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His major competitors now come out of Trinidad
and Tobago and Suriname, with foreign imports
from the US andUK also seeking a portion of the
Caribbean market. That said, throughout its 40
years of existence, none of Structural System’s
buildings has failed in a natural disaster – the holy
grail of achievements in building design.
“We hold our own,” says Williams.
Hisbiggestproblem,headds,comeswithcustomers
ignoring building standards anddemanding quotes
for builds that donot complywithCaribbeanwind
codes. Structural Systems’ builds withstand 130
mph winds by design, while competitors’ builds
buckle at wind speeds over 80mph. “We cannot
compete on price with inferior quality products…
but we deliver a superior quality product, with the
best value formoney,” the businessmagnate insists.
But all this notwithstanding, the industry has been
sluggish. Pre-engineered buildings are far from a
consumer product, and the market has been
depressed for almost six years. Structural Systems
operates at just 50 per cent of its production
capacity, and it is thrusting its efforts behind the
exportmarket to shore up business and to keep its
workers employed.
Challenges to Exporters
Williams is forceful when he speaks about the
challenges to businesses looking to export in the
Caribbean. The former investor in the defunct
regional airline REDjet bemoans the prohibitive
cost of intra-regional travel and the red tape that
still surrounds the movement of Caribbean
nationals between states.
“The cost of travel is too high,” Williams says,
citing onerous ticket fares for work crews deployed
to regional countries. Citing the ease of work and
travel within the European Schengen Zone for
EU nationals, and the uniformity of European
customs procedures as ideals for the Caribbean,
Williams asks rhetorically: “Can you imagine what
it would do to manufacturers if every time they
passed from one state to the other, they needed
to clear customs and get work permits?”
For exporters trying to find their niche, Williams
proffers an example from his own experience. “My
nicheisgettingsomethingdonethathasn’tbeendone
before somewhere in the Caribbean, and making a
few dollars doing it,” he said. But he cautioned that
grit, determination and persistence were also a part
ofthedeal.“Thekeyistogetoutthere,weartheshoe
leather down, knock on doors and see people. You
can’tgetcontractssittinginanoffice,”Williamsadds.
Advice to Exporters
Looking back reflectively, the reputation that
Williams has built for Structural Systems has put
it in a strong competitive position, whichhe admits
hasaidedintheabilitytowincontracts.Andhaving
expanded to other territories in theCaribbean, he
says that his most important challenge was to find
honest partners in the countries that he earmarks
for expansion. He readily admits that he has
made bad decisions on partners in the past, but
advises that it is best, as entrepreneurs, to see such
experiences as teachable moments.
Williams counts his teamof dedicated employees
–many of them his fellow shareholders – as his
competitive advantage. Between them, they are
embarking on a substantial project in Trinidad
for a suite of new builds. The Caribbean is his
market, and Williams is optimistic about his
company’s future.
“We went through a pretty bad couple of years
where Williams Industries invested in things
like REDjet, and we lost a lot of money, but
we’re gradually getting back into our stride,”
he said. Structural Systems’ indicators have
improved significantly in the past two years, with
consecutive year-on-year growth and expansion of
exports since 2013.
Despite being a leading Caribbean exporter,
he is easy with his advice to new entrepreneurs
and industry peers. He holds his obsession with
competitiveness on quality, rather than merely on
pricepoints,asoneofhiskeysecretstosuccess. And
while he admits that individual governments have
donewelltoencouragefiscalincentivesforexporters,
he now thinks the time is right for exporters to call
onregionalgovernmentstocometogethertoreduce
thelastremainingimpedimentstothemovementof
labour and people within the Caribbean.
Jovan Reid is a specialist in public policy analysis and media advocacy.
Exporters’ Insights
www.carib-export.com115