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Tag: ARC Manufacturing Limited

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 Paints Smiles at My Father’s House

Residents of My Father’s House compound of the Mustard Seed Communities are in for a bright Christmas following ARC Manufacturing Limited’s donation of paint and supplies to refurbish four of the facility’s dorms. Making the presentation, Sherlette Holness, senior manager, Projects & Retail Sales (centre), was joined by Mustard Seed’s Camille Bromfield, senior supervisor (left), and Ezlyn Mckenzie, administrator (right) during the handover.

Published by The Jamaica Gleaner.

Time to Build!

Following record high building material prices due to lumber shortages in July 2020 and plywood shortages earlier this year, homeowners are being told that now is a good time to start building again as prices have started to normalise.

Managing director at Arc Manufacturing Deanall Barnes told the Jamaica Observer the market is now adequately supplied with building materials. In addition to that, he highlighted that prices have already started to trend downward which should make these items more affordable for the average Jamaican.

“There’s a slowdown in China which has made more steel available for export which is increasing global competition and dragging down steel prices.” Barnes revealed that steel prices are down 10 per cent, form-ply down 15 per cent and lumber products down 12 per cent.

With that said the building materials company is reporting that sales are up, in line with the construction boom. Last week the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) reported that the construction industry continued its year-long growth trend with an uptick of 1.7 per cent for the July to September quarter.

Barnes said that based on research “there was a significant uptick [in construction] from Jamaicans in the diaspora.” He added that further discussions with financiers also revealed that there’s an increase in the demand for mortgage from persons in the diaspora.

“Those who did not have any form of property started looking to buy property in Jamaica and these property range in terms of prices from US$70,000 to as high as US$1.5 million. In addition to that, there are some persons who owned the land itself but there was no building on it, they started construction and when we had a discussion with the hardware owners they said there were persons who started and stopped and have now restarted.”

Barnes stressed that the major developments like high-rise apartments and road constructions do not impact his revenues as much as domestic construction. He described domestic construction as homeowners adding an additional room or retrofitting existing structures to accommodate the work from home lifestyle.

He said those activities, which constitute the core of the construction industry ,“has remained relatively healthy over the last 15 months.”

At the same time, he’s urging the Government to follow through on its commitment to increase the housing stock in Jamaica which will provide another added boost.

“We know to a large extent that the Government has not even achieved 30 per cent of its target to build 70,000 homes as yet. So we expect that the Government will push, through its agencies, whether the NHT (National Housing Trust) or the HAJ (Housing Agency of Jamaica), to try and get these numbers up and once the Government is firm on its path, then we are very confident that there will be a buoyancy in the industry despite the headwinds.”

At the same time, he is demanding that the Government find a way to remove red tape from the building approval process. He said removing red tape will provide a well-needed boost for construction workers who are left without an income while the approval process is being drawn out.

“There’s still an issue based on the discussions that we’ve had with some of the major developers in the country that the bureaucracy is still holding back the timeline in which projects are approved, and that lag in itself has caused negative impact on our industry.”

Another obstacle, he argued, is the Bank of Jamaica’s (BOJ) decision to increase its indicative monetary policy interest rate.

“The increase in interest rates by the BOJ although we understand it from the perspective of trying to manage inflation, there are some immediate deleterious consequences. Most, if not all, financial institutions are going to increase the rates charged to customers, so mortgage rates might go up as well as general loan rates so that can have a negative impact on the growth or continued boom.”

Nevertheless, he maintains that there’s hope on the horizon. “We are cautiously optimistic. There are some projects that have started which we expect to continue.”

Published by The Jamaica Observer.

ARC Employees Benefit from Defensive Driving Training

 As road fatalities continue to rise, ARC Manufacturing engaged Grennel’s Driving School to train a number of its transportation team members in defensive driving. 

The globally recognised National Safety Council’s Defensive Driving Course (NSC DDC) exposed drivers to numerous best-practise techniques, including defensive driving, preventative collision, pedestrian safety, hazard recognition, and vehicle maintenance.

The manufacturing company’s proactive approach to road safety will help its employees to anticipate driving errors of others, hazardous situations and support good decision-making strategies for safe driving.

ARC’s driver Steven Wright commented, “though I have been driving for almost two decades, the training highlighted areas I was never exposed to until now. It goes to show that you can never be too old to learn something new.”

In addition to its diverse portfolio of building materials, ISO 9001:2015 certified-ARC maintains its growth by supporting the development of staff at all levels throughout the business. This strengthens its talent pool and creates opportunities for workers to increase their earning potential.

Arc’s General Manager – Operations and Transportation Logistics, Yvonne Dacres said being able to recognise possible hazards and effectively respond promptly is a necessary skill that goes a far way in reducing road incidents.

“Ensuring the well-being of our team members and the communities we serve is a top priority, and that starts by creating a strong culture of safety,” she explained. “So with these fundamental defensive driving skills, our drivers can make better decisions in real-life situations to create a safer environment for everyone, both inside and outside the vehicle.”

ARC Manufacturing owns and operates one of the most modern lumber treatment facilities in the region. It employs over 300 people.

Published by Loop News.

Making a Way for Aspiring Dentist

Dupont Primary’s top PEP performer is on her way to achieving her dreams of becoming a dentist following ARC Manufacturing’s contribution to offset tuition and book expenses for the new academic year. Lakaica Greenland (centre) was joined by her mother, Jamila Persad (right), during the presentation from general manager – operations & transportation logistics, Yvonne Dacres (left).

Published by the Jamaica Gleaner.

Naedria Dyer – The Woman in Charge

GROWING up in Bull Savannah, St Elizabeth, Naedria Dyer’s goal was to become a teacher, but her life took an unexpected turn when she began her first job as a customer service representative at ARC Manufacturing Limited. The St Elizabeth native was determined to make her mark in the male-dominated field, which led to a career spanning roles in the commercial, credit and human resources arenas while in the big city.

Now the head of the company’s Montego Bay branch, Dyer’s journey to the top was no easy feat. She traded in her stilettos for steel-toed boots, and defied all odds to become a respected leader in the building materials industry.

Published by the Jamaica Observer.

ARC Recognizes 22 of its Machine Operators

ARC Manufacturing Limited recognized 22 of the company’s technical employees at its Bell Road office recently. These employees were certified as Machine Operators under the HEART TRUST NSTA’s Workforce Certification Programme, after completing over 126 hours of training and assessments.

Rian Forbes, one of the 22 certified employees, stated, “I am always open to opportunities where I can grow and influence my peers, so I am happy I got the chance to participate in the programme. As challenging as it was, it was worth it.”

The ISO 9001:2015 certified company believes its staff is one of its most important stakeholders and, therefore, is committed to consistently investing in their professional development. This will add value, not only to employees but also to the company.

During his address to the honourees, Acting Director Business Development and Workforce Solutions at the HEART TRUST NSTA, Marlon Johnson highlighted the significance of their certification, before encouraging the group to continue with their educational pursuits and upward mobility.

“The certificate you hold separates you from the average individual, so be proud of yourselves. You can go anywhere in the world to show that you are trained and certified as Machine Operators. Your certificate is yours for life because you put in the work, and no one can take that from you.”

Over the years, the building materials specialist has successfully partnered with the HEART TRUST NTSA to train its employees in various disciplines, such as customer service, forklift operating, and machine operating. The company plans to continue this important partnership into the future.

ARC Manufacturing is a leading manufacturer and distributor of building materials in Jamaica. They are the employer of choice for over two hundred and fifty (250) individuals, with the majority of its employees residing in the surrounding communities.