RED Stripe took the top award at the 35th Annual Awards Banquet and Presentation Ceremony of the Jamaica Manufacturers' Association (JMA) last Saturday night, at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.
The internationally famous brewing house took first place in the Governor-General's Award category, ahead of Caribbean Cement Company and Windsor Laboratories. Red Stripe received the Exim Bank Trophy and a cash award, with Caribbean Cement securing the Pan Caribbean Merchant Bank Trophy and a cash award. Windsor, Laboratories, for their third place finish, received the JMA Directors' Shield, along with a cash award.
Also sharing in the night's spotlight was the more than 100-year-old J. Wray & Nephew Limited, which received the first place prize in the Champion Exporter category, to walk away with the Prime Minister's Cup and a cash award. The company also got two other awards. Federated Pharmaceutical, Windsor Laboratories, Red Stripe, EdgeChem and Walkerswood Caribbean followed in that order of placement, among the top exporters.
Numerically, in terms of sectional awards, the night also belonged to the quartet of Caribbean Cement Company, Windsor Laboratories, P.A. Benjamin Manufacturers Limited and Federated Pharmaceutical, which all pulled in more than two awards. These included the Robert Lightbourne Award for Productivity, which went to Windsor Laboratories; the Award for Competitiveness to Federated Pharmaceutical; Best Medium Manufacturer, P.A. Benjamin; Best Small Manufacturer, Windsor Laboratories; and Best Use of Energy, Caribbean Cement Company. Boss Furniture Company Limited took two awards, including that for being adjudged the Best New Exporter.
NO EASY BUSINESS
In his address at the ceremony, JMA president Clarence Clarke said the manufacturing business was no easy job and had been made even more difficult by the current harsh economic times. He said the four per cent cess on imports being introduced by the government would impact significantly on cash flow, production costs and the prices of the final goods to the consumers. He noted that the cost structure within the manufacturing sector was already high and this was being compounded by the imposition of the cess.
"If we are expected to be dominant players in the regional and international marketplace, government policy must support and not stymie business growth and development," declared Mr. Clarke.
However, he said despite the difficulties, there remained an "indomitable spirit of entrepreneurship in the sector, which the JMA will continue to encourage and support." He said such a thrust had already started, with programmes such as the recently launched JMA Business Skills Development Project, which was being supported by the USAID/New Economy Project and the Jamaica Business Development Centre (JBDC). That initiative is geared at providing training for manufacturers in specified areas on how to improve the competitiveness of their operations.
Mr. Clarke also pointed to the Inter-American Development (IADB)/Bureau of Standards capacity building programme, which is aimed at strengthening the competence of local professionals to prepare companies for certification in both the ISO9000 and 14000 standards, through a train the trainer programme. He also highlighted the USAID-sponsored EAST project, which has been assisting local manufacturers with environmental audits and training opportunities.
