The not-so-old man and the sea

Francisco “Kit” Kier Sanz, chairman and CEO of Cord, Inc., is resolutely low-key and would rather let the products take the limelight. He demurs when we ask to take his photo for this story. When “marine epoxy” is mentioned, however, his company’s flagship product—Cord Marine Epoxy—and its tagline quickly come to mind: “Sintigas ng bakal, sintibay ng bato, sintatag ng isang blokeng semento (As hard as steel, as durable as rock, as tough as a cement block).”

Cord Chemicals, Inc. was given the Superbrands seal, a coveted award in brand recognition this year. It is the First Filipino Awardee in the Adhesive Sealant Category. According to Karl MacLean, chairman of Superbrands Marketing International (SMI), “Cord was chosen to be the first Filipino awardee under the adhesive coating sealant category because of its market innovation enhanced by consumer insights, consistent market dominance in the past 30 years, outstanding market success of its products, and the remarkable consumers’ loyalty to the company and its products.”

It was while working for another company more than three decades ago that Kit Sanz realized the importance of a cheaper alternative to lower the cost of repairing boats. “I happened to go to Hagonoy, Bulacan, and saw that the fishermen were using wood from newly cut trees and crude methods to patch up their boats,” he recalls. He suggested to his employers that they come up with a product that could serve as a cheaper alternative, but “the firm did not believe in my idea.”

The belief in the importance of a more cost-effective product to help fishermen persisted. After working in the United States, Sanz decided to come back to the Philippines and invest in his idea. “Cord was a very small company when it started. I had four or five people and it was hard to earn enough to pay for their wages. But I had some very good people who stayed and grew with the company.” More important, he says, was the support of his wife, whom he claims “didn’t mind the hardship.”

Cord soon became the first to introduce marine epoxy for the wooden boat-building industry in 1978. “I had product demonstrators who went around the Philippines to show fishermen that we can make their boats sturdier and lighter using more modern methods,” he relates. The advantage of using the marine epoxy was that aside from checking the wanton cutting of trees for boat construction, it preserved the boats and lowered maintenance costs. Consequently, fishermen had more income for their daily needs. Thus, it can be said that Cord Marine Epoxy paved the way for the improvement of the livelihood of fishing communities.  

Product development continues to be a top priority at Cord Chemicals and it is not surprising that the company is a trailblazer in new product innovations and design. Although he has a dedicated research and development team in place, Sanz continues to be closely involved in the development of new products. “I am a tinkerer,” he shares. “I tinker with formulations and materials. I am constantly in the laboratories working with product development chemists and trying to discover and figure out new things.” Because of the constant drive to innovate, Cord Chemicals produced Waterstop in the 1990s. As a breakthrough sealant that can be applied to wet or dry, even on underwater surfaces, Waterstop was the product once used in the repair of an underwater pipeline that fed the cooling system of Mirant, then Iloilo’s primary source of electricity.

Other top-of-the-line products manufactured by the company include Turbo Rust Remover, Bulldog Superglue, Cord Marine Epoxy Adhesive and Epoxy Steel, among others.

In 2006, Cord launched Gladiator, the first and only sealant used to repair cracks in vehicles’ radiators. “The real use of Gladiator is in Third World countries where people cannot afford to replace the radiators,” explains Sanz. The product buys time for vehicle owners to save for replacement parts. “We look at the problems people encounter, and if there is a need, we try to look for solutions. Our core value at Cord is to improve the lives of Filipinos with our innovative products.” The Japanese concept of kaizen, or “continuing improvement,” is implemented at the two-hectare Cord facility in Silang, Cavite, where 250 people are employed.

“I’m a man of the sea. I want to spend my time in the sea. The ocean heals me,” says this descendant of galleon-builder Pedro Sanz, who sailed to the Philippines from Aragon, Spain, in 1854 and built ships in Romblon. Helping fishermen is a project that is close to Kit Sanz’s heart. “They are so poor that sometimes they care more about their boats than their lives,” he rues.

Cord’s benevolent arm, the Cord Boat Builders Association (CBBA), was launched precisely to aid fishing folk. It has grown to 10,000 members since its inception in 1997, and has supported the fishermen both in glad times through festivities, boat race sponsorships, and crises such as illnesses, calamities and disasters. No membership fees are collected. “Our policy is that if a fisherman comes to us for help, whether he is from CBBA or not, we are obligated to help. Some of the stories are very sad.”

With his markedly Castilian features, Francisco Sanz is often mistaken for a foreigner when he attends CBBA activities. “I’m a fake foreigner,” quips the man who speaks fluent Tagalog and understands Ilonggo and Ilocano. One is glad that he is Filipino when he emphasizes, “When you make profit with honor, when you know that you are helping your fellowmen, the psychological profit becomes greater than the financial aspect of the business.” It is the spirit that guides bayanihan or pakikiisa. 

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Log on to Cord’s website at www.cordchem.com or e-mail Cord@Cordchem.com.