Woodworking company readies for housing boom – Govt. vows to bring down electricity costs

With President Irfaan Ali touting intentions of launching new housing projects, thereby opening acres of lands for citizens, construction suppliers and home designers will now be in high demand.
Many of these suppliers have already begun taking the necessary preparations and steps for the expected inflow of clients.

One of them, Bulkan’s Timber Works (BTW), a prestigious timber supplier and home and furniture designer, is not waiting.
The company opened their showroom yesterday.
During the launching of the showroom at Smyth Street, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BTW, Howard Bulkan, reminded attendees that his company has been in the timber business since 1976.

On a trip down a memorable path, Bulkan recalled that the former Guyana Glass Works company had started construction in 1976 and began its operations in 1984/85. But for reasons, Bulkan indicated that the glass factory never succeeded.
“It was thus closed by former President Desmond Hoyte in 1986,” he said, “Abandoned over the next decade to the elements and completely vandalized. The PPP/C administration had then advertised the property in September 1996 and I along with two others had applied. We were all approved and leases enacted.”

The two other men chose to exit the project in early 1997, at which point Bulkan subsequently incorporated the company March 6, 1997.
Without funds or collateral, the CEO said that he was loaned $5M and with that money, he hit the ground running. Over the next 24 years, BTW would have transformed the abandoned site into an industrial woodworking complex, “second to none in Guyana and the Caribbean,” he highlights.
The CEO went on to articulate that, in 2001 he had kick start Superior Shingles and Wood Products Incorporated (SSWP), a company manufacturing Wallaba roofing shingles. Both SSWP and BWT are export oriented, as they have always exported 95– 99% of their production, defying the textbook.

“During the early years I tramped up and down the Caribbean, first selling Guyana, then regarded as an unreliable supplier, before marketing our two companies. So, whilst we have a fairly high profile in the Caribbean and some other extra regional countries, we are virtually unknown locally,” the CEO pointed out.
He continued: “And that is the primary reason for this showroom in our capital city, to raise awareness of the company to the general public, to our government and of course for daily cash flow.”

TBW main strengths include supplying the highest quality pre-cut kiln-dried lumber to specific lengths, widths with prefab panels for quick easy assembly on site, ideal for erecting buildings in the interior, whether homes offices for mining, forestry, police among others.
Also attending the ceremony was the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneige Walrond-Allicock and the Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat.

During her presentation Minister Walrond expressed the government’s plan to reduce the cost of electricity will lower manufacturing costs thereby allow local manufacturers to become more competitive.
Minister Walrond-Allicock, who spoke on behalf of President Irfaan Ali, said the Government is committed to lowering electricity costs and providing a more consistent supply.
“This will bring greater predictability to the manufacturing sector and will have a positive correlation on the ease of doing business in Guyana,” she noted.

While cautioning that the necessary safety protocols and health guidelines must continue to be followed, Minister Walrond stressed that investment has not ground to a halt and Guyana remains open for business. She emphasized that the private sector has a pivotal role in providing employment and ensuring that international standards are achieved and consistently maintained.

The minister stressed that many local companies have been producing at exceptionally high standards, and Bulkan Timber Works was a prime example. “The quality of your products reinforces the concept that local manufacturers can deliver superior products,” the minister said.
In congratulating the principals of the companies on the quality and variety of products, she noted that it was a “vivid reminder of the versatility and quality of wood, a resource that is readily available to us in Guyana.”

Natural Resources Minister Bharrat also spoke extensively on the government’s plans to lower the cost of electricity, noting that by 2024, the cost of electricity in Guyana would have been reduced significantly.
“I would like to assure our Guyanese brothers and sisters that in less than five years, power generation in Guyana would be at a manageable level that would boost business activity,” Minister Bharrat said.
He added that the Government has embarked on several transformational projects that will reshape the economy and bring tremendous benefits to the country.