Balance Nimble Business Processes With Strong Cybersecurity

Balance Nimble Business Processes With Strong Cybersecurity

April 15, 2020

The final edition of the JMEA Instagram Live Series “The Productive Sector Speaks, Measures Against COVID-19” focused on cybersecurity challenges and solutions. The episode that was broadcast on April 14, highlighted the danger that enterprises face when they change process without adjusting safeguards around communication.

Leading the presentations were: Gordon Foote, Director of bSmarte Logistics, a company offering ICT, logistics and business strategy counselling; and Kevin Gordon of Simply Secure, a business offering cybersecurity services.

Foote said that the changes to protect fallout caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency has unwittingly opened up new risks. Companies were changing how communication moves around an organisation without adjusting resilience of the cybersecurity. It is noted that the Jamaica Survey of Establishments (JSE) 2019 published by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) with research done by STATIN noted that 66.3% of establishments in Jamaica use the Internet in its operations. STATIN reports that in 2017, 36.9% of households had a computer, and 53.4% of households had access to the Internet, which includes mobile data. We can anticipate that some persons working from home are using mobile devices and computers that are shared by others in the household and may not have strong cybersecurity features.

Foote cautioned that producers that allow staff to access the corporate network using personal digital devices should have end point protection on the network. Malware that may be on personal devices, caused by naively clicking a link in an email, can easily move into the company’s computer network, and a hacker can gain control of the network, close it down and hold the company to ransom.

This prevalence of email should be of relevance to businesses, as The JSE noted that 94.5% of establishments that use the Internet, use email. In terms of business functions, 73.1% use the Internet to share information about goods and services, 49.1 to do Internet banking and 48.7% to process payments online and 41.5% to access other financial services.

Gordon added that persons whose communications are critical to the success of the business should receive awareness training in cybersecurity and also how to identify telephone scam fraud.

He explained that any job function with actions that cascade through a company - such as the CEO and individuals who have administrator access to the computer network - are critical to the company’s security.

He noted that if a hacker got access to these persons’ emails and sent instructions from them to move cash, product, vehicles, or other assets, this could could affect the entire business, and also the reputation of the company.

He itemised examples of risky behaviour including: giving administrator access to everyone who uses the system; allowing thumb drives into networked computers; and not having end point protection – appropriate to the business - on networks that allow outside computers to log in.

Suggesting solutions, Foote said that a company should assess if and how any change in a business process will impact communication. He candidly said that what can make your life easier can also make it less secure.

Gordon announced a special 30- day cybersecurity offer to all JMEA members and manufacturers in Jamaica to help them to stay strong while they keep production going in the country. The offer is accessed through Foote at bSmarte.

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With Jamaica's trade borders open, National Rums continues to produce

With Jamaica's trade borders open, National Rums continues to produce

March 27, 2020

The rum industry in Jamaica is working overtime to try and meet the demand for its distilled products. This was the word from senior managers at National Rums of Jamaica on March 27, 2020 during the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters (JMEA) live Instagram interview programme "Productive Sector Speaks".

To illustrate how a discussion of distilled products fits into a discussion on the Jamaican economy, the Economic and Social Survey Jamaica 2018, published by the PIOJ records that the export of rum earned US$45,6 million, an 11% increase over 2017 in 2018, the highest earning for a single traditional export outside of mining and quarrying. The export of chemicals, including ethanol, earned US$37,9 million in 2018, an increase of 56.9% over 2017. Together, these two industries earned about 4.6% of the value of all domestic exports

Chief Executive Officer, Neil Glasgow, said that its operations were running at full capacity across three sites, as in addition to overseas orders, which make up 90 per cent of their production, National Rums of Jamaica is now providing more product to be used as in sanitisers, which supporting the national move to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus. This includes ethyl alcohol for chemical manufacturers, and also to supply the National Health Fund. The company has also been providing alcohol for the Corn Piece community which is under quarantine for COVID-19.

Mr Glasgow also noted that its Long Pond distillery in Trelawny, which was damaged by fire in July 2018, has returned to 50% capacity and is being run as a 24 hour operation.

Deputy CEO Martha Miller noted that the company will play its part to keep production going, and will deliver its products as long as the country's borders remain open for trade. Miller said that the two key components of rum are energy and molasses, both of which the company need to import. The company is in touch with its overseas clients and suppliers. National Rums of Jamaica is proud to say that their products are an essential input that is blended in prominent international brands, and they also have five consumer brands of their own.

HR Manager Joseph Robinson noted that the company's workforce had been slightly curtailed by the Disaster Risk Management (Enforcement Measures) Order (Number 2) 2020 which restricts the age of team members present on site to be under the age of 65.

National Rums of Jamaica has employees working at Monymusk near Lionel Town, Clarendon, Long Pond near Clarks Town, Trelawny and Innswood in St Catherine. Protective measures for employees include hand sanitising and hand washing stations, and the increased frequency of cleaning in high trafficked areas. The nature of the rum making business is across large acreages, and this aids social distancing.

Employees are monitored for symptoms and temperatures are taken at the start of a shift. Information has been provided to staff and this is reinforced. Staff are asked to extend the responsible behaviour at home. All tours have been suspended and work from home is in place.

Ownership of National Rums of Jamaica is 1/3 Government of Jamaica; 1/3 a company registered in Barbados and 1/3 a company registered in Guyana. Its Jamaican assets and commercial use of sugar cane and its products date back more than 250 years.

Productive Sector Speaks is a JMEA communication platform to connect with stakeholders during this period where Jamaica and the world seeks to stay viable through the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. Questions were taken from viewers of the feed. This edition with National Rums of Jamaica was the second in the series.

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The Herald Printers is Finding Creative Solutions for Customers

The Herald Printers is Finding Creative Solutions for Customers

The Herald Printers, proudly in production since 1922 in Downtown Kingston, is promoting faith over fear in the workplace as they support the national safety protocols of the Ministry of Health and Wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic while also supporting client needs.

Ms Keena Williams, Marketing and Business Development Manager at The Herald Printers highlighted some of the creative solutions of the company during the March 30 edition of the JMEA Instagram Live broadcast series, The Productive Sector Speaks. Ms Williams said that during the early days of the emergency, the company reached out to the Ministry of Health and Wellness which had a need for public health information materials to be quickly produced. The Herald Printery team quickly turned the ideas, and going above and beyond expectations, filled that need. The company has also gone into partnership with the Victoria Jubilee Hospital and has produced personal size anti bacterial hand soap and also a hand sanitiser, exclusively for use by the hospital.

The viability of producers, such as The Herald Printers, is important to the health of the economy, and their activities are included in the Jamaican System of National Accounts that are prepared by agencies of the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service.

The decision by the directors of The Herald Printers to keep production going has had a visible impact on lifting the morale of staff members, who are themselves adapting to the necessary changes during the health emergency. The primary measure that has been put in place is the protection of the health and safety of staff members. The company has assisted staff who use public transportation to do so more safely, while also reducing the number of persons who have to come to work, through work-from-home arrangements. Sanitisation stations are in place for people, goods are sanitised before delivery and the delivery team has sanitisers for work on the road. This, Ms Williams says, has helped with the peace of mind in the work environment.

The company is also using its public-facing platforms, such as social media, to promote credible information from the government and also about developments within the business.

The business has also been impacted as key clients are hospitality businesses in the CARICOM region, which are now closed. Although there is a decline in demand from the export print markets, the Herald Printery has stayed close to its clients, remaining focused and optimistic, reaching out and finding ways to strengthen their B2B relationship. Ms Williams said that the fact that Jamaica's ports remain open for trade is positive as without raw material, production could not continue and there will be an impact on jobs.

The contribution of printeries, such as The Herald Printery, to GDP is captured in data related to the manufacture of paper and paper products and also the publishing, printing and reproduction of recorded media. Its operations includes inputs such as energy, raw materials, labour, professional services, transportation and distribution.

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Protecting People and Communities is Important for D&G Business Continuity

Protecting People and Communities is Important for D&G Business Continuity

April 8, 2020

Jamaica’s most prominent brewery and beverage company, D&G, was featured on the March 6 edition of Jamaica and Manufacturers Exporters Association (JMEA) Instagram Live programme “The Productive Sector Speaks” to demonstrate how the company was keeping production going during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Head of Corporate Affairs Dianne Ashton Smith and Engineering Manager, Sheldon Sharpe shared discussion time and had engagements with the audience noting that the company had activated several measures aimed at protecting the 300 members of staff, their communities, the business and the economy on which their success depends.

They summarized the famed history of Red Stripe beer, first brewed in 1928, and gave an overview of the D&G company of which Heineken is the majority owner. The company has already provided support to the government's efforts to fight the pandemic by donating 1500 cases of the Malta beverage to old age infirmaries and also donating advertising allotments on print, electronic and outdoor media.

Ashton Smith said that the management team’s response has been to organize itself into three task force groups which meet three times per week. The groups are : health, safety and trust of employees; continuity of business; and contribution to communities. In addition to this, the COVID-19 response team meets twice each week.

The company has implemented processes to protect staff on the job, staff who are working from home and also to protect the products that they make and distribute. The mandatory work-from-home policy has been activated with only specific tasks being carried out on site, which includes the production line. The company has increased its sanitization schedule and made it more robust. No visitors are allowed on sites at this time.

Length of shifts have been adjusted to twelve hours, and the lag time between work shifts have been increased to ensure that teams do not mix with each other. Staff members who have to be on site do a temperature check on arrival and wear adequate personal protection equipment (PPEs). The nurse on duty maintains the observance of the guidelines and does health checks. Private transport contractors who transport staff follow a sanitization policy to deliver those services to staff of D&G.

Close inspection of staff records is also moving the company to deliver additional training and retraining modules and is sending-off staff who have accumulated vacation leave.

To maintain the company’s well-known high staff morale, there have been fun activities built into the HR response. The “Ask The Managing Director” virtual session opened the floor for any member of staff to teleconference in and directly talk to the head of the organization. The company had a virtual happy hour on the Facebook Workplace platform featuring music of the 1990s and celebrating the brands.

To support a healthy outlook on life, mental health tips are pushed out to staff, and the company has found a way to remind persons to take breaks from work as many are working at home alone. A virtual employee support network has been opened by phone and also via the Zoom teleconference platform. Fitness remains a feature and there are one-hour gym sessions, twice per week.

The social nature of enjoying beverages has hit the company hard, although production continues for the USA and UK markets. The demand and sales are not robust and adjustments are being made to the business plans to manage costs and cash as it is estimated that it will take about three months for the business to recover after the pandemic.

Relationships with contractors continue to be nurtured, including shippers and overseas clients which are important for this company that has product in 25 international beverage markets. Ashton Smith wrapped up the session by saying that the company will continue to act to protect its people and the economic well-being of the Jamaican economy. The comments during the broadcast were limited to the COVID-19 response. Set out below are general comments about the economy in the context of a large non-agricultural establishment such as Red Stripe.

The 2018 Report of the Jamaica Survey of Establishments (JSE), authored by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) says that 23% of establishments in Jamaica had a website and 34.3% social media presence; establishments are extended to public sector entities such as ministries, departments and agencies, but excluded agricultural establishments such as farms. Maintaining seamless contact with clients, staff and customers should compel more businesses to maintain digital platforms that have current, relevant information. Although demand for its products is down at this time, Red Stripe has website and social accounts that can update information and reassure stakeholders through the global health pandemic.

The survey tells us that 89.9 % of businesses have fixed internet broadband, but ICT indicators monitored by STATIN tell us that in 2017, 36.9% of homes had a computer and 53% of homes had access to the Internet. These figures will impact on the effectiveness of the work-from-home policy across Jamaica. Some companies would have to support business continuity by providing laptop computers and perhaps also Internet services for some staff members.

The JSE notes that 2% of the total number of establishments said that they had overseas ownership, Red Stripe would be among this number and would be supported and directed by the global practices of its owners. It is also the part of the 2% of the number of establishments in Jamaica that export goods.With 300 employees, Red Stripe is in the 4.9% of establishments that employ more than 50 persons.

The high cost of electricity was noted by 35% of establishments as being the greatest factor preventing business success, Red Stripe has gone a long way to addressing this. In 2017, the company introduced LNG to its mix of energy solutions that included energy conversion of steam that is generated during production.

The company has survived many different kinds of crises, but, as its directors say, there has been none like this one. As the company is supported by strong policies and is committed to manage its cash and costs, it is well poised to overcome and to recover.

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Look, Learn and Stay Positive

Look, Learn and Stay Positive

April 8, 2020

Managing Director Richard Coe participated in the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) Instagram Live series “The Production Sector Speaks” on April 8, 2020.

Manufacturers of construction items for building improvement and also hair and skin care products, Orion Manufacturing Services, better known under its Fleetwood Jamaica brand, had its origins 50 years ago in Jamaica. It has a complement of about 50 employees producing a wide range of items. Painting and building improvement items under the Fleetwood Jamaica brand; and under Orion Manufacturing, Revlon products under license and its own beauty products under the Zimii brand.

Coe said that there is mandatory work-from-home where possible and extensive health procedures at the workplace. Membership in the JMEA has been rewarding as businesses share information with each other and additional ways to protect people and production are finding their way into offices and the plant floor. At the core, Coe said that the company is in constant communication with staff about matters that affect them, and they have also found ways to demonstrate appreciation for their workers.

Among the actions was updating the company’s life insurance plan for staff, doubling the benefit should a staff member die.

To maintain a positive environment in the workplace, Coe said that the company gave each member of staff an emergency food package of non-perishable items. This helped to give peace of mind as there were concerns that the government could have called for a total lock down of the country as a way to slow down the progress of the disease in the population.

Aside from sanitization, customers who come in to pay and collect are time logged in a register. Staff who make deliveries also put the time of their visits in a register. These registers will provide an additional data point, should any member of the company’s staff or stakeholders fall ill and persons need to be traced.

Each person who comes into the workplace, clients, contractors and workers, have to hand sanitize and are checked for visible health. Supervisors are required to check with staff on how they are feeling in addition to how they appear physically. Anyone not demonstrating health is set home.

The company already had previously invested in Remote Desktop software, the pandemic, Coe said, has compelled more team members to become more efficient in using the software.

Critically reviewing their business processes, Coe said they found ways to improve business efficiencies and cut costs in some areas of the operations. Among these are: moving the ordering process online, managing inventory and orders carefully to ensure that as much of the raw materials can become finished products on time to fill orders. This is also important in the case of a complete lockdown, so that they have product for sale and not raw materials when the market opens again.

China had been the preferred source for raw materials largely due to the lower costs, but since the pandemic, order lead times have gotten longer. Coe said that this pushed the company to look around for options and they have found suitable alternatives outside of China. On the buyers side, he said that companies that would normally be reliant on overseas suppliers are looking to local manufacturers like Orion for the same reason, and they have already responded to that demand.

Crediting the JMEA for helping to keep production going in the country, Coe said that the association successfully lobbied government to allow distilleries to sell ethyl alcohol on the local market at a time when there is great overseas demand for the product. A supply of ethyl alcohol will keep production lines open in the chemicals sector. Orion has itself responded to the market demand for sanitizers and has launched its own brand. As a result, their production lines are full as demand for the sanitizers is high.

Coe believes that staying positive and reducing negative influences will help businesses to succeed. The company wants to be a part of the national resilience and will be donating 5% of the value of the sales of sanitizers as product to the National Health Fund. He noted that things will become more challenging, but it will not help to have a negative outlook.

His final word to manufacturers was to join the JMEA and also make contact with other manufacturers for guidance on finding solutions. Look for other companies which are stronger than you that are looking to diversity their product offering, and get involved with them.

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Nestlé's Policies Prepared Company For A Mass Work-From-Home Situation

Nestlé's Policies Prepared Company For A Mass Work-From-Home Situation

April 2, 2020

Nestlé, which is among the top three food and beverage companies in the world, according to Forbes Magazine, is perhaps among the best prepared local companies to respond to emergencies. The company has had a presence in Jamaica for about 80 years.

Some of the local measures that have been activated to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic were raised during the April 1 edition of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) IG Live broadcast “The Productive Sector Speaks”. Nestlé Health and Wellness Foundation General Manager, Mr Garfene Grandison, hosted the broadcast and Safety, Health and Environment Manager, Antoinette Johnson Peart, and also HR Business Partner David Heath highlighted the company's actions.

The officials said that up to this point, the operations and sales of Nestlé Jamaica have not been impacted adversely. Many of Nestlé's products are mature brands in the Jamaican marketplace including the Milo beverage, Cheerios cereal, Maggi seasoning, Gerber baby food as well as their milk chocolate and coffees. As an international food company, Nestlé, they said, had a lot of experience on being prepared for emergencies that needed a global response.

Speaking on the company's response to social distancing while remaining productive, Heath said that its flexi-time work policy, which had been in place since 2016, made it fairly easy to increase the number of employees who work remotely. The policy sets out how supervisors and team members arrive at agreed performance levels that are to be achieved while working from anywhere. Heath said that the company had rolled out additional training resources to support supervisors and team members. Supervisors had been exposed to training on effectively scheduling and managing online meetings and keeping team members motivated.

The company has also been sharing work-from-home tips in the form of short notes that are posted online. The notes have included how to stay on schedule, the benefits of getting dressed for the day, and the importance of keeping the work space separate from living spaces.

Health and wellness is an area where Nestlé staff also getting support. The fitness coach has moved classes online and attendance at classes have even gone up. The company has also launched its online health services where staff members can schedule appointments with a medical doctor while at home.

Staff members can have access to the company’s financial assistance plan, which anticipates the impact of the pandemic on family income.

It is expected that the COVID-19 virus will depress production across all sectors and it remains to be seen what the effect of working remotely will have on labour productivity.

The 2018 edition of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Economic and Social Survey Jamaica (ESSJ) noted that there was an increase in labour productivity of real total value added (1.9 %), which was was largely driven by the positive performance of the Goods Producing Industry (4.4 %). This was the first increase in labour productivity since 2011.

The Presentation of the Report of the Jamaica Survey of Establishments 2018 which was conducted by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) and published by the PIOJ Foundations for Competitiveness Growth Project (FCGP) shows that the greatest amount of economic activity in Jamaica happens in the Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles sector. There were 6,288 establishments out of a total of 17,671 that surveyed.

Another measure that will be investigated after the pandemic will be which sectors were the most resilient for employment and labour, and why. The survey of establishments show that only 5% of employees worked for establishments that employed more than 51 persons; most worked for establishments that employed less than five persons. The economic size and nature of services offered by businesses will have an impact on establishments, in addition to other factors.

Nestlé's sheer size globally will help them to weather the economic shocks locally. Protecting and supporting their employees is an important part of business continuity and will support the recovery of their stakeholders in the shortest time.

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Entertainment Industry Urges Stakeholders to Level Up during COVID-19 Downtime

Entertainment Industry Urges Stakeholders to Level Up during COVID-19 Downtime

April 4, 2020

Television Jamaica aired a special programme on April 3 called “COVID and Entertainment the Beat Goes On” where Silver Cat opened with his Corona single and upcoming performer D’Yani closed the show, performing live on recorded tracks in an attractively lit studio.

Host Talia Soares with co-host Craigy T, engaged medical doctor and performance poet Michael Abrahams; journalist Dennis Brooks; international reggae artiste, Tarrus Riley; Chairman of the Entertainment Advisory Council of the Ministry of Culture, Entertainment, Gender and Sport, Howard McIntosh; and producer, artiste manager and promoter, Skatta Burrell.

As expected, the programme highlighted the impact across the sector, and considered actions that and opportunities that are presenting themselves for industry leaders and workers.

When asked if it was reasonable for artistes to be creating music related to the pandemic. Abrahams said that we are all living through this and it was ok to hear different perspectives, many humorous, as it will help people who are going through anxiety and depression to get through this uncertain time. Mr Vegas, Silver Cat, and Chris Martin have released music related to the COVID-19 virus.

Brooks highlighted the importance of social media in staying connected and that it was in fact displaying how some events are resilient to this and is transforming business interactions.

Silver Cat said that now he can mix a song to a digital platform and he can reach a producer without having to wait on being attended to by a producer.

Tarrus Riley said that separation is making people realise how much they appreciate each other. Experiencing an event can never be fully replicated over a digital device, he said, and urged artistes and athletes to stay clean and be ready to pick up when the pandemic is over. Tarrus Riley regretted that Bob Andy was not going to receive an official funeral as he had given so much through his writing and performance to the development of reggae music. Survival depends on each other, he stressed.

McIntosh said that the ministry is reaching out to stakeholders to find ways to support each other. He noted that employment in the tourism and events industry needed help and that the ministry was looking at ways to help these workers. He said that they were urging all, at every level, to use the time to get certified through online platforms as this is the way that the world was going.

There will be a new world order, said McIntosh, noting the importance of networking and joining industry associations and enhancing careers through certification as the importance of certification is going to grow. He explained that these new skills will help to maximise the opportunities on the digital platforms. He also said that processes will become more standardized and learn towards efficiency such as holding meetings on digital platforms rather than travelling to attend meetings.

Skatta Burrell also urged young artistes to use the time to grow. He advised that they should listen to more music and different kinds of music, broaden horizons, arm themselves with information and reduce general ignorance of how societies outside of their experience operate. He said that they should educate and lift themselves to another level as this will save their careers in the long run.

Going forward, McIntosh said that international recording reggae artiste Chris Martin was planning a telethon for Easter Sunday specifically to help industry workers who cannot earn if events are not held.

Skatta Burrell explained that social media was an important way to for artistes to promote material on streaming platforms, and that he had been informed that these platforms had been growing. He highlighted that selector Tony Matterhorn had been hosting an online dance where patrons pay small funds to keep the music going. The programme ended with optimism that the industry would rebound.

Theatre practitioners were not on the panel, but the 2018 Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Economic and Social Survey Jamaica has the clearest representation of the scope of activity over other kinds of entertainment productions. It comprehensively says that 15 plays opened in 2017 and 17 plays opened in 2018, reliable data on their activities.

Stage shows, street parades and dance party type events do not find their way into this official report, and the suggestion for members of the panel like McIntosh and Skatta Burrell for levelling-up may apply as it is published figures that support transparency and veracity.

Even as the country is focused on handling the immediate health emergency, it is useful to note that there are 113 persons assigned to central and local government agencies trained in post disaster needs assessment for the cultural industries.

This is noted in the 2018 Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Economic and Social Survey Jamaica. This corps of persons can assist to assess the impact of a disaster and define a strategy for recovery. It pulls together information on economic damages and losses, as well as highlights priorities from a human development perspective.

Another area that the industry could be examining is the access that its players will have to financial assistance from commercial entities. The ESSJ notes that loans to the industry had been in decline and at the end of December 2018, the outstanding stock of loans and advances to the Entertainment industry at Commercial Banks is 0.3 per cent of the total stock; in 2017 it was 0.7 per cent of the total stock.

Jamaica has highlighted the cultural industries as an area for growth but expansion of the loan base in 2018 occurred for the industries Transport, Storage & Communication 38.9 per cent; Electricity, Gas & Water, 13.3 per cent; and Distribution, 8.6 per cent. Entertainment went down down 44.5 per cent, Professional & Other Services down 18.2 per cent and a continued reduction in the crowding out effect of Government borrowing, down 16.9 per cent. Consumer Loans increased by 3.5% and accounted for 55.5 per cent of the total stock of loans & advances.

The 2018/2019 budget for art and culture was J$1.7 billion, included in this would be investments by JAMPRO of $408 million. The promotion of the industry will need increased support after the pandemic has passed.

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Big Three Sports Determined To Stay Fit and Use Time To Plan

Big Three Sports Determined To Stay Fit and Use Time To Plan

April 11, 2020

Football, Track and Field and Horseracing are indeed the “big three” of sports in Jamaica as they were featured on the April 9, 2020 Television Jamaica special live “town hall” programme “COVID-19 The Economy of Sports” where Jordan Forte served as host.

Six panelists on the live programme were: Minister of Culture, Gender Entertainment and Sport Hon Olivia “Babsy Grange”; Sports Marketing Specialist, Carole Beckford; National Track and Field Coach, Principal of Sprint Tech and Principal of the GC Foster College, Maurice Wilson; Former Olympic sprinter and President of the Jamaica Olympians Association, Marvin Anderson; JFF National Team Manager Roy Simpson and; Chairman of Main Events Entertainment Group, Chairman of Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment (SVRE) and Chairman of Caymanas Park, Solomon Sharpe.

The focus of the discussion was about what the actors across sporting bodies should be doing during the COVID-19 shutdown of all sporting activities which started on March 10 with the announcement of the first person infected in Jamaica. The Sport of Kings was the last to stop activities on March 22.

Accepting the courtesy of delivering opening statements, Grange said that the ministry had been giving financial support to Olympians and that sporting associations will continue to receive monthly subventions. With regards to other athletes and local clubs, Grange indicated that the government is looking at responses, including one-off grants and applications, through the GoJ CARE programme, which has the scope to assist sports and the creative sectors.

The heartbreak of course is the impact that the shutdown has had on athletes. National squash champion, Christopher Binnie, said that missing about six tournaments, so far, had a real impact on his income. Elite national hurdler Danielle Williams who spectacularly qualified for last year’s world games outside of national trials now sees another setback for an Olympic debut.

Beckford, who staged the professional conference series, The Business of Sport, said since the start of the year, 330 accumulated days of active sport has been lost so far, with football, track and field and netball accounting for 70% of these fixtures. Additionally, 20 of 92 horseracing days have already been lost. Horseracing is estimated to directly and indirectly provide employment for 12,000 individuals, including medical professionals, farmers and persons involved in the betting environment.

The word from the representatives of the sporting associations was that athletes should focus on staying in shape, and those under contract should get help to professionally review how the situation could have an impact on them and what actions they can take to mitigate the effects. Track coach Wilson said that this is a watershed year and that in the last two to three weeks he has seen developments in sport and that Jamaica must capitalize on them. He said that the payment that government has been making to athletes was very appreciated. From his position as educator with knowledge of the importance of qualifications in sport, Wilson said that athletes and other persons in the industry should be using this time to earn certification that can build their brand. Wilson also said that coaches are having regular sessions with their athletes, motivating them and reminding them that it is in their interest and their responsibility to keep in shape.

Anderson of the Olympians' association said that athletes are being kept informed about developments and guided how to be ready for next moves. He said there were no quick fixes but repeated that athletes must maintain physical activity. On the matter of contracts, he said that each contract is different, but most earnings come from competition, and not all expire in an Olympic year. He said that the association is advising athletes to go through their contracts with an attorney to ensure that they complete all their obligations, irrespective of whether they can attended meets or not, and understand what to expect and how to act in their best interest.

For football, Simpson said that each national player has a training schedule that starts on Tuesday, and players will be called back in small groups at the end of the month to be tested. With regards to overseas based players, their programmes are monitored by their clubs, which includes data from GPS. The word that he had for the squad is to get ready for the matches that will come. Sports in Jamaica is embedded in communities, and none more so in this era, than football. Simpson said that the loss of match day economic activity is felt in communities. With the comatose state of football, Simpson said that the role of the federation now is to use the time to do research and to plan.

Horseracing’s needs were outlined by Sharpe who said that all aspects of the care and training of horses is still underway at Caymanas Park and stables and farms across the country. He mentioned that when racing returned, there will not be enough gates to accommodate the conditioned horses.

In addressing the legacy of COVID-19, the panelists said that openness to doing business differently will be important going forward. Beckford noted that Olympians, and other athletes should learn how to use their out-of-event activities to endear themselves to sports lovers and grow a fan base using social media. This, she said included being consistent so that you can become a part of people’s online lives. Giving suggestions such as putting up training and meal preparation activities, Beckford said that international sports stars were doing this wearing branded gear, and the fan base will be considered in negotiations down the road.

Wilson said that he did not see any more athletics meets for the rest of the year for reasons of financing and also fairness. The national coach said that major sponsors, such as shoe companies. were not making any sales, so those sponsorship doors are now closed for the season. On the point of fairness, he noted that federations are built around principles that promote fairness and equity, and that a quick return to competition would be unfair to many athletes whose training would have been disrupted and could not yet have been restored.

Supporting this, Anderson said that when the world will be focused on recovering from the pandemic, sports will not be a top priority. He said that this would be a good time for local athletics bodies to consult and arrive at a definition of amateur athlete and another for professional athlete, and provide appropriate support and career paths for the benefit of both categories.

On the importance of managing risk in staging sporting events, Beckford and Sharpe pointed out that top level British events: Wimbledon tennis championships; and in horseracing Royal Ascot, Grand National and the Derby are covered by pandemic insurance, and that the prescience of these arrangements, they underscored, should not be ignored.

Sharpe said that SVRE had scrutinized the calendar to see what race days can be recovered and were planning to apply to the racing commission as soon as it was appropriate. He highlighted the financial impact of gaming, including non-horseracing gaming, generated more than $7 billion in tax revenue last year. Horseracing, despite employing more people throughout the year than any other sport, is currently a loss leader in the SVRE portfolio. The culture of watching races in Jamaica is in small off-track betting shops, which presents challenges to business growth and development. The SVRE would move to a system of wagering that would diversify the model beyond OTBs, but this may be excessively disruptive to how the sport is enjoyed by its loyal fan base.

The Sports minister said that the country was advanced in discussions with the Commonwealth Secretariat to put in place a framework to gather data on the contribution of sport to national development and the economy. Beckford said that the current time was an opportunity for agencies of the state - and she named the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) - to collect that data and begin presenting the economic value of sports into the Economic and Social Survey (ESSJ).

The 90 minute programme included a vox pop from a town centre which indicated that the "man on the street" is eager to have sports return to the Jamaican lifestyle.

The 2018 Economic and Social Survey Jamaica (ESSJ) published by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) records that in 2018, Sports Development Foundation (SDF) grants were: Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) $47 million, 19% of total association disbursements; Jamaica Athletic Administrative Association (JAAA) $27.8 million, 11% of the total; and Jamaica Cricket Association $16.2 million which was 6% of total disbursements. Netball Jamaica was in fourth place receiving $14.3 million. Perhaps there were other grants during the year, but in 2018 and 2019, Horseracing, received $80 million through its regulatory body, the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC), putting it on top of the list of recipients of government money.

It could be proposed that such annual data with analysis would include linkages to labour and employment, level of education and qualifications achieved by industry participants, economic linkages to tourism, linkages to education, health and wellness, gender disaggregated data, age disaggregated data, infrastructure in place, and linkages to poverty eradication, crime and violence reduction and national security. The 2018 ESSJ shows the real value of sport combined in a grouping with recreational and other cultural activities. The entire group has moved less than 1% point in real value added between the decade 2008 to 2017.

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Benjamins At Full Power

Benjamins At Full Power

April 10, 2020

Benjamins, makers of a range of products for pharmaceuticals, personal care, food preparation, and cleaning products was featured in the penultimate edition of the JMEA IG Live series “The Production Sector Speaks” on April 9. Marketing Manager Michelle Valentine and Pharmacist Heroy Thomas hosted the broadcast and gave a brief overview of the 140 year-old company highlighting its ISO 9001 2015 certification.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was a call to action for Benjamins, as they had the infrastructure and distribution network in place to help satisfy the escalating demand for consumer and industrial sanitization products, both of which Benjamins had the capacity to produce. The company is also under pressure to supply products that are raw materials for other manufacturers. To maximise the production opportunities, the company scrutinized its processes, suppliers and clients in the context of its business health. Suppliers in China were not in a position to deliver within the required timeline, so the company did research and entered into arrangements with suppliers from other countries. They made a decision to rapidly bring a new sanitization product on the market, and concurrently reviewed production processes to see how to speed up lines without compromising safety and quality.

The result was extending the production schedule to six days per week running on 24 hour shifts and Benjamin’s 70% ethyl alcohol hand sanitizer was in the hands of regional distributor Facey Commodities. Both companies have been working closely together for more than 50 years.

In order to deliver on the expectations, keeping staff morale high is critical, and the measures to demonstrate a commitment to employee safety and that of their families was as important as meeting production schedules. During the broadcast, the executives quoted that it has produced 500,000 units of products, indicating that this was an increase over a corresponding period.

Benjamin’s, like many others, has expanded work-from-home and introduced additional actions to reduce the spread of the virus on its property. All staff and customers have to go through a temperature check on arrival and undertake hand sanitization. The company has reminders posted around the workplace and also spoken through daily intercom broadcasts. Staff also receive a weekly allotment of sanitization products and masks for their personal use. Work-from-home staff participate in a daily teleconference with other team members to keep staff focused on achieving production goals.

Charitable giving as a part of corporate social responsibility also featured in the broadcast. The company has increased donations to non-profits including Missionaries for the Poor, Food for the Poor, and Open Heart Ministries. It also gives sanitization and cleaning product to government infirmaries, the Central Police Station and the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

The 2018 Economic and Social Survey Jamaica (ESSJ) noted that electricity consumption between 2017 and 2018 grew by 3.9 million kWh, representing 0.12%. Keeping companies in production in the face of the shut down of the hotel industry will positively impact the electricity and water supply industry which had been cautiously anticipating expanded consumption.

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