MANILA, Philippines - Amparo Policarpio, 74, can put young men and women to shame. She is after all, still as hands-on, persevering and active as ever, leading the country’s biggest and multi-awarded weighing scale company, the First Philippine Scales Inc. (FPSI).
Filipino-owned FPSI manufactures a wide variety of weighing devices under the Fuji Weighing Scales brand. Today, the various products have been copied by bootleggers from all over the Philippines but to no avail, thanks to Amparo’s determination to keep her company as the leading weighing scale manufacturer in the Philippines.
The company was not born overnight. Its story started with the vision of Amparo. It has had its ups and downs before it came to be known as what it is now.
“I never gave up,†she said in a recent interview with The Star at the Fuji plant in Malabon.
Amparo, who hails from Samar, is the family matriarch. A public school teacher, she married into a pure Chinese family, which was not easy at all because she had to prove herself.
She put up the company out of her own savings, earned from a wide variety of freelance jobs – from teaching to sewing – and money borrowed from her parents.
It was not easy at all. She got mired in debt and lost customers before her hard work paid off.
“If you want to succeed in something, you have to keep on going,†she said.
She started with a single employee and four second-hand machines she bought using borrowed money. The year was 1975. She started the company under the name Philippines Scales Industries.
It was frustrating in the beginning, she says because the machines’ capacity was so low. There were a lot of technical problems. Not a single scale was produced. When advised to close the company, she said, “I will never close my company.â€
To cope with losses, she thought of other products such as baby strollers, washers, bottle openers, window hinges, folding beds, chairs, strollers, and other household items.
In 1978, Fuji Scales was born, named after the majestic Mount Fuji, which Amparo saw during a trip to Japan.
“In 1983 the company, by then known as FPSI, began a major expansion program, transferring its offices and plant from Caloocan to Malabon, where the facilities were much bigger and better,†the company said in a profile.
In 2000, the company opened its first branch in Davao City and in 2006, FPSI’s Japanese supplier asked the company to start making mechanical weighing scales for sale under the OEM brand Ishida.
“FPSI took up the challenge and passed the supplier’s strict quality control standards, paving the way for the company’s export market,†the company said.
“Now we export Filipino-made products,†she said.
Fuji Weighing scales are high quality Philippine-made products, tailored to meet customer requirements.
The company offers a comprehensive line of products, whether for special sizes, features, automation or software development.
“We’ll build scales for any customer request. They need only ask,†Amparo said.
The scales include the Fuji table scale, hanging scale, automatic platform scale, beam platform scale, foldable baby scale and livestock scale, among others.
An important feature designed into Fuji mechanical scales is the anti-microbial coating system. This is a feature that other copycats cannot claim to have, Amparo said.
She said this contributes to a safe, clean, healthy and comfortable environment. This feature prevents the risk of infecting users because it kills bacteria, viruses and fungi to prevent and inhibit reproduction.
The electronic scales range from conventional electronic scales such as table, platform and hanging scales to higher-end devices like Automatic Rice Packers, Check Weighers and other customized systems.
The company also provides quality service to its customers.
“All Fuji weighing scales have a one-year warranty. This added feature convinces the customer, even more, that the product will provide sustainable high quality and service.
“Among the services FPSI offers are accreditation and calibration of weights and weighing instruments that comply with international standards. FPSI extends its services by offering service and repair of all types of weighing devices,†the company said in its profile.
The company ensures the quality of its products in its manufacturing plant in Malabon. Here, each and every Fuji product goes through quality control to ensure that it meets strict manufacturing standard.
Moving forward, Amparo said there’s no stopping the company from continuing to excel.
She said customers are assured that the company would continue to produce high quality weighing devices.
“We will not stop. This is our story,†she said, adding that the company not only benefits the family but its employees and the Philippine economy as well.