SANTO DOMINGO.-The Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) has begun implementing quality control requirements for asphalt production at companies in the sector.
In this regard, the institution certified the first company in the evaluated group, the firm Alba Sánchez, which obtained an excellent rating for the production of hot asphalt concrete.
During a ceremony held at the company's asphalt processing plant in Los Cajuilitos, San Cristóbal province, Minister Deligne Ascención was in charge of presenting the certification to Guillermo and Alfredo Alba, top executives of the Alba Sánchez firm.
Ascención emphasized that issuing the certification is a power that falls under the purview of the MOPC, and that the institution has therefore decided to evaluate all asphalt companies, "in order to ensure that the companies contracted by Public Works or other public entities for asphalt placement meet the required standards.".
Also, so that the private sector has the guarantee and security that, respecting the free market, it can prefer companies that have certification from the Ministry of Public Works.”.
He considered that asphalt production is not only a legal activity, but also fundamental for the development of the Dominican Republic and the well-being of its citizens.
The MOPC Quality Commission aims to ensure that the work contracted by the MOPC in the construction and repair of public road works carried out in hot asphalt concrete complies with national and international standards and the requirements of the contract between the MOPC and the contractors.
“This is an effort that has been developed both in the Vice Ministry of Planning, headed by Ángel Salvador Tejeda, and in the Directorate of Internal Control, directed by Mr. Sócrates Paulino, and in these certification works is Ms. Zallita Ivonne Mejía, who have developed a commendable work and effort in the validation, not only of the certification of the plant, but in the entire process, which has to do with the production of asphalt,” he highlighted.
He stated that the delivery of the certification to Alba Sánchez is not the only one, since there are 21 other evaluated companies that should have received them, "but due to time constraints it was difficult to travel to all of them.".
Ascención stated that the MOPC will set a deadline for certifications, and that some companies that may not pass the test will be given time, since the interest of this action is not to remove any company from the market or competition, but rather to ensure that companies contracting with the government and specifically with the Ministry of Public Works do so at the required quality levels.”.
“When quality levels are not met, this translates into a product that does not meet the requirements, because when you have a plant that is turned on one day and lasts another five days in repair, due to the levels of obsolescence, it translates into a situation of social loss, because communities take longer to receive the benefit of the work being done on them, and also for the company itself.”.
He congratulated Alfredo and Guillermo Alba, heads of the Alba Sánchez firm, for complying with the required standards. “Knowing that you and other companies in the Dominican Republic have the necessary quality to carry out efficient work within the rules of the system, while acknowledging that all business activity seeks profit, it is also undertaken with a sense of responsibility, with the understanding that, in any country, but especially a poor one, the investment made must be one that lasts longer.”.
Speaking on behalf of the company, its president, Guillermo Alba, said that receiving the certification from the MOPC “reaffirms the work we have been doing for more than 40 years, and the objectives of maintaining quality levels with world-class facilities in order to have projects that last over time.”.
He thanked Minister Ascención, as well as the MOPC officials and technicians present at the event. He said he was pleased to show them the company's production capabilities to meet all needs.
Gabriel Aguilera, president of the National Association of Asphalt Producers, said that Minister Ascención has the support of everyone in the sector and a great interest in ensuring that the works last over time.
The MOPC Quality Commission is made up of the Vice Ministry of Planning and Technical Regulation, represented by the Directorate of Materials Quality and Geotechnics; the Vice Ministry of Works Supervision and Inspection, represented by the Directorate of Supervision and Inspection; the Vice Ministry of Road Maintenance, represented by the Directorate of Paving; the Technical Directorate and the General Directorate of Internal Control, represented by the Specialized Unit of AC-30 and Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA).
