Group to mark 37 years, Worldwide Steel success is anchored on innovation

CEBU, Philippines - If there are important lessons that the Worldwide Steel Group of Companies has learned from its over four decades of being in the business, they are the attitude of being hardworking and having focus while valuing relationships along the line.

A manufacturing firm based in Mandaue City, Worldwide Steel is joined by Worldwide Home Depot to form the Group, and just this year, when it turns 37 years old in the business, its newest affiliate Worldwide Central Properties, Inc. has entered the whole wagon to become its newest property development arm.

Worldwide Steel founders Francisco and Lina Ong, who were one of the pioneers of steel manufacturing in Cebu, admitted the greatest challenge facing the local steel manufacturing sector is the popularity of imported products, mostly from China, but their company tries to overcome this by continuously innovating and diversifying their products.

“Competition has never been this tough, but listening to our customers, innovating and diversifying—these are what have kept us up in the business all through these years,” they said.

The Ongs recall their entrance into the steel manufacturing business back in 1976 as a distributor of hardware products from a Manila-based company called National Steel.  Back then, the company was known as Cebu Worldwide Hardware and Electrical Supply.

When National Steel closed shop in 1986, the couple seized the opportunity to start off their own steel manufacturing firm.

The steady growth of the business and exposure to construction materials paved the way for the company to venture into the manufacturing of steel bars in 1987. Thus born the Worldwide Steel Corporation.

In 2001, Worldwide Interiors Design Center was established to cater to the growing needs customers for local and imported tiles, bathroom fixtures, finishing and furnishing materials. It has been rebranded as Worldwide Home Depot and currently has not less than three branches in Cebu.

The Group’s services later grew to include the manufacturing of pre-painted roofing materials, C-purlins, light metal frames and wire meshes.

Seeing the need to have a complete array of construction materials, they have also started to trade cements, angle bars and G.I. wires in the list of products they carry, in line with their vision to become the choice supplier of basic structural, finishing and furnishing materials.

After long years of persistent attitude, what used to be a Cebu-centered trading only has in due course expanded its operations to include supplying hardware stores within the Visayas and Mindanao areas.

The couple said the steels used in the construction of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, as well some of the structures at the Cebu I.T. Park, were sourced from their firm.

Presently, they said their production requirements have significantly increased in terms of volume, and this, according to them, also proves to show that real estate and construction sectors at least in Cebu are experiencing brisk growths.

Asked on their corporate social responsibility thrust, they said they are presently giving scholarship grants to deserving sons or daughters of their employees. Apart from this, they also hold seminars to educate local carpenters and masons, among others, on the proper techniques on using their products.

With Worldwide Central Properties going full swing, starting with its first vertical development venture Sundance Residences in Barangay Banawa, Cebu City, company officials are also expressing gratitude to the government for providing accessible loans to common Filipinos wanting to own their residential spaces.

They said the government’s no value-added tax (VAT) on housing structures not to exceed P3 million in cost is also an added boost to real estate players. (FREEMAN)