Rommel Juan, CEO of MD Juan, asked if I’d publish this press release about the company’s experience at this year’s 2013 Willys Spring Reunion.

This picture is used courtesy of the CJ-3B Page. Left to right is Bob Christy, Rommel Juan, Bob Westerman, and Keith Buckey.

Jeep body builder meets the jeep community in the USA

Nothing beats the thrill and excitement of being with people who share your passion and love for jeeps. These were the feelings of Rommel Juan, chief executive officer of MD Juan Enterprises, the Philippine-based manufacturer of replacement jeep bodies and parts as he shared lots of light moments with fellow jeep enthusiasts in a recent jeepers reunion.

For the first time, MD Juan Enterprises was recently invited to attend and make a technical presentation at the 21st Annual Spring Midwest Willys Jeep Reunion last May 17-19, 2013 at the Clarion Inn and Convention Center at Hudson, Ohio, USA.

This photo is published courtesy of the CJ-3B Page.

“This is the first time that we have attended a reunion of civilian jeep enthusiasts of this magnitude. Over 100 restored civilian jeeps were on exhibit and we were pleasantly surprised when seven of them approached us to show us their jeeps restored using our body tubs and parts. One of them, Dave, even proudly exhibited right beside our booth his vintage Willys MB jeep that was restored using an MD Juan body tub”, he says.

“We were also here to show the jeepers who are in the various jeep fora the improvements that we have done on our products as a result of their suggestions. They tell us what is wrong with our products, we validate then implement. Another good thing that came out of our joining and interacting with them is that we get suggestions on new products that we could possibly develop for the jeep restoration industry. We have thus come to extend our gratitude to these guys”.

MD Juan, through one of its dealers, Daryl Bensinger, also exhibited an improved version of the CJ2A master kit incorporating all of the product improvements resulting from the interaction. It also showcased in its booth some civilian jeep parts and accessories, including a Mini Jeep that was immediately bought.

In the afternoon, Rommel and MD Juan Deputy GM Bong Cruz delivered a presentation to an SRO crowd, with a few even unable to get into the tightly-packed room. Rommel presented a video about MD Juan since its founding by his grandfather Maximino D. Juan in 1967. Bong made a technical presentation on the various product improvements done and new products developed since the last five months that Rommel has joined the various jeep fora.

“We are happy that through this reunion, we were given an opportunity to introduce our company to our end-users. We realized our importance in the jeep restoration market when we saw our jeep bodies and parts actually used in preserving the heritage of the jeep. This inspires us even more to continue improving our products and developing new ones”, says Bong after the presentation.

Rommel adds that they were privileged to have learned from the unbelievably knowledgeable people at the CJ2A forum. “On the other hand, they were amazed at the extent of our production capabilities and the scale by which we were doling it back home. They learned that we have professionals running our company and that our production equipment and facilities are relatively high-technology. But what delighted us even more was that they were very willing to give us samples of parts that we can reverse engineer and develop”.

“From our end, we learned a lot from the show in terms of how to further improve our tubs and what else the market is asking for. All in all, we had a lot of fun and we look forward to the next Willys Jeep Reunion”, he concludes.