The inventor is a successful businessman

MANILA, Philippines - Roberto `Bobby’ Ronquillo always had a knack for seeing how things work. As an engineering student in UP Diliman, he dipped into his savings and bought raw materials in Raon to make UHF antennas which he advertised in the Sunday newspapers. His then future wife Pauline, composed the ad copy for Bobby’s products.

That’s not all. When Bobby would go on long trips to Nueva Ecija to buy onions which he sold in Manila, he noticed that putting cardboard on his car’s dashboard helped the aircon cool the vehicle better. Problem was, the cardboard didn’t look good on the dashboard, which he observed is the main source of heat in the vehicle.

So he decided to create Dashield, which repels UV rays to maximize car aircon efficiency. It was a hit. Since Dashield was his invention, Bobby patented it in 1992.

Car dealers began asking for other products to complement existing ones. Bobby went back to his drawing board and came up with a package of products: tire cover, side mirror, stepboard, nudge bar (to cushion the impact of an accident), even a roof rack.

But first, he had to come up with a generic brand that would identify each the products as his own. Bobby chose Shark, the ruling creature of the sea.

Bobby’s creative juices and natural curiosity for how things work went full steam ahead. When he himself fell prey to side mirror snatchers near his office in Quezon City, Bobby thought of how he can protect car owners from thieves.

“I came up with a side mirror protected by double-sided tape as theft deterrent,” he said.

More than that, he made different kinds of side mirrors for various car models. This gave a car its distinct identity and made owners even prouder of their vehicles.

Bobby explains why he thought of customizing car accessories.

“The Philippines has a small auto industry. So we have limited variants. It’s in the creativity of the supplier to change the car’s look to fit the buyer’s needs.”

One car owner who doesn’t want his vehicle to look like a taxi, or his next-door neighbor’s, for instance, can jazz it up with accessories that give it a unique look.

Nudge gears are another way of making cars can stand out and reflect their owner’s personality. Bobby made it a point to make nudge gears tailor fit for various car models. Thus, a nudge gear for, say, a Fortuner is different from a CRV nudge gear.

“You cannot install a nudge gear for a Fortuner in another vehicle,” says Bobby. “Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all design.”

Car owners agree. So Shark nudge gears made of weather-resistant plastic and steel resistant to minor scratches, made inroads industry inroads.

Bobby is just as proud of the fact that his nudge gears offer greater protection in case of accidents.

“Heavy nudge gears hamper a car’s crumple zone. Ours, which is made of ABS plastic with steel reinforcements and inner polyfoam, is lighter. It won’t interfere with the car’s crumple zone,” says Bobby.

Needless to say, lighter nudge gears make vehicles more aerodynamic.

Another custom-made product Bobby designed after years of observing Philippine road conditions and the Filipino lifestyle and listening to car owners is the stepboard.

“We have many rough roads,” he observes. “The number one purpose of stepboards is to protect tires and side doors from stones that accidentally hit it.”

The average Filipino height, adds Bobby, also makes stepboards convenient. One steps on it for easier access to an SUV.

Then, there’s the safety factor again.

“Sometimes, we don’t give car keys to the househelp when they’re cleaning the car because we are wary of thieves,” says Bobby. “A stepboard will allow the househelp to clean the uppermost part of the car without having to open any of the doors.”

The biggest plus factor is cost. Bobby points out that he designed Shark stepboards in such a way that the owner doesn’t have to replace the entire set if one end accidentally gets dented. Only the dented part is replaced, and the owner saves a lot.

That’s the advantage of a locally-made product over an imported one. The former has readily-available parts while the latter doesn’t.

“We also offer after-sales service,” Bobby proudly adds.

The stepboards have since become best-sellers.

Bobby is just as happy about his other design, the roof rack, since it is again custom-made for buildings in the Philippines.

“The problem with imported roof racks is sometimes, they are mounted too high, they hit the car park ceiling. I invented one whose hidden platform will not add to its height.”

Bobby’s creative mind will not stop at this, and other inventions. He knows the car accessory business is so fluid, he must design new products every five years.

“These innovations keep us afloat in the business,” he relates. “If you’re going to rely on imports, they don’t have a feel of the market. They don’t know the people’s taste.”

His only request is for a little government help.

 The amount of VAT an inventor like him shells out for raw materials is much more than what importers from China pay.

“Ang net VAT ng local manufacturers mas mataas sa imported items. Wala kaming VAT sa labor component, so in effect, na offset din ng VAT ang income tax exemption naming mga inventors,” Bobby explains.

His prayer is for government to “apply stricter measures for imported car accessories manfacturers” so local inventor-businessmen like him can continue to thrive.

Bobby’s Shark car accessories have passed the highest standards of car dealers and manufacturers. Isn’t that a small thing to ask from someone who’s been pleasing the Filipino car owner and getting the nod of big-name car dealers over the years?