PROJECT OVERVIEW

Prefab Warehouse & Distribution Center

Trinidad and Tobago’s flourishing economy has one of the highest GDP per capita based on purchasing power in the Americas due to its vast resources of oil and gas. However, they are still very focused on diversifying and transforming their economy, so they have been very welcoming to international businesses that want to invest and set up shop there. It was not surprising, then, that our client, Unicomer Group , a leading retail company in Latin America and the Caribbean, decided to drastically expand its presence in the area since it opened its doors there almost three decades ago.

Prefab Warehouse, Bringing 3,000,000 lbs of steel to life

Allied Steel Buildings proudly helped Unicomer Group bring three million pounds of structural steel to life in Trinidad. The 323,000-square-foot prefab warehouse campus—bigger than the Colosseum amphitheater in Rome—was erected in merely eight weeks and is now one of the largest towers in the Caribbean, housing a warehouse, a distribution center warehouse , offices, and retailers.

Unicomer’s new building is located in Freeport, in west-central Trinidad, and it includes a 240,000-square-foot distribution center , office space for the company’s staff, and a technical service center for one of its brands named ServiTech as well as retail space for Courts, another one of its brands. This massive campus quickly became the new hub for commercial and business development in Freeport. Not only does it provide a boost to local shipping and distribution industries, but it also provides many job opportunities for talent in the area.

The company’s total investment was about 50 million dollars, and today, The Unicomer Group is one of the largest employers and retailers in the region with roughly 1,000 employees serving over 1 million customers. They have established several well-known retail brands there, such as Courts, Ashley HomeStore, RadioShack, and Lucky Dollar.

The Journey

The journey from concept to completion had many challenges, including working with multiple international vendors, and meeting with the retailer’s decision makers in various countries. But some challenges are also opportunities, as the international meetings with our client afforded us a solid foundation for success with a mutually beneficial deep understanding of expectations for the building and an unmatched level of trust between the two companies. This project was a massive undertaking, but transparent communication and responsiveness to the Unicomer’s design aesthetic and structural considerations ensured no detail was overlooked. The client was satisfied, and the project was completed on time.

Allied is extremely proud to have played a small part in increasing the economic development in Trinidad and Tobago, and this successful complex project is a testament of our ability to work and thrive in various locations. Building strategic relationships with suppliers and overcoming challenges are two strengths we have honed over our many projects and years in business.