This month we are pleased to feature Preconco Limited as part of our Meet a Precaster blog series. The following answers have been provided by Mark Maloney, managing director, and Reva Graham, projects administrator, at Preconco.
Q: Where are you located?
A: Lears, St Michael, Barbados, West Indies
Q: How long have you been in business?
A: 20 years. Starting with just eight employees, Preconco has grown rapidly and the company is now a multi-million dollar operation with more than 200 employees.
Q: How long have you been a member of NPCA?
A: Since 2002.
Q: Why did you join NPCA and what are the best benefits?
A: We joined in an attempt to remain up-to-date with the trends of the industry. The benefits are too numerous to mention. NPCA has provided comprehensive education tools for the precast industry. Through the use of its publications, educational programs and online resources, to reference a few, the dissemination of information is made easy.
Q: What products do you produce?
A: Hollowcore floors, walls, precast walls, stairs, elevator shafts, columns, beams, architectural precast and many other products that are utilized as structural elements in the construction of residential, commercial, industrial or hotel projects. We also have a “Small Works” component which is responsible for the production of well rings, well covers, pool coping stones, car stops, jersey barriers and other such smaller precast products.
Q: Have you introduced any new products lately?
A: We have introduced piles and long-spanning beams especially for industrial and commercial buildings. We recently completed works which included seven metre tall walls and columns to form the perimeter of the structure and 18 metre prestressed beams, our longest beams to date.
Q: What are the top attributes of precast concrete?
A: Outstanding strength, quality and exceptional durability, along with speedy and tidy installation rank very high on our extensive list of attributes and advantages. Precast concrete is an incredibly cost-effective and environmentally friendly product, an added bonus in today’s world where greater emphasis is being placed on more affordable and “green” buildings. Since it is highly customizable, innovative and produced with accuracy in the controlled environment of a plant, precast concrete is ideal in most, if not all, types of construction.
Q: What has your company done to fight off the recession?
A: We are working directly with developers to design structures to help them reduce costs. We are also offering turnkey solutions where we are not only responsible for the manufacture, transportation and installation of precast products but the construction of the project in entirety.
Q: What have you seen in your area as far as recovery?
A: There are always opportunities and we have diversified and changed our business model to meet the requirements and opportunities that exist.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: Our plans are to stay lean, become more self sufficient, improve our quality and streamline our processes, as well as to continue to be one step ahead in terms of looking for and creating opportunities rather than waiting on them to come to us. In the more immediate future, we will be strengthening our online presence with a revamped website and more engagement with related companies, colleagues, clients and potential clients through social media and online networks. We will also be utilizing the NPCA tools to ensure ongoing education and training for our staff.
Please check out our past Meet a Precaster blog posts and if you’re an NPCA producer member and would like to be featured in a future Meet a Precaster post, please send an email to NPCA communication manager, Kirk Stelsel.
Leave a Reply