RIDGID Club: Upgrading tools and skills for property boom

There is a massive construction boom in the Philippines; many of the projects are of a grand scale, and need to be completed within often impossible timeframes. These factors contribute to making upgrades in the capabilities of contractors, both in terms of equipment and skills absolutely vital.  This is why RIDGID, a manufacturer of innovative tools for professional artisans and contractors formed RIDGID Club Philippines, the first club its kind in the region. 

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the total number of construction projects just between April and June of 2018, was 29,060 residential, 5,644 non-residential, 1,511 upgrades to existing structures, and 3,697 alterations and repairs.  These overwhelming numbers are why builders and contractors are looking for new methods and technologies to improve productivity, efficiency and profitability. 

But even when new tools completely improve the way an old practice is done, people still need to be trained in the new method, even if it is far easier.  Such is the case with RIDGID’s premium tools, the new procedures are often significantly different from anything that came before them.  

That is why RIDGID Club held its annual sports fest for the second time in as many years, to offer new training with new tools and new methods, and to make that training fun.  The event was done on a Saturday, at the Quest Adventure Camp, well outside of Metro Manila, and only a trophy and bragging rights were at stake.  Despite these, it was well attended and enthusiastically participated in by Those Who Know, a.k.a. members of RIDGID Club; professionals with a real desire to improve.

RIDGID Head Training Officer in the Philippines Mr. Joel Matosiños explains: “Many came to see the FlexShaft drain cleaning machine for the first time.  Unlike previous models that use an exposed, spinning shaft, the FlexShaft’s cable is insulated, this means that it can be operated side by side with a camera when de clogging.”  

A lot of renovation work involves massive drain pipe de clogging.  This the first time that the technology is available in the Philippines to actually visually pinpoint a clog in a deeply embedded pipe, and then to deploy a solution that allows a plumbing contractor to see the clog being solved.  Previous conventional methods relied on flailing blindly with brute force.  RIDGID’s methods take hours off dealing with difficult clogs.  

At the sports fest, obstacle course challenges were mixed with tool proficiency challenges.  Aside from using the FlexShaft machine, participants got to test their skills using RIDGID’s locator tools, and electrical tools.  Many of these offer capabilities no other brand available in the Philippines can deliver.

“The objective of our activities is the help our members appreciate how RIDGID helps them perform the work that they do every day, by providing the highest quality tools; tools that make them more productive, safer and that are unbeatably durable.”  says RIDGID’s Marketing Leader, Ivy Santos, whose idea RIDGID Club was.