HomeAuthor: Arc Manufacturing

Author: Arc Manufacturing

ARC acquires new property, expands retail store

ARC Manufacturing Limited has acquired the 26,000-square foot property located at 14 Bell Road, which previously housed Starfish Oils Limited, adding to its 20-acre lumber treatment and construction material-producing plant.

The acquisition of the property, which took place last month, was financed from the company’s cash resources, Norman Horne, executive chairman, told the Jamaica Observer following a tour of the facility with a team from the NCB Financial Group led by Chairman Michael Lee-Chin.

“We’ll be using that area to build out and grow even greater our cement operation, and that includes storage of all the different sizes of cement bags,” Devon Brooks, the general manager responsible for commerce, disclosed.

Last year ARC Manufacturing entered into a five-year deal with Caribbean Cement Company Limited to distribute cement, extending an already existing 10-year arrangement. The new facility has been designated to store 250,000 bags of retail cement and 200-plus large bulk bags of the commodity.

So far, the company has renovated the space and removed the boundary walls that will create lateral access to the new property. There are no immediate plans for new, Brooks responded when asked.

He added that the adjoining space will resolve some logistics challenges the company faced with storage capacity and also accommodating delivery trucks.

“It will allow us to treat logistics aspects as it eases turnaround with our trucks, and so we can meet our customer demands even greater. As you can clearly see here that can become very cumbersome — a lot of traffic in that location,” Brooks pointed out.

“ARC is one of the only companies in Jamaica that boasts 24-hour delivery, and certainly a facility like that will allow us to even fulfil even shorter delivery expectations for our customers,” he continued.

The commercial manager is, however, expanding the cement distribution segment of the company boasting that ARC is Caribbean Cement Company’s largest customer in Jamaica.

In addition to the new property acquisition, Brooks also revealed that the company has expanded its retail space at the original Bell Road property.

“We are moving from 8,000 square feet to in excess of 30,000 square feet of warehouse space as well as floor store space. We are moving from an operation where we had over-the-counter to now a supermarket-style layout where persons can go and pick up the items from the shelf themselves,” he informed the Caribbean Business Report.

“And certainly with the new space we will be integrating new technology, new bar code system, where persons can easily identify and help themselves with easy scans and certainly we’re bringing our First World-type of feel to Three Miles,” he added.

When asked if ARC will introduce the same model to its Montego Bay location, Brooks noted that the immediate focus is to fine-tune the retail operation in Kingston. He added that the company’s focus at this time is organic and inorganic growth.

“And certainly you can grow by adding locations or you can grow by becoming even more efficient at how you distribute and how you get to your customers…We would have employed both those strategies in our growth so far. We would have acquired a new location and we would have gotten far more efficient in how we meet the customer’s need, so those continue to feature in our objectives going forward,” Brooks said.

Published by The Jamaica Observer.

ARC Poised for Growth

ARC Manufacturing will be turning to NCB Financial Group (NCBFG), its financial partner, for help to raise capital for a slate of new projects that it will embark on in the near future.

Executive chairman of ARC Manufacturing Norman Horne made the disclosure following a tour of the company’s approximately 20-acre property, where he guided a team from NCBFG led by Chairman Michael Lee-Chin.

“So, we do have three big projects on the drawing board that we’re working on. Massive projects! And we’re very excited about these projects. There are some discussions with Government, discussions with the bank, discussions with private equity,” he outlined.

While the ARC executive chairman did not provide specific details about the projects, he indicated that the ultimate goal was to create new products and possibly a new industry that will meet local demand while supplying to export customers.

“We have always focused on fungibility of raw material where we acquire a base raw material and we make multiple products from that raw material. So, that’s been a big part of our focus,” Horne told the Jamaica Observer.

“But there are some industries that Jamaica is not structurally organised to compete and there’s some industries where Jamaica can compete. So, we intend to bring an industry to Jamaica that will not only be able to satisfy the domestic market, but the greater part of it will be for export – and we’re targeting the United States,” he continued.

At present, ARC Manufacturing treats and cuts imported lumber for distribution to hardware outlets across Jamaica, as well produces nails, corrugated steel, zinc roofing, beams, and wire fencing. The company also sells wheelbarrows, dry wall and distributes cement for local producer Caribbean Cement Company.

Since 2007, ARC has enjoyed a borrowing relationship with National Commercial Bank of Jamaica (NCBJ), which has extended to a number of the financial institution’s sister companies offering solutions such as insurance, pensions, and trade financing.

That relationship has redounded to the expansion of ARC Manufacturing’s operation in the Bell Road and Spanish Town Road areas of St Andrew.

“NCB has been at the forefront of providing financing for ARC Manufacturing,” Horne said, describing ARC’s relationship with NCBFG as synergistic and comparing it to a “marriage”.

He noted, though, that his company has retired all of its debt financing arrangements with the financial group and is now benefiting from trade financing — factoring and reverse factoring — facilities.

When asked what type of financing ARC will need from NCBFG for its upcoming projects, Horne pointed out that a combination of solutions was being considered.

“I think that for this project, we’ll be looking to raise in private equity capital. So, it will be private equity in part, and some debt financing on the other hand. So, it will be a combination of both and corporate capital. So, there will be equity, debt financing, and also some level of private equity participation,” he revealed to the Caribbean Business Report.

ARC will be acquiring new real estate for expansion of the business that will come from the new projects. In fact, Horne shared that the company is now engaged in contract negotiations to acquire the seven-acre property that is based in the Corporate Area.

“We are in design phase of the plant, so that’s the second stage, and the third phase is that we are also in final negotiation for the acquisition of the machinery and equipment. So we’re ahead in this project,” the businessman said, adding that the end game of the project is to make Jamaica more competitive.

The company had previously informed the Caribbean Business Report, back in 2020, that it had plans to develop a property at Ferry Pen in St Andrew to improve the country’s competitiveness.

The executive chairman noted, however, that while the company has expanded into construction and property development, ARC will be more focused on its manufacturing business segment.

“For us, manufacturing requires some level of access to port, and so we want to be near port in these manufacturing processes, primarily because our interest is not 100 per cent domestic market. It’s more like satisfying domestic market, which we will be able to in terms of capacity and export [to the US and Caricom], to become net exporter of what we intend to develop,” he explained.

Published by The Jamaica Observer.

Design in Action Showcase

ARC Manufacturing Ltd spared no expense in feting customers and distinguished guests with a swanky affair on Friday, October 13. The company, which has been a Design Week collaborator since its inception, hosted the penultimate event of the Design Week Ja 2023 series in fine form, treating guests to an afternoon of decadent catering, cocktails and mellow vibes. 

It was the perfect end to a steamy week and a groovy start to the weekend. The event started with cocktails and conversation, inviting guests to network and relax before the start of the programme. CPJ provided a well-stocked bar, and DJ Chin Movements, an events production outfit, filled the spacious venue with all the right grooves.

The warehouse at 14 Bell Road, where the event took place, is relatively new and part of ARC Manufacturing’s move to modernise and expand its retail space.

Novlet Green, general manager of corporate affairs and governance at ARC Manufacturing, delivered the welcome ahead of blessings and prayer from Reverend Dr Stevenson Samuels. The company’s Executive Chairman Norman Horne was up next to deliver the main address.

In his speech, Horne told the story of how the company’s venture into the business-to-consumer retail space was at the behest of then Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, who was adamant that the company should not only be serving other businesses but her constituents as well. However, this is not the only way the company aims to serve its community.

According to Horne, “Employees are concerned about inflation. Prices are rising, and the major complaint is that salaries are not rising in tandem with prices. We adopted a philosophy here that we want to pay a fair wage for a fair day’s work, and so far, we have continued this practice, which has resulted in one of the highest blue-collar and white-collar employee salary packages in this industry.”

Horne, who has led the company for its 27 years of operation, went on to declare that ARC Manufacturing was fully invested in Jamaica. He also shared the company’s current expansion plan as well as his vision for the company and its role in the Jamaican manufacturing and distribution industry.

“Currently, we have the only treatment plant in Jamaica. For some time, we were the only nail manufacturer on the island. We have been the first in a lot of areas, so we are hoping to become the leaders in bringing other sectors to Jamaica, and we welcome other companies to join in,” he noted, adding that the competition would be good for the country, as well.

ARC Manufacturing is one of the leading manufacturers and distributors of premium-quality building materials in Jamaica. The company has also begun to expand its offerings and hopes to continue on this trend.

“For us, Design Week is an opportunity to share with the public how a company like ours — that is in the manufacturing side of things — interfaces with design in Jamaica. Most people will hear design and think fashion, and so on, but, for us, it goes beyond that. We do offer some products in the interior design space, and we’re looking to expand our product offering in that space, as well,” Horne said.

Apart from extending its product offering, Horne also revealed plans to open the new retail space on 14 Bell Road to interior designers and related businesses for a shared commercial experience.

After Design Week’s own Novia McDonald-Whyte gave her address on design conversations, patrons engaged in some light fun and games, with two winners walking away with goodies courtesy of ARC Manufacturing.

Closing statements were given by Neville Alexander, deputy general manager of manufacturing and property maintenance, and then, ending on a very high note, the company signed out with the Silver Birds Steel Orchestra. The performance was so good that one ARC Manufacturing employee couldn’t help but deliver an impromptu and admittedly well-executed dance performance.

The event presented the perfect setting for the company to engage with customers and provide a platform for networking. The catering experience, care of Mastered Meals by Whitley, juiced the palate for conversation, with everything from a colourful fruit and cheese display, a vegan option in the form of a spring roll served with pineapple mint chutney, and a dessert station offering strawberry panna cotta and double chocolate fudge gateau. The pasta station and the BBQ chicken satay were crowd favourites.

For the patrons, however, it was all about supporting ARC Manufacturing. One such patron, Mark Tucker of Northcoast Hardware and Supercentre, had nothing but high praises.

“The event was very informative. Design Week is something we need. I’m always here because I’m a big supporter of ARC Manufacturing. They feel like family. The customer service is great, and the prices don’t hurt, either. We started in 2008, and we’ve been growing with ARC over the years,” Tucker shared.

With all the excitement witnessed so far and, equally important, the dialogue and debate, Design Week Ja 2023 can proudly claim another successful season.

Published by The Jamaica Observer.

Championing a Greener Future

By fostering the growth of these trees, the building-materials company aims to promote climate change mitigation, ensure food security, and create good stewards of the environment. Dwayne Elliott, security supervisor, was captured planting a June plum tree at the Olympic Way-based institution as part of National Labour Day activities.

Published by the Jamaica Gleaner. 

ARC Manufacturing, a leading manufacturer of building materials in Jamaica has once again showcased its dedication to environmental sustainability, during its annual Labour Day activities at the Dupont Primary & Infant School. Under the theme “Plant a Tree for Life – Promoting Climate Change Mitigation, Food Security and Road Safety,” ARC’s employees planted a number of fruit and flowering trees to foster a greener future for the community.

This initiative aligns with the company’s commitment to environmental causes and its ongoing efforts to combat climate change. By fostering the growth of these trees, the manufacturing giant aims to promote climate change mitigation, ensure food security, and create good stewards of the environment. 

Additionally, the team undertook a much-needed renovation project by repainting the auditorium, providing the students at Dupont Primary & Infant School with a revitalized space for learning and creativity. Recognizing the importance of a conducive learning environment, the Bell Road residents took this opportunity to invest in the school’s infrastructure and support the holistic development of its students.

Novlet Green, General Manager of Corporate Affairs & Governance, expressed her pride in the company’s participation in this significant community-driven initiative, saying, “We firmly believe in nation-building through active community engagement. Our commitment to environmental causes is deeply rooted in our core values, and we are delighted to contribute to the greening of our community through the Labour Day activities at Dupont Primary & Infant School. We are dedicated to being good stewards of the environment and fostering sustainable practices for the betterment of future generations.”

Principal Andrew Rowe of Dupont Primary & Infant School commended the company’s invaluable support and stated, “We are extremely grateful to ARC for their unwavering commitment to our school and community. The tree-planting project and the auditorium renovation will have a profound impact on our students’ learning experience.” 

“ARC’s efforts reflect their genuine concern for the environment and their dedication to investing in education. We look forward to nurturing the planted trees and utilizing the refreshed auditorium to provide our students with an enhanced educational environment,” he continued. 

Through these initiatives, the ISO-certified company continues to be a beacon of corporate responsibility and a driving force in fostering positive change within its local communities.

ARC is a premier manufacturer of building materials known for its commitment to quality, innovation, and sustainability. With a diverse range of products and a focus on customer satisfaction, ARC continues to be a leader in its industry. The company places great importance on its community outreach efforts and actively supports initiatives that promote education, environmental sustainability, and social welfare.

University Students Inspired by ARC’s Journey

Chairman, Norman Horne, recently made a presentation to students from the University of Technology about the power of passion in entrepreneurship to solidify its commitment to youth development and education, during the company’s participation at Expo Jamaica. 

School of Business Administration Lecturer Anthony Townsend (l) and Joint Colleges of Medicine Oral Health, and Veterinary Services fourth year student, Georgina Hayles (c) listens attentively as Executive Chairman, Norman Horne (r) shared valuable insight into his journey as an entrepreneur.

Horne’s presentation focused on the role of passion in driving success, and he shared his personal experiences in turning his passion for building materials into a thriving business. He encouraged the students to “follow your passions and persevere through the challenges of entrepreneurship. When you are passionate about something, it drives you to pursue it with a level of dedication that propels you to success. You have to be willing to invest your time and resources, work hard, and never give up until you achieve your goals.”

“As business leaders, we have a responsibility to invest in the education and development of our youth. By doing so, we are not only building the future of Jamaica, but we are also ensuring that our businesses have a strong foundation of skilled and talented individuals who will drive growth and innovation in the years to come,” he continued. 

ARC’s presentation came as part of a series of talks hosted by the manufacturing giant, aimed at inspiring and motivating young people to pursue entrepreneurship as a career. It previously hosted 15 girls at the Montego Bay Home for Girls during a Lunch & Learn session and is expected to continue this trend by improving the quality of education afforded to students across Jamaica. 

With locations in Kingston and Montego Bay, the ISO-certified company manufacturers zinc, roofing tiles and accessories, chainlink fencing, barbed wire, nails, purlin, quarter wire, fabric mesh, binding wire and operates the only Lumber treatment facility in the English-speaking Caribbean. It also boasts a wide distribution of building materials such as h-beams, rebars, cement, concrete blocks, paints, and a myriad of retail items – ideal for your residential, commercially and industrial construction projects.

Published by OUR Today.  

Girls Home Benefit from ARC’s Lunch & Learn Initiative

To commemorate International Women’s Day, ARC Manufacturing Limited catered to ten (10) young ladies during its Lunch & Learn session at the Montego Bay Community Home for Girls in Irwin, St. James recently. The interactive session successfully boosted self-confidence, introduced self-care practices, and provided solutions to assist girls with achieving their goals. 

L-R: Yvette Mahoney, Operations Manager at the facility is all smiles as she received a donation of food and personal care supplies from Sophia Harris, Branch Manager – Montego Bay, following her presentation. ARC’s primary location is 14 Bell Road, Kingston 11; however, the manufacturing giant also operates a sales office, retail store, and distribution hub in Ironshore, Montego Bay.