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How the company started
Dumore Enterprises was incorporated in 1981. It was initially formed by the Jodhan brothers, Dan, Roddy, Joey and Jaisree who are the first generation. I am part of the second generation in the family business. My role in the company is as a Director and I also play the role of Managing Director at Dutorx Custom Solutions. We also now have other members of the second generation on the board of directors as well. This plays an important part of our development as we continue to position ourselves for the future. Our value proposition must exceed what is required for today’s standards with a strong focus on what is required tomorrow.
The company started off doing vehicle rentals and auto body repairs followed closely with oilfield and industrial supplies. The company then expanded into transportation services and together those services grew into what we have now. The company now has a series of divisions:
Firstly, Oilfield and Industrial Supplies Division – where we sell nuts and bolts, gaskets, tools as well as specialty engineering products, shelving products etc. We also manufacture gaskets (soft, semi metallic and metallic gaskets) as well as studs.
Secondly our Rental Division – where we offer long term leasing of fleets of vehicles, inclusive of insurance, maintenance and replacement vehicle services.
Thirdly we have our Transport Division – this is a trucking division that handles containerized cargo, OCTG cargo, equipment. Essentially standard and non-standard cargo; oversized and heavy loads.
Very recently we also took on a mechanical services business – Dutorx Custom Solutions. This business does mechanical services for joint integrity and pipeline modification operations. We supply the tools and pumps for rental, perform services, calibrate and maintain equipment. We also do training to support these activities.
In each division we have innovative strategies that we put in place to be able to differentiate ourselves in the market, strengthening relationships with our customers.
Do you see the growth of the business being family driven?
What has been evident is the family culture that has been ingrained in the business. Many of our employees are long-standing and that is credited to the culture set by the first generation. Our employees have chosen to build a life with us, something we feel very proud about. It has helped us in building that cohesive unit.
In terms of moving things forward, it’s not just family when you talk about people with the same last name, it’s all of our employees. It’s the people who add value to what we do on a daily basis.
What are the main growth areas for your business?
Our growth will come from positioning ourselves as market leaders and create better relationships with our customers. Executing our job to the highest standards and finding ways to improve will support our growth. We are also developing these execution strategies based on driving our customer’s efficiency. It’s about looking at that whole transaction without leaving out those key pieces that happen before and after completion.
In terms of our growth we do see and have faith about the news we’ve heard in recent days in Trinidad & Tobago although we continue to be conscious of the fact that commodity prices have made things very challenging. Through our continuous improvement and commitment to finding new ways to add value we have been able to navigate these times.
In this environment you have to be cost sensitive and understand how you can compete with clients who want to get the best value but don’t have the budgets of $100 USD oil.
Also, a big growth path for us would be regionally. Trinidad & Tobago has a long-established services sector and we are a part of that sector. There are things that we do here that you cannot find in many other places. What we have been able to create over the years, the value that has been created can benefit customers both domestically and within the region. Our export markets benefit from our products and services. We continue to build and develop those areas through our business processes.
We export our products and services to the Caribbean including Antigua, St Lucia, Jamaica, Barbados and to South America to Suriname and Guyana.
Reducing emissions in the Transport Sector
Dumore has operated a fleet of CNG vehicles whose combined distance of travel is 28 million kilometers. This is evidence of our success with natural gas vehicles and proof that it works as an alternative fuel. These kilometers were driven at a lower cost of fuel and a much lower emission of greenhouse gases.
Natural gas has a big role to play especially in countries like Trinidad & Tobago whose electricity is not generated by renewable energy sources. Our ability to make a change today shows viability with Natural Gas, in reducing our carbon footprint. We have natural gas, we have the natural gas pipeline infrastructure, with fueling becoming more and more convenient. Spark ignition engines can easily to convert to a CNG powered vehicle.
The cost for conversion is very attractive and the increasing cost of fuel also makes that proposition more attractive. We have seen that this offers a good alternative and a way for people to save money especially for people that drive longer distances. I also think that this helps us make a transition and manage our carbon footprint by utilizing natural gas as a fuel. If you were to switch to an electric vehicle it is being charged by power which is being derived from a power plant burning natural gas – so unless we have that transition to renewables, we will still be dependent on fossil fuels for power; supporting the relevance of Natural Gas.
For Trinidad & Tobago we do not have the land space like some other countries where thousands of acres can be used for solar farms. We can use Natural Gas power generation and offset this with a carbon sink that processes the proportionate amount or more of that plant. Policy and market conditions drive these changes also. Carbon credits can become an interesting conversation to offset emissions using this economic driver. Natural gas is a cleaner, greener option and when we begin to transition our power sources to renewables, natural gas is working for us today.