Business View Caribbean | September 2022

80 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 9 As Mr. Brooker elaborates, “We’ve seen growth this year and the need for more production, and on the books we’re seeing that within four to five years, we’ll have a lot of people retiring – the equivalent of 20 percent of the existing workforce. That is management right down to entry level employees. So we’re expanding and we’re preparing.” Part of that preparation begins with training. In January, Ready-Mix set up an onsite training facility that is capable of housing 20 people at a time. Online and blended training for various departments is currently underway using the new facilities, including accounting software, materials handling and management, quality control and logistics. Training is inclusive of members of all departments retooling the entire organisation for modern operations and modern challenges. When asked about the state of the Barbados construction sector, Mr. Brooker acknowledges, “This year, a lot of projects that have been on hold through COVID, have come back on line, as well as new projects. For the remainder of 2022, there will be a backlog of construction, so we’re seeing the need right now for excess production and we’re meeting the demand. As for 2023, we know that there are some large hotel projects coming online and large infrastructural projects, with the government doing some work on drainage, bridges, and roads. The concrete components of those projects are becoming larger and larger.” To keep moving forward, Ready-Mix continues to develop new products – one being roller- compacted concrete, which they’ve used on a few development roads. This is a very dry mix, low-slump concrete that is put down, average four inches thick, with an asphalt paver, then rolled out and you can drive on it the next day. “It is a fantastic product,” Mr. Brooker boasts. Looking to what lies ahead for Ready-Mix Limited in Barbados, he shares, “We anticipate that in 2023, between government and civil works and large private sector developments like hotels and some housing schemes coming up, that we will be very busy next year, as well. It’s very rare that you can look in the construction industry and see two years ahead. You’re lucky if you can see six months. We are gearing up to make sure we can handle it – lots to look forward to, for sure!” PREFERRED VENDOR/ PARTNER n SDRR Hydraulic & Industrial Spares Inc. www.sdrrhydraulics.com