A new era for Zookie Trucking

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

The company on Tuesday launched its new product offering, which consists of a 420-square-foot, two-bedroom home equipped with a bathroom, combined kitchen, dining and living space 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 installed within 48 hours, in one- and three-bedroom varieties. With a durability of 50 years or more, housing solutions come with electrical and plumbing installations that can be connected directly to sewerage, water supplies and the local electricity grid.

Prefabricated units are not new to Zoukie Trucking Group or its subsidiary DM Equipment. About 15 years ago, the company started offering prefabricated units for commercial purposes – offices, police stations, hospital wards and schools. In fact, the company was contracted during the COVID-19 pandemic to set up a ward to treat patients infected with the virus at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

However, the company has come a long way since its founding by Anthony John Merzouka in the 1970s. At the time, the company operated a single forklift at the Port of Kingston, transferring goods to waiting trucks. Over time, Merzouga himself began working in the transportation field, purchasing his own trucks to transport goods from the port to the rest of Jamaica.

In the 2000s, the founder transferred the business to his son, Duane, who demonstrated the business acumen to guide the company. The younger Merzouga was already running a heavy equipment company – DM Equipment – ​​that supplied cranes, forklifts and generators to commercial developers, and later spun off the company to become a subsidiary of Zoukie Trucking.

“So, it was his vision that turned the company into what we are today, from the location to Newport West and moving it here and centralizing operations where we were operating out of three different properties,” Chief Operating Officer (COO) Michel Henry told the Business Observer.

The three properties she referred to were on Marcus Garvey Drive, in Newport West, and in Spanish Town, in Katherine. A few years ago, the company consolidated all of its operations into the Seaview Gardens community.

“We built this property five years ago and moved to Chesterfield Drive,” Henry explained.

The COO joined the company in 2007, has seen her fair share of transformation, and was part of the discussions surrounding obtaining a central location for the Zoukie Trucking operation. She was also instrumental in the company’s introduction of prefabricated units to the Jamaican market.

As with any new idea, the containerized units were not initially well received by the company’s customers.

“Our Jamaicans were used to brick and steel so they were very skeptical,” Henry recalls.

However, because DM Equipments marketed the modular units as affordable and readily available alternatives to brick-and-mortar structures, over time the company saw a growth in take up of its product, as it was used as temporary offices and classrooms.

Extolling the benefits of the product, Henry told the Business Observer: “When (customers) look at the efficiency of delivery, finishing and timeline, I think those are the three things that really caught the market’s attention – and the cost, and the option if you have leased land, it’s removable.

With the eventual success of the modules, the company began to look into supplying prefabricated homes to meet the local demand for housing solutions. Henry noted that since the world had already begun to look for similar products, which DM Equipment was already providing for commercial use, it was a natural progression for the company to do the same.

Just last year, Zoukie Trucking imported its first prototype home to test against the Jamaican climate. Thanks to insulated floors, roof and double-glazed windows, the units can withstand heat and winds of up to 250 kilometers per hour, the same intensity as a Category 5 hurricane.

“Double glazed windows have multiple benefits; For one thing, for security reasons (because) it is more resistant against external forces. “Secondly, it has extra reinforcement and insulation that helps heat escape and cool air inside, and thirdly, it is stronger against external forces such as falling trees or rocks being thrown at them,” Campbell, the company’s project manager, explained to Business Monitor.

The company will partner with Smart Haves Ltd to distribute the units. So far, the unit has generated some inquiries with customers expressing their willingness to purchase. However, Campbell preferred not to give credit to those who expressed interest.

Looking to the future, Henry said Zookie Trucking will continue to look for opportunities to further integrate the company’s trucking, equipment and modules. However, the company is currently facing a labor skills shortage in its transportation division.

“The challenge we have faced recently is the migration of skilled employees. This is now the biggest impact on our business. So, as soon as we train the employees (leadership), they migrate. We cannot compete with the offers that people receive abroad,” Henry noted.

According to her, given the company’s reputation for training truck drivers, the company will lose its employees to Canada, as they will be assigned to work in that country after training the drivers. In fact, it reported that most drivers who applied to work in Canada were successful.

Given the scarcity of skilled truck drivers, the company is tapping into the younger demographic in the labor pool to fill the gap.

“We have recently been recruiting young drivers which we are trying with, but it is a challenge for us because of the accident levels and the level of dedication is not really there,” said Henry, although he remains optimistic.

She is encouraged by the commitment of General Manager Duane Marzouga and his sister, Michelle, to preserving their father’s legacy. Henry described them as passionate, and said the two are eager to ensure Zookie Trucking continues to be an effective company with the right support for employees.