Displaying items by tag: Rock Hard Cement

Trinidad & Tobago: Trinidad Cement has asked the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to make its competitor Rock Hard Cement pay more than a 5% tariff on imports. It follows a ruling by the council of trade ministers in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in March 2019 that agreed to a classification of Rock Hard Cement’s products in Trinidad leading to duties of up to 5%, according to the Nation newspaper. The case has been referred to the CCJ for final arbitration in June 2019.

Trinidad & Tobago: The council of trade ministers in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has agreed to the classification of Rock Hard Cement’s products in Trinidad. Rock Hard Cement has faced legal action from its competitor Arawak Cement about the designation of its products and the tariffs they incur, according to the Barbados Today newspaper. The matter will be referred to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in June 2019 for final arbitration.

Trinidad Cement, the owner of Arawak Cement, took legal action against Rock Hard Cement in the CCJ alleging that the cement importer was misclassifying its products as ‘other hydraulic cement’ instead of ‘Portland cement-building cement grey’ leading to a lower import duty. However, the World Customs Organisation and CARICOM’s Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) have both ruled in favour of Rock Hard Cement. As such it only incurs a tariff of up to 5%. Rock Hard Cement said that it expects the CCJ to uphold COTED’s ruling in June 2019.

Barbados: The Caribbean Court Of Justice has ruled in favour of Trinidad Cement on maintaining a 60% tariff on imports of cement. The subsidiary of Mexico’s Cemex and its own subsidiary Arawak Cement complained that import company Rock Hard Cement was only being taxed by 5%, according to the Nation News newspaper. However, the case will continue as the ruling only refers to hydraulic cement. It is unclear what classification of cement that Rock Hard Cement is importing.

Barbados: Rock Hard Cement, a cement distributor, and local producer Arawak Cement have been arguing publicly over the quality of their respective products. Arawak Cement took out a paid advertisement advised customers in Barbados, Guyana and the Eastern Caribbean that an unnamed rival company’s product was not ‘not of a higher quality, or strength and is not a superior product’ than its own products, according to the Barbados Today newspaper. The cement producer said it has also made a complaint with the Fair Trading Commission regarding alleged misleading claims that Rock Hard Cement has made about its products.

In response Mark Maloney, chief executive of Rock Hard Cement, has accused Arawak Cement of attempting to stop the newcomer entering the local market since November 2015. Since the entry of Rock Hard Cement into the market the price of cement has dropped by 30%. Arawak Cement has attributed this to a restructuring programme and improved plant efficient. Maloney has also accused his rival of trying to register the Rock Hard name outside of Barbados to deter future expansion.