Dragon Edge Group is facing a fresh set of challenges due to COVID-19. Demand for ‘Beach Hut Sunblock,’ made by one of its companies, Naturale Labs, has plummeted with social distancing and quarantine restrictions in place across the Philippines.
Instead of sitting back and waiting for things to return to normal, Dragon Edge Group decided to turn a negative into a positive. “We realised that the hospitals and a lot of Filipinos are in need right now of disinfecting sprays of rubbing alcohol,” Dennis Balajadia, CEO & Founder, told NetSuite’s Tom Hansford in a Zoom interview. “We checked our warehouse and our raw materials, and we can actually create it.”
Make Spray While the Sun Shines
Balajadia quickly set his team to work. “We decided to create a limited edition, all for donation, disinfecting spray.” Unified in its mission, everyone at Dragon Edge Group rallied together. “Our team was able to do it in record time,” he said. “We were able to bring it to market in 11 days.”
The business has distributed bottles of anti-bacterial spray to employees, hospitals, nonprofit organisations and frontline responders. What started as a self-proclaimed ‘crazy idea’, quickly galvanised the team, bringing everyone at the organisation together.
“I think people really want to help,” he said. “If you make them part of something meaningful.”
People Factor
From employees to manufacturing to label suppliers, everyone involved went above and beyond to help produce the anti-bacterial spray, leading Balajadia to reflect on the impact of the pandemic. “This virus can bring us down, or it can bring us up and closer together,” he said.
The incredible 11-day turnaround has set a new standard for the business. In the past, a three-month time frame for producing a new product was considered fast. This experience has proved what can be achieved when everyone believes in a shared goal.
“We are now in a different way of thinking that we can actually do the impossible,” he said. “We just did it in 11 days and in quarantine. We now have a different mindset.”
Watch the interview with Hansford and discover more about this inspiring story.
To find out more about Dragon Edge Group and its products, go to the company website.