Mountain Maid Training Center

Avellana, Jan Marvin

Carpio, Gem Nikki S.
1. Introduction
1.1 The Company
Mountain Maid Training Center is a food processing facility
established by the Religious of the Good Shepherd Convent. Established in
1994 as part of the Good Shepherd mission to provide livelihood to the poor
and marginalized locals, it is now known for its pasalubong products, among
these are fruit preserves; strawberry jam, ube jams, cashew and peanut
brittle. It is located at Gibraltar Road in Baguio City, Benguet, Philippines.
1.2 Significance
Mountain Maid Training Center (MMTC) produces quality products
for the people and visitors of Baguio City. Its best-selling products are its ube
jam (which comprise 50% of their total sales), strawberry jam and peanut
brittle. MMTC products are the top selling pasalubong in Baguio City, and are
even exported for sale outside of the city.
MMTC began as a small-scale venture and is now as a mediumscale enterprise with hundreds of employees and has achieved several
management awards.
1.3 Objectives
The main objective of MMTC is to train and provide livelihood to
students, out-of-school youth, and indigenous citizens of the Cordillera region.
The center uses the money generated from the sales of its products to fund
the charities sponsored by the Good Shepherd nuns and provide scholarships,
housing, as well as Philheath and SSS coverage to its student workers.
2. Manufacturing Processes
The center produces 32 different products each of which employ
several different processes in production. The ube production of the facility
was examined as it is the largest and most profitable operation.
2.1Process Flowchart Ube Production
Washing

Pressure
Cooking

Chopping/Peeli
ng

Mixing

Grinding

Filling and
Packaging

2.2Manufacturing Processes
2.2.1 Washing - Crates of ube are washed using a
large, high pressure hose
2.2.2 Chopping/Peeling The washed ube are
chopped and peeled by hand by workers
2.2.3 Grinding Ube is made into a paste using a
grinding machine
2.2.4 Pressure Cooking
- Ube is cooked in an
industrial pressure cooking system for 1 hour
2.2.5 Mixing The ube paste is mixed with other
ingredients using an industrial mixer
2.2.6 Filling/Packaging The ube is packaged by hand
sterilized glass container
2.3Equipment Specifications
MMTC uses the following equipment in processing ube:

Cooking Mixer
o Seven Castle brand
o 60 L capacity
Diesel Fired Boiler
o A.V.M. Bernardo Engineering, commissioned
o Rated efficiency over 90%
o 154 kg/h output
High Pressure Cooker
o A.V.M. Bernardo Engineering, commissioned
o 90 - 95 C working temperature
o 90 100 psi working pressure
Steam Retort Machine
o A.V.M. Bernardo Engineering, commissioned
o Carbon steel construction
o 6 basket capacity
Food Grinder

Fig 1. Diesel Fired Boiler

Fig 2. Retort Machine

2.4Operations, Control and Maintenance

The manufacturing process starts at 6 am and ends at 9 pm,
with a one hour lunch break. The facility is managed by a floor
manager who ensures the workers are keeping up with the daily quota
and attending to the needs of the workers. Each workers is required to
work a minimum of 3 days, with a shifting schedule.
The high pressure, high temperature steam set-up was
commissioned by MMTC in 2008 from food equipment manufacturers
A.V.M. Bernardo Engineering. The center has since employed two
engineers who perform daily inspection and maintenance of the
equipment.
3. Input Materials and Products
3.1Input
The raw ube is mainly obtained from the farms of Sablan,
Benguet, though the facility also acquires crop from Ilocos and from
Quezon Province, to meet with the output demands. The amount and
frequency of acquisition of ube largely depend on the season and the
demand. On average, the facility processes one to two tons of ube
daily. Wastage may occur from handling and storage.
3.2 Output
MMTC produces at least 5000 bottles of ube jam daily, or around
6000 during the peak months.
3.3 Efficiencies and Productivity
The facility currently employs 333 workers, the bulk of whom
perform the manual operations such as peeling and packaging.
The rate of manufacturing of ube jam is largely dependent of the
type of ube used. A bottleneck occurs during peeling when dry ube is
used as this type of ube is more difficult to peel. Other sources of
productivity loss include unaccounted absences and late delivery of
raw materials.
3.4 Environmental Considerations
The facility produces little to no industrial waste and the
emissions from their machines are mostly steam. The facility widely
promotes recycling, and their biodegradable wastes are used for
vermiculture and composting.

3.5 Safety
Safety is a priority at the MMTC. The working place maintains
proper lighting and ventilation. All workers are required to use proper
PPE such as overalls and gloves for washers, and aprons, face masks,
and sterile gloves for peelers and packers.
3.5 Costs and Profitability
MMTC earns an estimated 1,000,000 pesos annually from the
sales of their products. No data was acquired on the operational costs
of the facility, although the center claims the workers are paid the
national daily minimum wage.
4. Mechanical Engineering Significance of the Process and Equipment
Since its establishment, MMTC has developed from being a cottage
industry with labor intensive production, to having a sustainable, partially
mechanized production.
The sterilization process which used to be performed manually by
hosing hot water onto the glass jars, is now replaced by the steam immersion
in the retort machine. Stove-top pressure cookers are replaced by a large,
high pressure cookers which reduces cooking time by almost a quarter.
5. Sustainability and Improvements
The acquisition of the boiler and retort machine has greatly increased
the shelf life and quality of the products, hence, it is the centers priority to
acquire more of these equipment in the future.
6. Comparison to a State-of-the-Art Industry
The center might choose to acquire more equipment such as those
used by large-scale fruit processing company Profoods International Corp.,
makers of the Philippine Brand dried mango and Tampico juice products:

Peeling Floor: Waterless Peeler and Scrubber, Flat Belt Conveyor

Filling/Packaging Floor: Automated Filler and Sealer, Labeller

Note that Profoods is ISO certified in quality management, and

employs thousands of workers in its food processing floors, compared to
MMTCs medium-scale operations, thus it might not be beneficial for MMTC to
acquire these equipment unless there is a plan to increase output or
employment.

7. Conclusion and Recommendations

In terms of achieving its objectives, the MMTC has definitely
accomplished much in providing livelihood and assistance to its 333 workers.
Despite stating that it does not have plans for expansion, the MMTC has
steadily increased its workforce and its output since it acquired its machinery
in 2008. If the center chooses to acquire more high-end facilities, it may
further produce job opportunities for graduates and trainees of mechanical or
technical vocational courses.
8. References

[1] http://www.goodshepherdsisters.org.ph/mmtc
[2] http://www.goodshepherdsisters.org.ph/baguio-social-enterprise
[3]
http://www.pinasmuna.com/2013/10/price-list-of-good-shepherdproducts.html
[4] http://www.profoodcorp.com/company_profile