Business View Caribbean
5
With the advent of ISCOTT,
the state owned iron and
steel company that used
iron ore to produce billet,
wire rod, and rebar in coil,
Jack established CENTRIN
(Central Trinidad Steel), an
integrated rolling mill spe-
cializing in re-bar and mer-
chant bars such as angles,
flats and squares. The year
was 1983, and the Dansteel
Group of Companies was
now regional and extra -re-
gional manufacturers and
exporters of steel and wire
products to the Caribbean,
North American, and Central
American Markets.
Unfortunately, the elder Ra-
moutarsingh soon ran into
difficulties because of a
global downturn, a reces-
sion, and the foreclosure of
the state-owned, sole, raw
material producer, ISCOTT.
Raw material procurement
became a challenge and
protectionist policies that
favored ISPATT, the new
supplier, caused a 50 per-
cent spike in the price of lo-
cally supplied steel, thereby
making his manufactured
products uncompetitive in
the world marketplace. He
spent ten years in court bat-
tles, but finally won a deci-
sion mandating that the lo-
Leading Suppliers of Commercial, Industrial, Residential items
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