Something "fishy" behind cut-rate hardware products

CEBU, Philippines - Cebuanos should be wary of hardware products such as steel angle bars that are sold at prices way cheaper than the average market prices, as this would mean that there is “something fishy” with the product.

Kenneth Co, manager of the Cebu Oversea Hardware Co. Inc. (COHCI), said that prices of products of hardware stores in Cebu may vary, but the difference is not that big because Cebu’s local hardware industry has maintained a healthy competitive environment.

“The prices of our products have very little differences. Such that when a product is sold very cheap, (the buyer) must (investigate) why. Consumers must be very vigilant in buying hardware products because substandard ones would be very risky to their structures (and may take lives,)” he told The Freeman.

Co said buyers must check that the measurements of the products sold to them are the same with the specified measurements for their buildings.

The Philippine Product Safety and Quality Foundation Inc. (PPSQS), a non-stock, non-profit foundation that assist the Department of Trade and Industry-Bureau of Product Standard (DTI-BPS) in ensuring that only safe and reliable products will be made available in the Philippine market, earlier warned the Cebuanos to be careful in buying imported steel angle bars, saying some of these may not have passed the quality test of the government.

“We are warning the Cebuanos to exercise prudence in buying steel angle bars. Uncertified angle bars did not go through proper testing so they are hazardous to life and property,” said PPSQS executive director Ma. Victoria Padilla.

She said some unscrupulous suppliers use fake import commodity clearance certificates to convince buyer hardware stores that their products have passed the proper testing.

COHCI’s Co said that there are times that hardware stores are unaware that substandard products are mixed with the standard ones. That is why it would be unfair to penalize the hardware for the selling substandard products.

The Cebu Hardware Consolidated Inc. is also constantly reminding its 50 members during their meetings to be prudent and to prioritize the safety of their consumers by making sure that what they are selling have passed the quality standard.

But Padilla said the DTI-BPS follows the “last touch policy” in implementing the law and apprehending companies that sell substandard and fake or imitation products.

Meanwhile, Co said most hardware stores in Cebu are now selling locally-made steel, especially that the prices of imported steel have gone high.

“The prices of locally-made steel are now competitive and imported steel are also becoming expensive,” he said.

Steel Angles, Shapes and Sections Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (SASSMAPI) vice president for external relations Ramon Tan said it would be safer for consumers to use the locally-made ones because the local steel manufacturers are constantly monitored by the government in their production.

Since they are required to place a company mark on each of their product, local steel manufacturers always make it a point to release only the standard ones to protect their name, he said.

SASSMAPI has seven members, which are wholly-Filipino owned. These are 21st Century Steel Mill Inc., Cathay Metal Corp., Grand Asia Metal Corp., Legacy Steel Corp., Lunar Steel Corp., Maxima Steel Mills Corp. and Unicorn Metal Corp.