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The
Early Years
Manco’s roots go back 80 years to a City whose commerce was closely linked to
Manila Bay and to the Pasig River, an important artery through which
inland goods were brought to the Port along the Bay and from there
shipped out.
On
February 20, 1924, Manila Cordage Company, a subsidiary of Tubbs
Cordage Company of San Francisco, began operations at the junction of
Cristobal and Otis streets in Paco, which had easy access to the Pasig.
Its basic raw material was abaca, also known as Manila
hemp, which by then was a much sought after commodity in North America.
From
the start, the company was outward looking.
Manco ropes found their way around the globe. Although the bulk went to the Americas, the rest were
exported to nearby ports in Java, Sumatra, and Celebes (of the present
day Indonesian republic), the Federated Malay States, the Straits
Settlements, Siam (Thailand), French Indo China (territories of Laos,
Cambodia, and Vietnam), and parts of the southwest coast of China.
Interrupted
Growth
In
December of 1941, the Pacific War broke out and ravaged the country.
For the next three years, the mill was run as a branch of the
Tokyo Rope Works and its managers imprisoned at a concentration camp.
In early 1945, Manila was liberated and by mid-year, the mill was
back in business. The first
ropes were for the U.S. Army.
By
the late 1950’s, the Paco mill was overflowing. Manila itself was
getting crowded. Manco had
to relocate.
The
Middle Years
A
new home in Makati:
Groundbreaking
for the new mill in Makati took place in 1964.
A year later, the work was finished; the mill was cited as the
“most modern rope…facility in the Far East. In
1966, Manila Cordage began the production of large-sized plaited
synthetic ropes, the first to do so in the Philippines.
Filipinization:
A New Growth Stage
The
Seventies ushered in a major organization change. A group of Filipino businessmen acquired majority control of
the Company. Under the new
management team, Manco entered a new growth stage.
Since 1973, Manila Cordage has led the local rope industry. It has been “Number One” for the last thirty three years.
Today,
Manco has two focused mills: Synthetics and Hard Fiber. Quality
assurance remains a major focus of the Company.
It constantly endeavors to improve production processes and to
upgrade equipment whenever possible.
Meanwhile,
the demand for synthetic cordage has leapt tremendously over the years.
Output has grown six-fold. Yet
abaca remains an important material.
The reason for this is simple: Manila ropes are environment
friendly. Moreover, they
are required by certain industrial operations.
The Company
has been blessed with hardworking and loyal personnel who have ensured
its continued growth.
If
the Past is Prologue to the Future, Manila Cordage Company can
look ahead with confidence to the coming years.
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