ENGINEERING A BUSINESS
The success story of Tamsons Enterprises, Inc.
By: Terence Repelente (Philippine Panorama)
Tamsons Enterprises, Inc. president Nelson U. Lee feels nothing but pure happiness and satisfaction for his company, which is celebrating its 50 years in the business. Tamsons is a major supplier of the Philippines’ top DIY outlets. The exclusive distributor of a wide range of world-renowned products from USA, Europe, Japan, Australia, and other Asian countries. In an exclusive interview with the Philippine Panorama, which shares Tamsons joy in celebrating its 50th anniversary, Nelson remembers the company’s humble beginnings.
Tamsons Enterprises was established in 1968 renting a small room on the third floor of Singson Building, Plaza Moraga, Binondo Manila.
The first product that Tamsons introduced was the Fischer wall plugs from Germany. At the beginning nobody wanted to buy it because it was expensive and Nelson almost gave it up until National Artist Leandro Locsin appreciated the product. When he designed the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), he specified the Fischer wall plugs. He even asked Nelson to airfreight from Germany since Tamsons stock is limited at the time.
Even after Locsin used the wall plugs for the construction of the CCP, according to Nelson, sales still wasn’t high enough to sustain the business. What really changed the game was TOX Dubel wall plugs, also from Germany but much cheaper. The company marketed it so successfully that today, if you hear TOX, you’ll immediately think of wall plugs.
After TOX, Tamsons introduced the Fluidmaster toilet tank fittings from the US, Cherry blind rivets from Australia, roofing screws known as Tekscrew also from Australia, Watertec polymer faucets from Malaysia, Victory bidet also from Malaysia.
All these products are innovative and convenient, allowing users to save a lot of time yet are much more effective. Unfortunately, these products are neither known nor available in the Philippines before Nelson introduced them to the Philippines.
Nelson graduated valedictorian at the Philippine Chinese High School now know as Philippine Cultural College. He went to college at Mapua Institute of Technology as a full scholar, where he took up Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.
“I graduated as a silver medalist, the No. 2 top graduate, “he says. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t take the board because I was still a Chinese citizen. I took the board after two years, when I was already a Filipino citizen. Around that time, I was being offered a scholarship in the US, at Stanford, but I couldn’t leave the country because I was just applying for the citizenship. The law didn’t allow that.”
It was a destiny, maybe. But Nelson eventually decided not to pursue engineering, sort of. “When I resigned from the company that I worked with, Southern Products Import and Export Company, I chose to be a businessman instead, “ he says. “If you’re an engineer, you’ll always be an employee. But if you’re a businessman, you’re the boss, you’re the business.”
Tamsons started as a family business. The name, Tamsons, was from his father, Lee Tam. “It was a family business with my brothers,“he said. “But they eventually set up their own businesses, too.”
In celebrating his company’s 50th year, Nelson wishes nothing but more growth. “We started with only one employee in a cramped room. Now I own the entire building through a real estate company that I set up. We have grown. We were able to employ hundreds of people. This company is not just mine, it’s ours. It belongs to the employees, too. And what we hope for is for it to be able to reach 100 years and more,” he says. “We have to keep on moving ahead. We have to bring in new products, competitive, quality, and innovative ones. We should not be stagnant. Seeing the business grow is a satisfaction in itself. It’s ready an accomplishment.”
