Tank-Weld Metals has sealed a 10-year agreement with an international company to start supplying cement to the Jamaican market as early as February next year.

The long-term agreement, which was being negotiated for two months, was signed on Friday between Tank-Weld and Vulcan Materials, a United States-based company.

"They are a reputable company that produces high-quality cement," Chris Bicknell, chief executive officer of Tank-Weld told The Sunday Gleaner.

According to Bicknell, who recently took home the Gleaner Honour Award in the category of business, for his company, the addition of cement to the Tank-Weld group products would provide an alternative for the construction industry.

Reduces supply crisis

"This is important for Jamaica's construction industry as it reduces the risk of national supply crisis," Bicknell said.

"Our cement will also be offered at a competitive price," he added.

The product, Tank-Weld explains, is a Portland-Slag cement. It is a chemically consistent cement which yields higher seven-day and 28-day strengths.

"With this consistency in quality, the user may not need the additional buffer of cement (sometimes by as much as 15-20 per cent) in order to ensure desired concrete strength, as they currently do," the company said in a press statement. Portland-Slag cement also enhances brightness and lightness in the colour of the finished concrete.

The cement would be imported monthly into the island through Tank-Weld's newly built $4-billion Rio Bueno port in Trelawny.

Additional employment

This would see the distribution of the cement mainly concentrated in the northern section of the island. The multibillion-dollar investment in the new facility has also provided additional employment to people in the town of Rio Bueno and surrounding communities.

According to Bicknell, the strategic move to concentrate the distribution of the cement in the northern end of the island would help reduce transportation cost, lessen wear and tear on the island's roads and spare motorists the nuisance experienced by heavy-duty trailers transporting cement from Kingston to the northern parishes.

Bicknell noted that quality and customer service were the focus of Tank-Weld, adding that the company has invested heavily in proper warehouses to ensure efficient service delivery.