History of MESCO
September 1, 1956
Front Row: Vicente Lee, Mercedes Lee, Peter Lee
In 1956, a young entrepreneur named Peter N. Lee had a vision of an industrialized nation. The Second World War was over and the country had only begun to rebuild. Together with his wife, Mercy, they founded the Manufacturers’ Equipment and Supply Co. (MESCO) out of a small apartment in Manila.
By day, it had offices and machine displays. At night, it was Peter and Mercy’s home.
Six months after they started, Peter traveled to Germany to learn about manufacturing technology. It was his goal to discover applicable technology abroad and bring them back to the Philippines. Peter visited machine shows and impressed the suppliers he met there. He came home as the exclusive distributor of Schuler Presses in the Philippines.
MESCO in the 1960s
True to Peter’s pioneering spirit, MESCO was the first to introduce several significant technologies into the Philippines. The staff also increased in size and the company moved offices as business grew more successful.
Mockup of what would become mesco's current headquarters
In 1965, the company began construction on its new home in Pasig City, Metro Manila. The facility now houses offices, a display center, a manufacturing shop, training spaces, and service warehouses.
In 1973, MESCO was incorporated to MESCO, Inc.
President, Operator, Teacher
MESCO was run by a man who was passionate about the products. Peter knew how to operate every machine on the shop floor.
“Learning is continuous. The day you stop learning is the day you die.”
But his true passion was teaching. MESCO’s employees today are familiar with his favorite saying, “Learning is continuous. The day you stop learning is the day you die.” Peter loved to train his staff, often staying after hours to show them techniques he himself learned. The service team also practiced on the machines to develop expertise in the technology in order to pass on the know-how to their customers. Soon, MESCO began regularly sending its technical and sales people abroad for training.
The first CNC machine tool in the Philippines
In 1973, MESCO introduced the first CNC machine tool in the Philippines. The local market had never before seen this kind of advanced technology. In fact, they were afraid of it.
One of the first of many in-house exhibitions that mesco would host
MESCO held press conferences on new manufacturing trends. They offered training seminars and demonstrations. MESCO also sponsored information sessions for engineering groups in the country, including the Society for Manufacturing Engineers.
MESCO also maintained a wide range of demonstration machines under actual production conditions. Before the customer purchases a machine, MESCO engineers will produce the customer’s part on an identical or similar machine. This way, the client can verify the machine’s accuracy, time its productivity and calculate its economy.
The many firsts for MESCO and the Philippines
In the following years, MESCO successfully brought in more important firsts: the CNC milling machine, CMM, vertical machining center, CNC lathe, among many others. The very same QuickTurn 10 CNC lathe that Peter Lee brought in 1984 is now on display in the lobby of the MESCO building as a tribute to his visionary force.
The very first mazak cnc lathe in the philippines, brought in by peter lee during his 50th birthday
By the 1980’s, MESCO had already been actively participating in exhibitions. Soon, they started holding in-house shows. The warehouse transformed into a showroom where local companies and groups in the industry came to learn about the newest machines on display. The attendance at these shows was overwhelming.
August 30, 2004
Sadly, Peter would not be able to witness his company reach its 50th golden anniversary as he passes away peacefully on August 30, 2004. Despite this loss, MESCO continues on, helmed by Peter's son, Allen. Under his leadership, MESCO has become the leader in the Metalworking Industry and Machine Tool Technology in the Philippines.
October 2006
MESCO's 50th anniversary open house show at its main office in pasig, philippines
It is part of MESCO’s mission to continuously invest in resources to promote their suppliers’ products. In October 2006, MESCO completed construction of the new Technology Center. This exhibition and training space covers over 1000 square meters and accommodates more than 30 machine tools and equipment. It will be used to showcase suppliers’ products and demonstrate the latest technologies.
2014 onwards
With over 200 employees working in the company, it was time to move to a larger office. On October 28, 2014, MESCO purchased a 2.4 hectare property from Kito Philippines, with the intention of transferring its operations within three years.
signing of contracts