New BICO factory by March

Local ice cream manufacturer BICO Limited should have a new state-of-the-art factory by the end of March 2011.This disclosure came from Minister of State in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Patrick Todd, when he spoke yesterday at a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the official commencement of rebuilding of the BICO factory, which was destroyed by fire one year ago.Speaking at the company’s Harbour Road, St Michael facility, Todd said the new structure would enable BICO to meet the needs of the current market by delivering quality products in a more flexible manner.“Already, a new and fully operational engineering workshop has been constructed. A fully palletised and racked dry goods store is planned.” Todd lauded the company for its commitment to energy efficiency and noted that it had responded positively to the fire and the global financial crisis with a tremendous sense of resilience.“Before the fire, BICO Ltd was exporting to as far as Belize in the north and Guyana in the south. The volume of export sales had increased by approximately ten per cent over the years,” the minister said.He noted that the company had sought to engage members of the Barbadian diaspora in an effort to capture niches in the North American and European markets.This type of private investment, Todd said, could only augur well for the economy and our society as a whole as “approximately 300 new employment opportunities are generated, thus sustaining economic activity and enhanced output levels of production”. (NB)