Jamaican cement maker Caribbean Cement’s (CCC) newly created Carib Cement Plus already accounts for 74 per cent of company production, The Jamaica Observer quoted CCC general manager Anthony Haynes as saying. The company had anticipated Carib Cement Plus to represent about 10 per cent of overall production levels, "but it definitely exceeded our expectations - it has almost completely taken over the market," he said.
To make the new product, CCC has replaced clinker with a volcanic pozollan and by replacing it CCC has been able to effectively keep cement prices the same as December 2003 levels in US dollars, Haynes added. Using pozollan in the cement-making process also reportedly increases concrete’s durability in harsh environments. Carib Cement Plus is a result of the company’s first phase of its US$100m upgrade program.
Cement sales in Jamaica came to about 862,000t in 2004. Demand is expected to grow some eight per cent annually for the next five years. Caribbean Cement is part of the TCL Group, the leading producer of cement and ready-mix products in the Caribbean, consisting of seven operating companies in Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica and Anguilla.
