Caribbean Cement Co inaugurates new packing equipment

Jamaica's Caribbean Cement Co has inaugurated a new palletising machine at its Rockfort plant to reduce manual packing. The FLSmidth Ventomatic Polimat palletiser is one of two new packing machines acquired by the company and while one machine is already up and running, the commissioning of the second is already underway.

"Our production capacity, as of today, with only this new palletiser, is now more than 100 per cent of the total Jamaican market. We are able to, right now before installing the second palletiser, comfortably supply the whole Jamaican market. The implementation of the second palletiser will take us to a next level — maybe soon we can begin exporting to other countries," said Yagan Castro, general manager.

The company has already invested over US$50m over the past three years in an effort to increase capacity and begin targeting export markets.

"Let us not forget that, for far too long, we have not been exporting to the Caribbean. It is time to turn things around, so that there are more Jamaican products in the 15-member Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME)," said Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Audley Shaw.