison describes AM and its advantages over conventional manufacturing.
Engr. Buison offered AMCen’s services to the people of Region XII, highlighting the fact that AMCen extends its assistance to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME), with AM’s
economically viable services for low-volume production, its ability to streamline production process, and accelerated product design iterations.
Metals and Engineering Innovation Center (MEIC)
“A country’s capacity to generate new knowledge is dependent on STI human resource,” Engr. Mervin Gorospe, Sr. SRS of the DOST-MIRDC, during the TeknoMETALino forum on STI for Sustainability.
Engr. Mervin Gorospe explains MEIC to the forum attendees.
As part of its commitment to fostering development in rural areas through STI, DOST-MIRDC has established innovation hubs in various regions, known as MEIC, now in its second phase of expansion, including Region XII.
Engr. Gorospe simplified to the forum attendees the concept of establishing a MEIC - it is a small metalworking laboratory, designed to replicate a scaled-down DOST-MIRDC in regional settings. The MEIC is seen to strengthen the region’s capabilities through equipment acquisition, human resource development, industry immersion, benchmarking activities, and product innovation.
Communities in the region may now look forward to having their own mini DOST-MIRDCs. In closing his presentation, Engr. Gorospe reiterated that the DOST-MIRDC, through the MEIC, looks forward to “transforming (your) ideas into innovation.”
Food Processing Equipment
“May demand for food processing,” Engr. Ulysses B. Ante, Sr. SRS of the DOST-MIRDC and a project member of the development of food processing equipment, highlighted the growing demand for food processing solutions. Citing a 2019 study by the Asian Development Bank, he noted that agriculture and food manufacturing contribute 126.7 billion US dollars to the Philippine’s GDP, accounting for 43% of the country's employment.
Engr. Ulysses Ante shows data on the country’s agriculture and F&B industry
The DOST-MIRDC has developed food processing technologies, namely: water retort, freeze dryer, spray dryer, and vacuum fryer. These food processing equipment, Engr. Ante explained, makes food edible, ensures food safety, preserves food that increases its shelf life, retains nutritional quality, offers convenience, and lowers the price of food especially when it is mass produced. It was also developed by the Center to lower the cost of acquiring equipment for our local MSMEs, as it is locally produced.
Engr. Ante encouraged aspiring entrepreneurs in the food and beverage sector to consider incorporating these equipment solutions into their ventures, given the expanding domestic market and the ever-growing demand for healthy and convenient food products, including opportunities in the export market.
This forum was part of the DOST Region XII's RSTIW 2023 celebration held from September 13 to 15, 2023, at the Sultan Kudarat Gym and Cultural Center in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat.
More RSTIW events in various regions are coming very soon! For updates on DOST-MIRDC and AMCen’s participation in the upcoming RSTIWs, stay tuned to the DOST-MIRDC and AMCen’s official FB pages dostmirdc and AMCenPH, and DOST-MIRDC’s official website mirdc.dost.gov.ph.
