Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw (centre) listens to Executive Chairman of ARC Manufacturing, Norman Horne (left) as he explains the metal slitting process, at an official ceremony to commission the equipment at the company’s Bell Road offices, in Kingston on May 29. Richard Pandohie (right), of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association shares the moment.
Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, says discussions are to be held with Finance and the Public Service Minister, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke to discourage the importation of low-duty competitor goods.
“This is something I want to penetrate much deeper in order to keep the field reasonable and competitive,” he said.
The Minister was addressing a ceremony to commission a metal slitting plant, at ARC Manufacturing, in Kingston on May 29.
Known as trade dumping, the process occurs when a country or company exports a product at a price that is lower in the foreign importing market than the price in the exporter’s domestic market.
The Minister gave assurance to manufacturers that focus will be placed on trade facilitation, which is the simplification, modernization and harmonization of export and import processes, in order to make it easier for people wanting to add value to Jamaica.
He reiterated the approval given by Cabinet for the removal of specific permits, licences and charges being issued by the Trade Board Limited, which are no longer relevant.
This, he said, would further help to enhance and facilitate trade and follows an announcement he made last year that between seven and 10 of these fees would have been eliminated.
Mr. Shaw commended ARC Manufacturing’s Executive Chairman, Norman Horne, as well as his family, for their spirit of enterprise, which he described as a source of inspiration.
Meanwhile, in his remarks, Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) President, Howard Mitchell lauded the Government for the growth of the services sector.
“We know that this administration has not been reluctant to remove the impediments that we in the manufacturing sector have been suffering over the years. The downward movement in the interest rate has been a breath of fresh air,” he said.
He commended Minister Shaw for working assiduously to remove trade impediments that create extra cost for manufacturers and those that decrease their already razor thin margins.
Mr. Horne, for his part, said the new metal slitting plant will position his company as Jamaica’s only service provider of metal slitting.
The process of metal slitting is an essential part of manufacturing which is used in the production of guttering, roofing tiles, barrel capping, purlins, and track and studs to name a few.
It will also afford the company the opportunity to own a very important element of the value chain, which will result in cost and differentiation advantages.
He also informed of plans that are in the offing to sell the 18.2-acre of land from which the company currently operates and to move to 30-acre of land close to the new highway being built at Three Miles.
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