Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KSM Investments Inc Mahadeo Panchu is of the firm belief that the company can make a difference by supplying all projects, both private and public, with quality building supplies that will last a “lifetime and beyond.”
“This whole investment is geared towards quality, value for money and making people’s lives better,” Panchu told Stabroek News in a recent interview, while noting that Guyanese have for too long suffered the agony of spending hard-earned money on poor quality concrete products.
“We have seen and experienced the wretched failure of concrete hollow blocks in our homes and other buildings,” he said before referencing the Indian immigration monument Palmyra, Corentyne, the base of which embarrassingly collapsed last Tuesday.
“The Indian Monument at Palmyra is a practical example of where we are heading when it comes to construction and using these poor quality materials. I shudder to think of that being a school or a hospital; we will wake up one morning and hear a school collapse and hundreds of kids died, all because of poor quality materials, poor quality blocks,” Panchu elaborated.
“Why build today at $79 million and have to spend a next $90 million to correct it later on? Why not spend a $120 million and get it done properly and have that peace of mind knowing that your investment is safe? Why build a road today and tomorrow we have a next contract out to repair that road?” he questioned.
The CEO said in the past, he has found manufacturers of hollow blocks to mass produce materials that lack structural or compressive strength.
“These blocks that they are currently using have a lower PSI because they are 95 to 97 per cent sand and they are made by hand or some small machine. How-ever, we have answered the call for quality products by way of that massive investment,” he said.
To substantiate his claims of superior quality products, Panchu was adamant that his company has received nothing but good reviews since it began operations in November, 2015.
“We have not had any negative reviews from consumers and that personally inspires me to do better because it is comforting to know that I am doing something that people embrace,” he said.
“We are thinking international and we are doing things international… we are playing a very critical role in filling a big void that has been in this country and the private sector has embraced it and the word is being spread more and more,” Panchu added.
Made in Guyana
At present, KSM Investments Inc. is the producer of Everlast stone pavers, rock solid hollow blocks, vent blocks, foundation blocks and are also the sole distributer of Dominican Republic brand Domicem cement, all of which Panchu says are high quality construction materials.
“The only thing we import, are the cement from Dominican Republic and the Iron Oxide pigment that is used to colour the pavers and blocks; everything else is mined and produced right here in Guyana,” Panchu noted.
Since entering the market, KSM Investments has seen its products being used in the construction of numerous buildings belonging to well-known entities, including Republic Bank and Massy Industries’ respective branches at Mon Repos on the East Coast Demerara, the newly opened M&M Snackette on the East Bank Demerara and the mega mall at the corner of Robb and Camp streets in Georgetown.
Recently, at the official commissioning of KSM’s state-of-the-art, automated cement products factory, at Lot 8 Good Hope, East Coast Demerara, Panchu had highlighted that the multi-million dollar factory is the first of its kind in the Caribbean region. It is equipped with fully-automated technology that combines Chinese and German engineering, essentially meeting all European-quality standards in its design and manufacture.
He had also used the commissioning ceremony to speak extensively about the need for persons to move away from accepting poor quality and instead embrace value for money.
‘Lip service’
While he is appreciative of the support garnered from the private sector, Panchu finds it ironic that his company continues to be overlooked by the government as a supplier for superior locally-manufactured products.
Instead, Panchu feels as though KSM is left to watch from the sideline as poor quality building materials continue to be used on taxpayer-funded projects.
And though he made it very clear that his decision to make such a large investment was not done with the expectation of receiving “handouts” from the government, Panchu believes that the administration should be more serious when it comes to getting value for money on cement-based products.
“The government, being the chief spender in any economy, has not been providing us with the support that we need; we are not looking for a handout, mind you, it is just it is sad to note that this government is yet to get serious about value for money when it comes to concrete products… From time to time, they would send for quotations but then I don’t hear anything back,” Panchu related.
As it relates to local building codes, the businessman is of the view that such codes are archaic, while noting that individuals continue to get away with substandard work, especially when work is done on public buildings.
“I have been hearing for the past year or more the standard for hollow blocks being reviewed; but that’s it, there is nothing beyond the hearing… We need to move beyond lip service,” he said
In the meantime, the CEO made it clear that his company stands ready, willing and able to supply the government with the high quality building materials and will even go as far as issuing a warrantee for its products.
“We are hoping that good sense will prevail and they will move away from lip service and being practical in terms of getting value for money,” the businessman added.
For now, Panchu explained that KSM is focused on spreading its wings far and wide in Guyana through the establishment of branches across the country. At present, one such branch is being developed at Palmyra, with more to follow. However, once this is properly achieved and confidence in his products continue to grow, the businessman disclosed that efforts will be made to enter the export market.
