Caribbean: Rock Hard Cement starts exporting

Rock Hard cement company has is about to enter markets outside of its homebase of Barbados. Eight months ago it was experiencing a difficult time exporting, but it can now compete in other Carribean markets.

Chief Executive Chairman, Mark Maloney, said a ship off-loaded cement in Barbados last week, and would proceed to St Lucia before heading to St Vincent and the Grenadines and Guyana.

In addition, Rock Hard cement could soon be available in another three countries. "Rock Hard Cement is also looking to work with distributors in Grenada, Dominica and Antigua as well as in markets further north in the coming months," the businessman said.

Mr Maloney had told Barbados Today in April last year the company was setting up a facility in Trinidad and Tobago, with plans to distribute the product to other territories including Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, Suriname, the eastern Caribbean, the French-speaking nations and South America.

The battle for control of the cement market here intensified last August with Rock Hard firmly defending the quality of its product in the face of allegations that it was misleading consumers.

In a statement announcing Rock Hard’s expansion into new markets, he said the company continued to see "a good response" for its product, pointing out that since its entrance here in November 2015, the product has been “well received” and was  "also doing well" in Trinidad and Tobago.

In addition to new markets, Mr Maloney announced improvements to the packaging of the product, pointing to a change from polypropylene cement bags to Kraft three-ply cement bags and plastic later bags, "to ensure that the product is delivered to the customers with the best packaging."