Region, Nosara

JCB President: “We Have Always Had the Technical Studies”

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Juan Carlos Bolaños, president of JCB, the group in charge of building the dike along the Nosara River, defended the group against accusations made by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC- Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Comercio) and the Costa Rican Institute of Cement and Concrete (ICCYC- Instituto Costarricense del Cemento y Concreto), facing an alleged lack of technical studies on the quality of SINOCEM cement imported from China.

Did JCB you receive a notification from Senara or another entity to not use the cement imported from China for forming the dike on the Nosara River?

In effect, last Friday, (April 10th), SENARA and CNE notified us to suspend the project as a result of a complaint from an anonymous society that calls itself the Costa Rican Institute of Cement and Concrete, a note simply based on assumptions and lacking any technical support. I clarify that this anonymous society is formed and maintained by a Board of Directors composed of members or active officials of CEMEX and HOLCIM, a logical and understandable reason for the interest behind such action that we consider irregular.

Why did JCB decide to use the imported SINOCEM concrete instead of HOLCIM, CEMEX, or another [brand]?

The Chinese cement is better quality and cheaper than what is produced nationally, as is stated in our international certification provided to MEIC, and in laboratory studies already performed by LANAMME UCR, in which our cement exceeded the Costa Rican technical standard by 94% in tests of endurance and compression.

What type of cement does JCB usually use in construction?

The one that gives better results in the mixtures and in the concrete designs that are sampled and documented before each project.

Does JCB have technical studies to support the quality of the imported cement for use in the work?

We have always had them. Since before it was imported, studies were conducted in laboratories in Miami as well as in Switzerland, and now we also have studies from LANAMME UCR.

Do you have an estimated time period for resuming work (paralyzed since April 10)? Is a delay likely in the final completion of the work?

We hope, according to documents provided to MEIC, CNE and SENARA that support and guarantee full compliance with all of the technical standards, both national and international regulations that regulate cement, that would guarantee us that if things are done right, work would resume next week, and this would not involve any delay in the contracted construction work.

What is the connection between JCB and SINOCEM of Costa Rica SA?

They are part of the same corporate group. 

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