The best of the Philippines to the world

Last month, a highly successful all-Filipino company celebrated for three great reasons!

I was privileged to be invited to Armscor’s triple anniversary celebration. 70-60-50 were the magic numbers for that thanksgiving cum anniversary gathering at the Manila Polo Club. 2012 marks the 70th year since the Tuason patriarch, Don Celso Tuazon bought the original company, Squires Bingham from its American owners in 1941, making it a wholly Filipino owned enterprise. Getting ahead of the story, this family-owned enterprise has seen the tenure of ALL Philippine Presidents since the time of President Quezon.

This year also marks the company, Armscor’s 60th year as a manufacturing concern and Demetrio “Bolo” Tuason, who took over the reins as the Tuason patriarch from his father, fondly remembers the time when they used to make .22 caliber rifles in their garage to sell in their little store in Escolta during the time of President Elpidio Quirino.

To complete the triple celebration, this year also marks the 50th year of Bolo Tuason himself at the helm of Armscor. By the end of this year, Dec. 31 to be exact, Bolo intends to hang up the gloves and turn over the reins, not to new blood but to younger blood who he knows will bring the company even farther and to much greater heights.

With the numerous achievements and milestones that the company has seen under his watch, what else is there to achieve for this proudly Filipino company? Incoming Arms Corporation of the Philippines president and chief executive officer is son Martin, himself an avid gun enthusiast but a more avid fan of his father’s management style. I have met this young man and I have seen the passion that he has for the company that his grandfather started and his father nurtured for 50 years. He admits to learning the ABCs of a manufacturing and marketing concern from his Dad, not from some fancy school but from being exposed to the same air that Bolo breathed — he breathed Armscor day in and day out and built the empire that he must now bequeath because there is a time, there is a season for everything. 

The time to smell the roses with his wife Maria Concepcion (Cookie) is forthcoming and Bolo admits to looking forward to his retirement come December, when a new life, unhurried and leisurely, is upon him and he can enjoy the company of his daughter Liza and son Martin and his three grandchildren Nate, Amaia and Olivia.

Incoming chairman of the board is Bolo’s younger brother, Severo “Conkoy” Tuason, who presented a plaque of appreciation to Bolo, a handsome silver plate that said it all from the Armscor team, and which Bolo acknowledged with a brief speech, followed by a toast with the incoming new set of officers for the conglomerate, Conkoy, Martin and Conkoy’s son Scott “Gutsy” Tuason who will step up to the position of President of Squires Bingham Co. With brother Conkoy at the chairman’s seat, the company is in good hands.

It was indeed a huge celebration at the Manila Polo Club which, incidentally, served a really sumptuous dinner that night. I especially liked their paella and delightfully tender lengua. Faithful and loyal lieutenant and soon to be senior executive vice president and deputy chief executive officer, Gina Angangco was of course there, busily welcoming guests, all friends of Armscor and the Tuason family, the who’s who of business and sports. Marikina Mayor Del de Guzman was there and amiably said a few words “on cam” for our TV show Business & Leisure for the company which Marikina is proud to be associated with. The Armscor manufacturing plant is there, as well as their shooting range (helmed by Gina) which occupies over a hectare of land. This is a favorite venue for major competitions on the national level as well as competition among the various law enforcement agencies. The most recent NBI competition was held there just a few months ago in fact, with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima as Guest of Honor. 

Martin shares that Armscor is now in over 60 countries and they have received their ISO 9001 certification in 1997. It is amazing how a Filipino arms and ammunition manufacturer, importer and exporter has penetrated the foreign markets that have been there far longer than them. Martin acknowledges that the US market is so huge, in his words “it is currently infinite”, but Armscor is already an acknowledged presence there, and to get in and be accepted as a worthy competitor in the guns and ammunition world is no mean feat. The company set up a munitions factory in Montana that currently produces three million rounds per shift. They recently acquired new machineries to upgrade their production, and they’re looking at 10 million rounds!

The company is well into the production of the 1911 variety, and the incoming president and ceo says that they are now producing 50,000 units but will soon step up production this year because for the US market alone they would need some 100,000 units. They have indeed crept into the American gun market, but just to give you an idea of how big this US market is, Martin says he estimates their share to be only around one percent.

Their latest product now, according to Gina, is the new .22 TCM which stands for Tuason-Craig Magnum, their very own design which Gina says was recently featured in the January 2012 edition of American Handgunner Magazine. Other prestigious and world-famous publications have likewise featured some of the Armscor firearms. Yes, they bring “the best of the world” here like the Italian Tanfolio and most recently the Caracal from the Middle East which they now exclusively distribute in the Philippines, but they also bring “the best of the Philippines to the rest of the world” via their own designs and products like the .22 TCM.

For this year, Armscor is planning to expand their Marikina operations, but the company is excited about a new service that Armscor will be offering. Very soon, they will be giving lifetime warranties for Armscor firearms—yes, a warranty that will cover the life of your Armscor firearm, not just the owner’s life! So if your gun outlives you, you can pass it on to your son and Armscor will still service it for free. They will soon be putting up Armscor service centers in strategic places to accommodate the growing numbers of Armscor patrons.

Bolo acknowledges that the secrets of their success include a highly successful export market through the efforts of Armscor Precision International headed by Martin. Another secret of their success is the lady they hired 21 years ago who Bolo described as “young, intelligent and hardworking who was principally involved in the restructuring of our financial obligations and was responsible for spearheading the creation of subsidiaries—the dedicated and fiercely loyal Ms.Gina Marie Angangco.  Another crucial factor mentioned are the people behind their management team like EVP / COO George Chua as well as division heads SVP Weni Borlagdan, and SVP Lando Mejia.

As the video presentation that celebratory night said, it is the choice of world champion shooters, sportsmen and law enforcement professionals, but I was surprised to find out that the company’s military business comprises only about fiver percent of the company’s total business. Mostly, their firearms are valued for competition shooting and home defense, although Martin says they do have a fairly good share of the security guards’ firearms and ammunition needs.

Congratulations to this truly Filipino company and the Armscor family. You have made the country proud.

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.

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