MACC@30: GERMAN QUALITY WITH A FILIPINO HEART
When MAN Automotive Concessionaires Corporation (MACC) set up shop 30 years ago, it strived to bring in quality buses and trucks from famed German brand MAN Truck & Bus (MAN) into the country. But aside from an excellent product line up, MACC attributes its success to another equally important factor — Filipino talent and hard work that has kept the company at its best shape for 30 productive years.
In an interview with STARweek, MACC managing director Fernando Lu talks about MACC’s source of strength, the secret sauce that paved the way to where the company is today.
INVESTING IN PEOPLE
Initally, MACC focused on supplying only MAN bus chassis from Germany. But intense competition from Japanese, Chinese and Korean manufacturers disturbed prevailing market prices. To keep the business alive, Lu asked his German principals if they would allow MACC to sell MAN trucks here in the Philippines. They were reluctant at first.
“On our insistence, we asked the MAN’s German office to allow us to sell trucks. We even hired someone to sell trucks and sent him to Germany for training. For five years, not even a single truck was sold. But on the sixth year, eight units were sold; on the seventh, 49 units, before eventually reaching close to 150 units in sales by the eighth year,” Lu revealed.
Although it took five long years before the sales agent for MAN trucks made the first sale, believing in the hidden potential in
people paid off big time. Aside from private sector customers, MACC has also supplied trucks to government agencies like the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Philippine National Police (PNP) and other local government units (LGUs).
MALASAKIT: THE MACC ETHOS
Today, the 300-strong employees of MACC are treated and taken care of like family members. To keep their talent happy and contented, MACC goes the extra mile with a number of benefits and privileges extended to employees that are outstanding in their performance of their duty.
“We always believe that charity should begin at home. Inside our plant grounds in Meycauayan Bulacan, we built a company housing project exclusively for employees, completely free of charge. There are 165 families living there today. For easier commute, a shuttle service picks up the employees and their children from home to work or school. And after rendering a certain length of service, employees are entitled to a small plot of land in Marilao, or the equivalent amount in cash. In addition, sons and daughters of employees can also avail of scholarship grants. When our employees get sick, we partially cover their hospitalization and even medicines. This is on top of the regular crossfit sessions and fitness program. This is our company ethos, our
pagmamalasakit,” Lu concludes. It’s no wonder that many choose to stay. In the company’s roster, many are second- and third-generation employees, direct descendants of the pioneer batch within the MACC workforce. By taking care of the people, MACC has created an inspired workforce with energy, focus and drive — essential in powering the business forward in the last three decades and well into the future.