Zoukie Trucking Group is now entering a new era as its subsidiary, DM Equipment Company Limited, is now distributing prefabricated modular homes.

On Tuesday, the company launched its new product offering of a 420 square-foot, two-bedroom home outfitted with a bathroom and combined kitchen, dining and living space that comes at a cost of $6.5 million.

DM Equipment Project Manager Joshelle Campbell told the Jamaica Observer that the company will provide the foldable housing solution, which can be erected in 48 hours, in one-bedroom and three-bedroom varieties. With a durability of 50 years or more, the housing solutions come with electrical and plumbing fittings that can be directly connected to sewerage and water supplies, and local electricity grid.

Prefab modular units are not new to the Zoukie Trucking Group or its subsidiary DM Equipment. Some 15 years ago the company began offering prefab modular units for commercial purposes — offices, police stations, hospital wards, and schools. In fact, the company was contracted during the COVID-19 pandemic to erect a ward to treat patients affected by the virus at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

Still the company has come a far way since its founding by Anthony John Marzouka in the 1970s. Back then, the company operated a single forklift at the Port of Kingston, transporting cargo to waiting trucks. Over time, Marzouca himself began operating in the transportation business, purchasing his own trucks to transport goods from the port to the rest of Jamaica.

In the 2000s, the founder passed the business to his son Duane, who had demonstrated the business acumen to steer the company. The younger Marzouca was already operating a heavy equipment company — DM Equipment — providing cranes, forklifts and generators to commercial developers, and later he ceded the company to become a subsidiary of Zoukie Trucking.

“So, his vision was the one that transformed the company to where we are today, from the location to Newport West and moving it onto here and centralising the operations where we were operating from three different properties,” Chief Operating Officer (COO) Michelle Henry told the Business Observer.

The three prperties to which she referred were on Marcus Garvey Drive, at Newport West, and in Spanish Town, Catherine. A few years ago the company consolidated all its operations in the Seaview Gardens community.

“It was five years ago that we built this property and moved to Chesterfield Drive,” Henry explained further.

Joining the company in 2007, the COO has seen her fair share of its transformation, and has been a part of the discussions surrounding having a central location for the Zoukie Trucking operation. She also played an integral role in the company’s introduction of prefabricated modular units to the Jamaican market.

As with any novel idea, the containerised units were not initially well-received by the company’s clientele.

“Our Jamaicans are used to the block and steel and so were very sceptical,” Henry recalled.

However, as DM Equipments marketed the modular units as affordable and readily available alternatives to brick-and-mortar structures, the company over time saw the take-up of its product grow, being used as makeshift offices and classrooms.

Extolling the benefits of the product, Henry told the Business Observer: “When [customers] look at the efficiency of the delivery and the finishing and timeline, I think those were the three things that really grabbed the market’s attention — and the cost, and the option if you have a leased land, it’s removable.”

With the eventual success of modular units, the company began looking at supplying prefabricated modular homes to meet local demand for housing solutions. Henry pointed out that since the world had already begun looking at similar products, which DM Equipment was already supplying for commercial use, it was a natural progression for the company to do the same.

Just last year Zoukie Trucking imported its first modular home for testing against the Jamaican climate. With insulated flooring, roof and double-glazed windows, the units can withstand heat and winds of up to 250 kilometres per hour — the same intensity of a category five hurricane.

“The double-glazed windows have multiple benefits; for one, security reasons [because] it’s more durable against external forces. Two, it has additional reinforcements and insulation that helps the heat out and the cool air inside and, three, it is stronger against external forces such as fallen trees or rocks being thrown at it,” Campbell, the company’s project manager, explained to the Business Observer.

The company will be partnering with Smart Haves Ltd to distribute the units. So far, the unit has generated some queries with customers expressing a willingness to purchase. Campbell, however, preferred not to give an estimate of those expressing interest.

Looking ahead, Henry said Zoukie Trucking will continue to look for opportunities to further integrate the trucking, equipment and modular unit company. For now, however, the company faces a labour-skill shortage in its haulage division.

“The challenge that we have faced recently is the migration of skilled staff. That’s the biggest impact now on our business. So, as soon as we train the [driving] staff they migrate. And we cannot compete with the offers people get overseas,” Henry pointed out.

According to her, given the company’s renown for training truck drivers, the company is losing its staff to Canada as, after training the drivers, they are recruited for work in that country. In fact, she stated that most drivers who have applied to work in Canada have been successful.

Given the dearth of skilled truck drivers, the company is tapping the younger demographic of the labour pool to fill the gap.

“We recently employed young drivers we are trying with, but it is challenging for us because of the accident levels and the level of dedication is not really there,” Henry shared, though remaining hopeful.

She is encouraged by the commitment of Managing Director Duane Marzouca, and his sister Michelle, to keep their father’s legacy alive. Describing them as passionate, Henry said that the two are keen on ensuring that Zoukie Trucking continues to be an efficient company with the right support for staff.