Even as it awaits the conclusion of a judicial review of the State’s decision to not grant it a Local Content Certificate, Ramps Logistics Guyana (RLG) said on Monday that it remains committed to supporting the expansion of the country’s economy. In fact, the company explained how it has developed various subsidiaries and technologies over the years towards this end.
Utilising the latest digital software in the industry, Ramps said it has developed a world-class Logistics Technology Platform (LASER) using software engineers and developers from Guyana and Trinidad. The company said it intends to leverage this technology through research and development, as well as driving people and processes further to ultimately morph into an international logistics powerhouse.
Ramps said, “Our vision is to create new avenues for investments, partnerships, office locations, community outreach and digital transformation. Though the world may see Guyana as an oil and gas mecca, RLG seeks to also invest in different sectors that will bring value to Guyana’s economy and people.”
On this premise, the company which primarily services the oil and gas and manufacturing sectors, said its team has been researching the agriculture sector in Guyana and meeting with key suppliers and buyers in the US and the Caribbean.
In February 2022, Ramps said it partnered with GK Logistics, a company with the Roraima Group of companies, to form Arapaima Logistics. This strategic partnership, it said, brought its vision of exporting Caribbean produce back to life. Its marketing arm, CASA Fresh, was also formed to conduct market research to find regional and international opportunities for local farm-fresh produce. It also provides an online platform for easy purchase and ordering of goods. Together, Ramps said the companies have successfully exported over 70,000 dried coconuts and other fresh produce to the USA.
In addition, in 2016, Ramps reminded that it formed El Dorado Offshore (EDO), a manpower and recruitment company that provides energy and non-energy sectors services. Today, with more than 400 Guyanese in its employ and locations in Colombia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, Ramps said EDO has made its name as one of the biggest recruitment companies in the energy sector in the Caribbean.
In 2018, Ramps said it also jumped into Guyana’s real estate market and created Orbis Caribbean. It said this subsidiary was formed as a key resource for persons worldwide to find industrial, residential, or commercial property in Guyana.
Considering the foregoing accomplishments, Ramps’ Chairman, Shaun Rampersad, remarked that its nine years of being in the Guyana market, given all that it has been through, is an incredible milestone for any company. He said, “RLG has achieved this success through our team member’s hard work, passion, and dedication.”
Even as the company remains upbeat about its performance to date, it has since told the local courts that it faces “financial ruin” in the absence of a Local Content Certificate from the Guyana Local Content Secretariat. The company said it will likely lose significant contracts with major industry players like ExxonMobil affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), one of which totals US$25 million.
Without the certificate, Ramps also explained that it has lost crucial business with Schlumberger Guyana, International SOS, Baker Hughes, G-Boats, Frank’s International, and CGX Resources Inc.
Government halts Ramps’ local content application pending outcome of criminal charges
The company said too that the jobs of one hundred Guyanese employees now also hang in the balance.
