September 16, 2008

Local contractors, engineers and other construction players received valuable information on proper procedures for cement use, when Arawak Cement Company hosted a Concrete Seminar entitled ‘Building with Integrity’ at the Colony Club Hotel in September.

The featured speaker, Danny Jairam, a concrete technologist with Trinidadian company, Eternoc Limited, discussed various topics including, ‘Threats to structures in the Caribbean’, ‘What extends the life of a structure’, ‘Processes and Practices used in Construction’ and Cracking and Joint Control’.

“This seminar is an initiative of the TCL Group and is geared towards sensitizing local and regional construction practitioners on using cement wisely and ways of providing the best quality work through the correct procedures.

“It is aimed at promoting better construction practices while bringing the practitioners in the industry up to speed on some of the procedures they may be executing incorrectly or the ones that they need to be doing differently, in order to benefit from the various products they use,” Jairam said.

Rupert Greene, Arawak Cement’s General Manager, explained that all the subsidiaries of the TCL Group were hosting similar seminars in their respective territories with another one planned for Barbados in the first quarter of 2009.

“The TCL Group and by extension, Arawak Cement, is demonstrating with the hosting of such initiatives that it is not just about selling cement for us.  We also want to ensure that our customers are getting value for their money and using the product correctly to provide the best quality structures that will stand-up to the various elements associated with the tropical environment in which we live,” he said.

Gabrielle Aché, Arawak Cement’s Marketing Manager, who organized the seminar, added: “Arawak Cement Company is pleased to offer these seminars as part of their Customer Service package to various segments of the construction sector. We see it as an opportunity for associated entities to learn from experienced technologists and from each other as they seek to build with integrity in every step of the building process. We look forward to hosting our next seminar in early 2009 and for the continued support of our partners and stakeholders.”

The seminar, which also featured a presentation by Patrick Newton, Arawak Cement’s quality control engineer, was attended by representatives from various companies across the island including ADC Building and Maintenance Ltd., Alves' Construction Ltd. Axis Construction, Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation, Barbados Investment and Development Corporation and Barbados Lumber Company Ltd.

Cementum Inc., Jada Group, Miakon Construction Inc. National Housing Corporation, Premix and Precast Ltd. Ready Mix and Ready Block, Steve's Building Works Ltd., Tucker Johnston Construction Ltd., Carter and Company Limited, Marshall Trading, K.Js Holdings Inc., Rayside along with the Ministry of Transport, Works and International Transport and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Commerce were also represented.

Some of the participants in the ‘Building with Integrity’ cement seminar hosted by Arawak Cement .