Two local companies—Denmor Garments Manufacturers Inc. and Caribbean Clothing Company Ltd.—have secured contracts to manufacture a total of two thousand coveralls for construction workers in Singapore. The workers are supporting construction of the Prosperity, which will become the third floating, production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel in Guyana.
ExxonMobil Guyana said on Monday the first shipment has already made its way for distribution to personnel of the company as well as SBM Offshore and Dyna-Mac.
ExxonMobil Guyana’s production manager, Mike Ryan said this is part of ongoing efforts to ensure that Guyanese businesses are involved in varying aspects of the company’s activities. “It is a great example of continuing to build capabilities here in Guyana—making a difference through supplier utilization and development,” he added. “As more projects come online there will be more opportunities for Guyanese companies. There is a lot of expertise here in Guyana and so we are looking forward to people pushing the limits of what they are capable of doing and helping us to responsibly develop Guyana’s resources.”
Ryan shared the view that donning locally manufactured personal protective equipment will inspire an additional sense of pride among the workforce in Singapore and hopefully those who fabricated the quality coveralls in Guyana.
Meanwhile, SBM Offshore’s Regional Head of Operations, North America and the Caribbean, Michiel Heuven stated that this is an expression of his company’s commitment to Guyana. “In the case of the FPSO, we have looked at the different services which we believe can be developed in Guyana. The coveralls are a very good example where we felt we could bring the specifications required in the oil and gas industry and the specifications within SBM Offshore over into Guyana and work together with local partners,” he added.
Representatives from the two companies recently handed over samples of the coveralls to ExxonMobil Guyana and SBM Offshore.
“It is a fantastic opportunity for the company itself but more importantly it really provides the opportunity for larger companies to see what Guyanese companies are capable of supplying,” said Brooke Glassford of Caribbean Clothing Company Ltd. “From inception, we have been providing personal protection equipment (uniforms) and 2010 we started with fire retardant units for miners and welders. This allowed us to really pivot smoothly into PPE specifically for oil and gas”.
After sales fell by nearly 50 percent due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Glassford indicated that this contract provided the company the ability to rehire staff. “We hope that this contract with SBM Offshore and ExxonMobil will really open the floodgates for more opportunities,” she expressed.
Upasna Mudlier of Denmor Garments Manufacturers Inc. said her company is “honoured and very proud that we can be a part of this. To be able to contribute to Guyana’s economy, we are proud about that aspect, and that we are able to provide more employment opportunities for Guyanese.”
She explained that Denmor is currently acquiring ISO compliance—an international standard for organizations—to be able to further serve the industry. Mudlier added, “our company was able to take advantage of the numerous courses offered at the Centre for Local Business Development in Georgetown to gain a competitive edge and serve this sector to better.
