Three-in-1 Service Facility for MSME Opens in UP Cebu

A three in one service facility for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) was launched today at the The University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and its collaborators.

DTI launched today along with the opening of the “Negosyo, Konsyumer at Ipa P a” service caravan, the Go Negosyo Plus Center, Fabricatio Laboratory (FABLAB), and Co Working Space, all at the UP Cebu Campus.

Fablab is the second of its kind next to the Bohol Fablab and first with the Negosyo Center Fablab Co-working Space tag in the Visayas.

DTI Secretary Adrian Cristobal Jr. said these are strategically located for innovation and creativity in the industry for students, startups, and micro and small enterprises.

The Negosyo Center Plus UP Cebu is the first DTI-supported FabLab in Cebu.

DTI funded six equipment worth Php 5.375 million under its Shared Service Facility (SSF) program to provide technical assistance and capacity building for the FabLab’s management and operations.

The Negosyo Center is a salient feature of Republic Act No. 10644, otherwise known as “Go Negosyo Act,” which seeks to strengthen MSMEs to create more job opportunities in the country.

On the other hand, a Co-working Space (CWS) is an open space that the public can rent for a flexible period using common area office fixtures, Internet, and other common office services while the FabLab offers the digital fabrication equipment where people can build, design, and engineer ideas into products.

Atty. Liza Corro, UP Cebu Acting Chancellor, said this will provide a creative space for designers, creatives, entrepreneurs, students and the general public to test their ideas and turn them into products using digital fabrication equipment.

“This will indeed realize the mandate of UP which is to provide an avenue for teaching, research and public service,” Corro said.

Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III also commended DTI for putting up the 3-in-1 facility in UP.

“Every great business starts with a simple idea.  This Fablab will help our MSMEs that are the backbone of our economy,” Davide said.

Available equipment at the Negosyo Center Plus UP Cebu are 3D Printer, Laser Cutter, Printer and Cutter, Desktop Vinyl Cutter, CNC Router, and Benchtop Milling Machine.

DTI launched the country’s first FabLab in Bohol in 2014.

The Bohol Fablab located at BISU has helped the entrepreneurs in the island to produce travel retail products in short runs, prototype furniture and even a working “printed” house as part of the post-earthquake recovery program of the province . (rmn/fcc/PIA7-Cebu)