CDL officially opens EC$27 million Warehouse and Administrative Centre at Diamond

The ribbons were officially cut on the brand new Coreas Distribution Ltd (CDL) Warehouse and Administrative Centre this week at Diamond.

It signalled the opening of the EC$27 million structure and a new era in the company’s service to St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).

When the groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new building in November, 2020 it was in the hopes of having the project completed within a 10-month period.

And while the project was completed on budget, several interruptions due to COVID-19, and last year’s volcanic eruption extended the timeline of the modern facility.

“We therefore could not wait another week to commence operations in this new facility,” Jimmie Forde, CDL’s CEO said at Tuesday afternoon’s opening ceremony.

The new warehouse and administrative centre is poised to significantly improve the services of CDL, as it increases the company’s dry storage and cold storage capacities by at least 300 per cent.

“Not only did they double the square footage of our warehouse space from 25,000 to 56,000 square feet, but we have increased our pallet provisions by going higher, from four to six pallets high, which gives us a significant increase in our storage capacity,” Forde said at the opening ceremony on Tuesday.

“Our greatest increase however is in our cold storage facility. In Kingstown, we only had storage for about seven 40ft containers. We now have storage for over 30, 40ft containers.”

The CEO noted a wealth of benefits to be derived from the construction of the new warehouse, one of which is an improvement to food security of this country.

He said most businesses struggled to meet the demands of the nation during the eruption of La Soufriere in 2021.

But with CDL’s increased storage capacity, more food can be stored and with reduced risk of spoilage, therefore allowing for there to be sufficient stores to meet the demand of SVG in times of crisis.

Forde also noted that there will be a reduction in the traffic congestion on Lower Bay Street as some services and staff offices relocate to Diamond.

“Our customers and staff now have a stress free parking. Also, the police have one less stress to worry about because we are now out of Kingstown,” he said.

A modern inventory system will soon come on stream, allowing for staff to know exactly where items are located which in turn is intended to contribute to better service for customers.

It is also expected that CDL’s new Diamond location will serve as the main distribution hub to customers, including supermarkets, mini-marts, hotels, restaurants, pharmacies, bakeries and wholesalers throughout St Vincent and the Grenadines.

And though part of the company’s operation has relocated to Diamond, Forde has assured that a small branch will remain in capital Kingstown to provide convenience and ease of access for some customers.

The contract for CDL’s Diamond location was awarded to NH International in September, 2020 and when construction commenced a month later, 140 Vincentians were employed to work on the project by 17 sub-contractors.

Mikey Thackoor, a representative from NH International said he felt “a sense of great pride and honour to be a part of the official opening of the CDL project”.

He said the building, which is the first of its kind in SVG, will allow for seamless operations and an improved capacity for storing, distributing and receiving dry goods, pharmaceuticals, cold storage and lots more to augment the supply chain.

Thackoor described the interruptions caused by the volcanic eruption, the pandemic, and global shipping issues as “unprecedented” but said his company was able to persevere through these obstacles to deliver on the project.

And he expressed pride in the team, including the Vincentians who worked along with them on the million-dollar warehouse project.

The parliamentary representative for the area, Frederick Stephenson who also delivered brief remarks at Tuesday’s event, noted that CDL’s warehouse adds to the significant developments that are taking place in Diamond.

Following the opening ceremony, government ministers present, along with invited guests, staff and representatives from the media were taken on a tour of the new building, which was blessed by Canon Ashton Francis.