…on track to be completed in August

THE US$8 million (approximately GY$1.6 billion) headquarters of the Guyana Tractor and Equipment company (GUYTRAC) is expected to be completed by August 2023, at Prospect, on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).

Due to traffic congestion and limited space at their outlet on Mandela Avenue, GUYTRAC is working on relocating to Prospect. One of the five buildings expected to be built on the 15-acre land is measured at 300 by 130 feet.

The Sunday Chronicle was given a tour of the mega facility on Saturday by owners Hareshnarine Sugrim and his son, Shamnarine Narine.
Sugrim related that the project is being financed by Republic Bank.

At the new location, the manager of GUYTRAC, Bony De Andrade, explained that it will be a one-stop shop where the corporate office and machinery will be available, which would benefit customers as their traveling would be reduced and, the consolidation will help to foster further business relations with people on the EBD because it is closer to the gateway of the interior.
“GUYTRAC has five locations… one location is where the office is at the moment and the rest is where the machinery and spares are stored so, this complex will consolidate everything. It is going to be a one stop shop,” De Andrade said.

The complex will also house a training centre for employees and heavy-duty mechanics, and create employment for over 100 persons.
He noted that the building is very distinctive in shape and there will be heavy-duty machinery, trucks, as well as a variety of spare parts.

Additionally, De Andrade related that the second of the six buildings will be 300 by 140 feet and will soon be under construction as they have had setbacks due to the rain.
Further, he said GUYTRAC is in the process of having systems in place to be a “big player” in the oil and gas sector.

“We have brought in machines that are specifically needed by the players in the oil and gas industry and we are also in the process of acquiring real estate specifically to contribute to the oil and gas sector,” he said.

GUYTRAC stands poised to provide products to the oil sector, keeping in mind the Government’s Local Content Policy, and has, over the years, supplied various brands of machinery to the country’s agricultural, mining and construction sectors.

These include 22-to-40-tonne excavators especially suited for the mining industry and 5-to-15- tonne excavators; graders, compactors, and rollers are readily supplied to the rapidly expanding construction sector.

De Andrade, in 2021, spoke of plans to expand in providing all agricultural machinery to continually service this traditional aspect of the Guyanese economy. Plans were on stream to import various models of tractors that are well-suited for the tropical climate of Guyana as well as Rome ploughs, Harrow ploughs, and Disc ploughs. GUYTRAC boasts an inventory of machinery and spares covering a wide range of heavy-duty machinery.

The company is in high praise of the Irfaan Ali-led administration as it continues to foster a favorable business climate. Confidence in the pro-business approach of the new administration has motivated the company to continually make substantial investments.

Despite the economic impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the world’s economy, GUYTRAC said it recognises the potential for outstanding growth in Guyana’s economy and with confidence in the astute stewardship of the current government, the company had invested in 2021, in 1000-tonne self-propelled barge, large cranes and a modern wharf at Friendship, East Bank Demerara to provide logistical transport to the ever-expanding oil and gas industry.