Cement Production Hit
- Heavy rain forced production delays at Jamaica's Caribbean Cement Company, prompting supply disruptions. - Builders' groups expect operations to ease next month, suggesting a short but real pause in output. - Shortfalls in cement shipments could delay resort renovation schedules and FF&E projects if contractors lack contingency stocks ( ).
Jamaica’s main cement producer says heavy rain has cut output, tightening supply just as builders are trying to keep projects moving. (jamaica-gleaner.com) Caribbean Cement Company said on April 22 that persistent rainfall disrupted raw materials, equipment and plant processes, temporarily reducing production and delaying orders. The company’s main plant is at Rockfort in Kingston, with quarry operations in St. Andrew and St. Thomas. (jamaicaobserver.com, caribcement.com) Jamaica’s Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce said on April 23 that it was moving to stabilize supply after the disruption hit market availability. The ministry said Caribbean Cement diverted one vessel that had been headed to the Bahamas to arrive in Jamaica on Saturday, and lined up another 28,400 tonnes for early May. (jamaicaobserver.com, jamaica-gleaner.com) The squeeze lands in the middle of reconstruction work after Hurricane Melissa, with contractors already dealing with labor shortages, higher transport costs and rain-delayed job sites. The Meteorological Service of Jamaica told the Gleaner that unsettled weather was expected to persist through the weekend. (jamaica-gleaner.com) The Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica said on April 23 that, after meeting Caribbean Cement executives, it expects the shortage to ease next month. That points to a disruption measured in weeks, not quarters, but it still leaves active sites managing around delayed deliveries. (jamaicaobserver.com) Caribbean Cement matters because it is Jamaica’s main supplier, and the company said in its 2024 annual report that it manufactures cement using local raw materials mined within 10 miles of the Rockfort plant. A disruption at that site can ripple quickly through housing, commercial construction and repair work across the island. (jamaicaobserver.com, caribcement.com) The interruption comes less than two years after Caribbean Cement commissioned a US$42 million debottleneck project at Rockfort that the company said would lift production by as much as 30%. That expansion was meant to give Jamaica more headroom in supply, but weather can still choke output when wet raw material and plant stoppages hit at the same time. (caribcement.com) This is not the first weather-related disruption this year. On March 27, Caribbean Cement said there was “no cement shortage” in the market, but recent weather events had already affected deliveries before April’s heavier production problems. (jamaicaobserver.com) For contractors on resort renovations, housing repairs and fit-out work, the immediate question is whether on-site stocks can bridge the gap until the imported cargoes arrive. The government and builders’ group are both signaling relief in May, which makes the next several days the pressure point. (jamaica-gleaner.com, jamaicaobserver.com)
