Business View Caribbean | September 2022

79 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 9 READY-MI X L IMI TED just blanketing our workshop with a general mandate for all trucks, we can pick out individual trucks to check for problems and for fuel monitoring, parts monitoring, etc. to save as much money as possible. We can’t control material costs, the only cost we can control is our own efficiency.” This year, 2022, has been a time of transition and forward thinking for the Ready-Mix management team. Along with the expansions and upgrades, they have new lab equipment that addresses any potential quality control issues – taking the guesswork out of the equation. Mr. Brooker explains, “One of the main components of our products is cement, which is also one of the most expensive components. If we can monitor it closely and accurately, we can keep that cement ratio in line, so the client gets a good quality product with no wastage of material.” Ready-Mix uses cement from Rock Hard, which supplies both the block plants and the concrete plants. Their aggregate comes from C. O. Williams Quarries, which is right next door to the Ready-Mix facility, so they benefit from a much shorter freight time. Those are the two largest components. Outside of that is water, which is supplied by the Barbados government, and electricity that comes from Barbados Light & Power. Mr. Brooker adds, “We recently got permission to put 1.8 megawatts of solar on our facility as well, to help compensate for electricity use. It will be installed by Williams Solar and I’m really looking forward to getting that in place. It’s just one more positive thing in this very busy year.” With so much going on, Ready-Mix is now in the midst of a recruiting drive to bring on 10 bright, new young people in various roles, from sales to the manufacturing process to dispatch.