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| Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean inspects a locally made toy-box in the room display of a boy’s bedroom.?? Chief Executive Officer (Ag) of the Barbados Investment & Development Corporation, Diane Brooks and President of the Barbados Manufacturing Association, David Foster look on. (C.Pitt/BGIS)?? |
Barbadian manufactures have been praised for their resilience during adversity and their ability to accelerate creativity to the fore.
The accolades have come from Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean, who said: "In spite of the economic crisis and the challenging financial times… local manufacturers have managed to maintain a high standard of excellence in the production of quality products".
Delivering the feature address at the opening of the Barbados 2012 Holiday and Home Furnishing and Decorative Accessories Expo, she noted that Barbadian manufacturers continued to pursue innovative ways to produce and market their products.
The exposition, which is now in its second year, was originally established by the Council for Investment, Exports, Foreign Exchange and the Diaspora (CIEX), a department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Senator McClean noted the event was one which exemplified the "diverse mix of product and service offerings" this island had to offer.??
Commending the organisers of BMEX for hosting the Expo within an Expo, she pointed out that the Holiday and Home Furnishing exhibition featured room displays that represented traditional Bajan households.
She explained: "These are the rooms in which we spend the majority of our waking moments – the kitchens, the bedrooms, the living rooms, the social spaces and even the work areas; they are the places we inhabit on a day-to-day basis."
Reasoning that the exhibits shown confirmed that quality products to suit any room d??cor could be found on the island, she concluded that the products represented the highest standard in design and manufacturing in Barbados.
"This shows that the local manufacturing sector is continuing to evolve.?? The sector is now being driven by available technology and there are efforts to incorporate innovative designs into the production process," she continued.
??"Manufacturers are fusing new materials with the traditional ones and fashioning their products in new ways to create the superior products on display here today.?? This is an example of how we can utilise existing resources and ideas and merge them with fresh materials to conceptualise and manufacture great products," the Foreign Affairs Minister said.??