GROUP SIX

MARIWASA SIAM CERAMICS INC.

Gagui, Kaila Marie
Rodriguez, Nicole Anne
Tanglao, Chris Emil
Tejoso, Michelle
Vicente, Ruel

BSA 3-1
 MARIWASA SIAM CERAMICS INCORPORATION
“Uncompromising Quality”

For more than five decades of operation Mariwasa Siam Ceramics Incorporation (MSCI)
has already build up their competitive advantage against their competitors. Their Product Design,
Process Design, and Product Quality are the competitive advantage that they already put up for
their business to operate continuously and set a high standard when it comes to the ceramic tile
industry here in our country.

I. PRODUCT DESIGN
Through the years, Mariwasa is always ahead of its competitors in terms of innovations
of the ceramic tile designs. From its humble beginnings in 1966 to the present time,
Mariwasa’s commitment to constant innovation never failed its customers by offering
extensive range of ceramic floor and wall tiles in a variety of designs, sizes, colors and finish.
So, they launch new innovations of tile designs by releasing yearly collections that attuned
with the demands of upbeat and changing taste of the market, so that they will retain the
anticipation of the consumers through the use of originality and inventiveness.

Technology has advanced, and they are aware that consumers are now looking for
products that exceed their expectations. Therefore, Mariwasa pioneered ceramic tile
technology and easily became the trendsetter in the tile industry in the Philippines through
their creative designers and talented R and D team.

 Product Variety
MSCI is producing a several variety and high volume of products.

- TYPE
o Floor Tile
o Wall Tile
- TEXTURE
o Glossy
o Matte
 o Rustic
- SIZE (cm)
o 20 x 20
o 20 x 60
o 30 x 30
o 30 x 60
o 40 x 40
o 60 x 60

- TECHNOLOGY – Because of the changing technology, Mariwasa is now

redesigning and producing newly innovative designs of their tiles. An example of
this is the Full HD tiles that is produced using digital Inkjet technology that allows
random printing process and advanced glazing technology creating virtually
indistinguishable tile products from natural wood or stone.

 Idea Generation
- COMPETITIVE – Mariwasa established their product design that is competitive
among the others. It is shown by being the first to manufacture both wall and floor
tiles in a vast range of colors and sizes.
- REVERSE ENGINEERING – Dismantling and inspecting a competitor’s product
to discover product improvements. Mariwasa produced their ceramic tiles by only
improving its design and quality.
- TECHNOLOGY – Because of the changing technology, Mariwasa is now
redesigning and producing newly innovative designs of their tiles.
- APPLIED RESEARCH - has the objective of achieving commercial applications.
Mariwasa uses applied research on supporting their continuous innovations on
different tile designs to cope up with their commitment to always attuned with the
demands of upbeat and changing taste of the market.
- DEVELOPMENT - converts the results of applied research into useful commercial
applications. Mariwasa introduces their newly innovated product designs which are
 the result of their research and observation in the changing design trends in the
market.

 Phases in Product Design and Development

- FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS - After generating new designs that is attuned with the
demands of the market by the R&D team, they will have a feasibility analysis to
know if they can produce it in terms of cost and the capacity of their machines and if
they will have a profit in selling them. And also if it is in line with their mission to
delight their customers in terms of excellence in quality and design. It requires
collaboration among marketing, finance, accounting, engineering, and operations
departments.
- PRODUCT SPECIFICATION - This phase allows Mariwasa to know if the new
designs meet and exceed the demand of the market. It requires collaboration between
legal, marketing, and operations departments.
- PROCESS SPECIFICATION – This is where the process of producing the new
designs will be discussed. They will also think of ways to lessen the cost of producing
it by finding alternative resources and making sure to produce quality products. This
involves collaboration between accounting and operations departments.
- PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT – After completing the product and process
specifications, few units are made to see if there are any problems with the product or
process specifications.
- DESIGN REVIEW - After having prototypes and if there are problems in the
product and process specification, the marketing, finance, engineering, design, and
operations department will decide if they will fix those problems and make the
necessary changes or abandon it.
- MARKET TEST – If there are no more problems in terms of product and process
specifications, a market test will now be done to determine the new designs will be
accepted by the customers. If unsuccessful, the product returns to the design review
phase. This is handled by the marketing department.
 - PRODUCT INTRODUCTION - This phase is where they launch their collections
and new designs, it is made yearly and through the WORLDBEX, or The Philippine
World Building and Construction Exposition.
- FOLLOW-UP EVALUATION – This is where the feedbacks of the customers will
be gathered to know the changes that are needed to satisfy them more. It is done by
the marketing department.

 Product Life Cycle

- INTRODUCTION – Mariwasa introduces tile collection every year
- GROWTH – they increase their capacity to produce their newly innovated tile
designs to coincide with increasing demand.
- MATURITY – design changes are needed
- DECLINE –they release yearly collections to prevent the decline in their product

 Kano Model
- BASIC QUALITY - thickness, hardness, appearance, texture
- PERFORMANCE QUALITY
o Water marks should not be visible in the glaze surface
o Must have sufficient bending strength to withstand constant pressure or
sudden impact.
o Must have low water absorption
o Must not absorb or leave permanent marks
o Glaze on the coating on top should not be chipped when tiles are cut or
scratched
- EXCITEMENT QUALITY
o Scratch-free tiles - Have more durable glace surface than regular tiles.
o Safety tiles in-terms of anti-slip - Prevent you from slipping specifically
when tiles are wet.
o HD tiles - Reminiscent of nature with optimum resolution

 Designing for Production

 - COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN (CAD) - The Mariwasa uses computer software to
facilitate the generation, modification, and optimization of their innovative tile
designs.
II. PROCESS SELECTION
Mariwasa Siam Ceramic Incorporation as a ceramic tiles manufacturer under goes a
certain process in order to produce their qualitied product. They are producing wall and floor
tiles using machineries and have a low labor interaction. Their machineries are also lined
chronologically to increase their productivity and reduce the cost of producing their product.
Mariwasa also operates under sustainable production processes, to make their costs
competitive with the other tile manufacturer through renewable energy and waste
management. Their Zero Waste Renewable Energy Technology earned a feat from the
prestigious Blue Sky Award – a global program sponsored by UNIDO and International
Technology Center for Sustainable Development, It was also recognized by the Department
of Energy by giving them two certificates of registration and they are known as the first and
only local ceramic tile maker certified by Green Choice Philippines and given an Eco-Label
Seal of Approval.

 Process Type
- They produced several products and high volume so they are classified to use the
Repetitive/ Assembly line process.

 Production Process of Mariwasa’s ceramic tiles

1. Raw materials
Clays, Feldspar, Silica (tile body) from
Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Batangas. Raw
glazed tiles wastage.

2. Milling Process
Raw materials are put into the ball mill for
continuous milling. The water is added during
milling to cause the particles of clay, feldspar and
silica to adhere and form what is called slick.
3. Spray Drying
The slick is screened and stored in
homogenizing tank before transported to the spray
dryer which breaks it down into a fine and dusty
powder.

4. Dry Pressing
Using a hydraulic press with steel dyes,
powder is formed into a solid body called the green
tile. Different steel dyes produce green tile of desired
shape size and texture.

5. Drying
The green tiles are allowed to drive through a
drying machine. Through this process the tiles lose
some moisture content by way of evaporation.

6. Bisquitting
Wall tiles undergo bisquitting prior to
glazing. It is the firing of the press form powder.
7. Glazing
Floor tiles on the other hand immediately
after the vertical drying are conveyed to the glazing
line. Here ceramic tile glaze of controlled properties
is uniformly applied to the face of the tile. It is this
glaze that gives a tile its vivid color, texture and
design.

8. Firing
The freshly glazed tiles are then exposed to
heat from 800-1,200 degrees centigrade. This final
firing of the tiles creates a bond between the glaze
and the “Green Tile” as both bodies starts to absorb
the properties of the other. This process also
removes all excess fluids and gasses.

9. Sorting
Sorting the tiles is a 100 percent inspection process
to ensure that each and every tile is truly of the
finest quality.

10. Packaging
The tiles are packed according to
classification and size coding.
  Sustainable Production of Goods and Services
- Use skylight to reduce the dependence on electricity.
- The company used bunker and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for its fuel
requirements but today, Mariwasa uses hot air generator (renewable energy) to use
rice husk as an alternative fuel for the dryer to reduce dependence on LPG.
- Waste from the hot air generator like ashes are also use as raw materials because it is
rich in silica. And supply it to the outside community to use as an organic fertilizer.

III. Quality Management

Mariwasa Siam Ceramics Incorporation is a ceramic tile manufacturer that was operating
under the ISO 9001:2000 which is a certification given to a company that operates under the
international standard of Quality Management System. Mariwasa is also an ISO Certified
number 13006 which is a certification that defines terms and establishes classifications,
characteristics and making requirements for Ceramic Tiles of the best commercial quality or
simply a certification for Ceramic Tiles Industry.

 The Dimensions of Quality

- Performance – Ceramic floor and wall tiles of the Mariwasa is use for the purpose of
giving additional appearance in a specific area in a place like home, office and etc.
- Aesthetics – Mariwasa has been known for their yearly ceramic tile innovation. Each
innovation that the Mariwasa introduced is based on the latest trend that the recent
generation want.
- Special Features – Ceramic wall and floor tiles that the MSCI offers have its special
features like their products are scratch free and more water resistant and their floor
tiles has a special feature which is the safety tile in term of anti-slip.
- Conformance – Mariwasa’s different product has a vast designs and colors that
respond in the trends today. In more than fifty years of producing, Mariwasa already
has the designs that most of the customers are looking for.
 - Reliability – The products that the Mariwasa are producing are reliable, it can be
used in different place, they have different products that the customers or a specific
entity needs.
- Durability – The tiles of Mariwasa are durable that it can last for atleast 10 years,
longer compared to other substandard tiles in the market.
- Perceived Quality – Mariwasa as a ceramic tile manufacturer has already build and
write its own name in the industry of ceramic tiles, they are known to be one of the
best and pioneer in producing ceramic tiles in quality and vast colors and designs.
- Consistency – MSCI’s products are guaranteed to be in a consistent quality even if
they are producing several products in high quantity they make sure that in the stage
of sorting each products are analyzed and inspected that it is 100% in high quality.

 The Determinants of Quality

- Quality Design – MSCI depend the designs of their products on what the market
asks. They are designing their product base on the research and observation and base
on the needs of the market.
- Quality of Conformance – Before applying the design to the process, Mariwasa use
the Computer Aided Design (CAD) where they are using the technology and see the
final output that they want in a form of three dimensional pictures. They also produce
prototypes where they are able to see how their design will perform when it was
already produced.
- Ease of Use - The description of each tile can be seen on their brochures that help the
customer to know which of the tiles are best for specific use.

 Quality Certification
- ISO 9001 – Mariwasa Siam Ceramics Incorporation has been operating since 2000
under the ISO certification number 9001 also known as the International Standard of
Quality Management System of a company.
- ISO 14001 – Mariwasa Siam Ceramics, Incorporation was operating under the ISO
certification number 14001 since 2004. This certification is awarded to a company
 that operates with the concern in the environment and has an outstanding
Environment Management System.
- OHSAS 18001 – Mariwasa is also recipient of OHSAS 18001 which is a certification
given to a company that has an outstanding health and safety management system.
MSCI received this award because of their health and safety management system in
the field of “Design and Manufacturer of Floor and Wall Tiles”.
- PNS/ISO 13006 – Mariwasa is also operating under the ISO certification number
13006 or also known as the Ceramic Tiles Industry of the best commercial Quality.
- ISO 10545-2 – Mariwasa was also operating under the ISO certification number
10545-2, a certification awarded in to a ceramic tile industry which was producing
qualitied products in terms of its dimension and surface quality.
- ISO 10545-3 – A certification awarded to the Mariwasa for the low level of water
absorption, modulus of rupture and breaking strength of their ceramic tiles.
- ISO 10545-7 – MSCI is also a ISO number 10545-7 certified which shows that the
products that they are producing are Abrasion Resistant or the capability of their
product to be an anti-scratch tiles.
- ISO 10545-11 – Mariwasa is also a certified under the ISO number 10545-11 or the
crazing resistance of a ceramic tile that a ceramic tile industry produced.
- ISO 10545-14 – An ISO certification about the resistance of a ceramic tiles when it
comes to the staining, that the Mariwasa had already acquired.
- ISO 10545-13 – A certification where in the manufactured ceramic tile that the
manufacturer had produced are in chemical resistant specifically the chemicals like
low concentrate acids, alkalis, high concentrate acids, household and swimming pool
salts.
 Quality Award
- Philippine Quality Award (PQA) – is the highest level of national recognition for
exemplary organizational performance. It aims to stimulate local companies and
organizations to improve quality and productivity for the pride of recognition while
obtaining a competitive edge and providing example to others. MSCI prides itself to
be first and only local ceramic tile manufacturer to receive such an award.
 - Seal of Quality – In 1999, Mariwasa Siam Ceramics, Incorporation became one of
the first ceramic tile manufacturers to receive the Seal of Quality from the Bureau of
Product Standards (BPS) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
 Total Quality Management (TQM)
- Continuous Improvement - To live for its “uncompromising quality”, Mariwasa
uses the philosophy that seeks to make never-ending improvements. They release tile
collections every year to catch up on consumers. They’re not just aiming for customer
satisfaction but also to meet and exceed their expectations.
- Employee Empowerment - Mariwasa encourages employee input for consistent
objectives. They give their workers the responsibility for improvements and the
authority to make changes to accomplish them provides motivation for employees.
- Team Approach – In terms of problem solving, Mariwasa is systematic and uses
teams to take advantage of group synergy and promotes a spirit of cooperation.
- Decisions Based on Facts rather than Opinions – Mariwasa’s management gathers
and analyzes data as a basis for decision making.
- Supplier Quality – Mariwasa knows the importance of suppliers included in the
quality assurance and quality improvement efforts because they give emphasis on
processes that are capable of delivering quality materials.
- Champion – Marwisa promotes the value and importance of TQM in their company.
- Suppliers - Mariwasa’s suppliers are also their partners in the process and they
encourage long-term relationship. They use locally sourced raw materials that came
from Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and even in Batangas which is where their
factory is located.

 Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle (PDSA)

- Plan - Mariwasa has a great strategic plan in order for them to anticipate the
upcoming decline phase for their product. For them to anticipate this decline phase of
the product life cycle they’ve decided to have a continuous innovation of their
product design every year.
 - Do – After a planning about how they can anticipate the decline phase they started to
introduce a yearly product design innovation year back 2012. This shows that from a
broad study and planning they are now on the “Do stage” in the PDSA Cycle.
- Study – After doing the planned strategy in order to prevent the decline phase the
Mariwasa studied the outcome of their plan for them to see how successful are their
plan is and how their customers responded on their yearly design innovation.
- Act – After the such study on their new plan on anticipating this decline phase they
see that it was successful and beneficial not only for their company but also to their
customers because, because of their yearly design innovation they can cope up to the
ever changing taste in design of their customers. As of now the Mariwasa are still on
innovating their designs yearly, their 2018 tile collection are now in its focal point or
at the peak of mass producing it because it was what their customers are looking for
now.

 Tests that Confirm the Superiority of Mariwasa’s Quality

- Test of Porosity - Mariwasa has quality tiles that have low water absorption. The
water does not penetrate on the tile’s surface maintaining its distinct color and design.
- Test of Durability - Mariwasa tiles have sufficient strength to withstand constant
pressure (1060.1N) or sudden impact.
- Test of Cleanability - Mariwasa tiles don’t absorb or have permanent marks from
common household stains.