Among the productions of these projects are approximately 1,000 tons of base for ecological paint, 900,000 liters of Pinturas Corona, 300,000 plugs, 20,000 switches, 280,000 sockets, 170,000 LED-lamp bases and 285,000 plumbing fixtures.

These projects have shown how productive chains, partnerships among socialist state enterprises, import substitution and links with academia can be attained, efforts proposed by President Miguel Díaz-Canel to boost the national economy.

One of these endeavors involved the paint manufacturer Pinturas Corona, which in 2020 supplied over 1,300,000 liters to the program for the local production and sale of construction materials through its partnership with the Local Industry Enterprise Group, to distribute and produce their product.

Partnerships between enterprises, whether suppliers of raw materials or developers of products, with the application of science and practical knowledge, have achieved the creation of new high-impact products for use in decisive lines of work within the Housing Program.

Manuel Vázquez Enríquez, head of Micon’s program for the local production of construction materials, explained to Granma that the productive chain and cooperative efforts with Pinturas Corona, Azcuba, the González Lines Enterprise and the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICIMAR) made possible, among other accomplishments, the reactivation, with Cuban raw materials, of a paint factory in Holguín, associated with the Azcuba Central Enterprise Management Group. This facility was inoperative due to the unavailability of imported materials.

The partnership of Pinturas Corona with ICIMAR, affiliated with the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, sought to develop, with the use of science, bacteria that produce cellulose as paint thickener, a process that can be applied later by other enterprises.
Pinturas Corona has partnered with the Institute of Marine Sciences to develop bacteria that produce cellulose as paint thickener. Photo: Ricardo López Hevia

Currently, a paint factory is under construction in the Havana municipality of Marianao, by a brigade from the Demolition and Construction Enterprise, affiliated with the Gelma group, under the franchise of Pinturas Corona, which will contribute with technology and knowledge in the production of polymers and the manufacturing of different types of paints, including anticorrosive, enamel, waterproof, and high-quality hygienic, among others; also adhering to their systems of quality assurance and environment protection, in order to meet the high demand of the Ministry of Agriculture, with no expenses in hard currency required.

By means of the science applied by Pinturas Corona and Azcuba, in collaboration with the Sugar Cane Research Institute, they plan to produce an anticorrosive with domestic raw materials, for repair works in sugar mills, and to develop resins and binders to improve paint quality.

Vázquez Enríquez states that, in order to meet the growing demand for paints and ecological bases, as promoted by the leadership of the country to replace imports, it is essential that enterprises and suppliers of domestic raw materials facilitate the acquisition of these products by the manufacturers responsible for this task.

Quality and environmental protection

Antonio Corona Montero, self-employed owner of the brand and creator of Pinturas Corona, explained that this product is made from overstocked items acquired from different enterprises and state organizations, making a range of paints of different types that are an environmentally friendly, climate-resistant product, for both indoor and outdoor surfaces.

According to the head of the Micon program for the local production of construction materials, these projects receive special attention from the Center for Construction Research and Development, to certify their quality.

Likewise, a partnership was created with Union Suchel laboratories, for the certification of creoline, one of the products manufactured during the new coronavirus pandemic and supplied to the People’s Power government of the Habana del Este municipality for the disinfection of isolation centers.

PhD Luis Rafael Díaz Cisneros, coordinator of Technical Assistance at Pinturas Corona, explained that quality control of the product is assured, following established standards of density, viscosity, coverage and dry residue, which they also compare to the parameters of other internationally certified brands.

Furthermore, among the ongoing projects for environment protection is a treatment plant to recycle water, a process through which the Pinturas Corona factory recovers 5,000 liters of water in a recirculation system, and an external drainage system which ensures that water released into the Cojímar River is waste-free.

Díaz Cisneros added that they have conducted geological studies to detect organisms, which have indicated that the factory’s water treatment system is safe.

Exporting quality products

According to the country’s economic and social strategy to boost the national economy, non-state forms of management can export through specialized state enterprises.
One of the goals of Pinturas Corona is to export its products to international markets through the Ministry of the Construction, once they have filled social orders and met projections for retail sales.

In this way, Corona Montero states, they will be contributing to the national economy with hard currency and with other equipment they can acquire, necessary to continued improvement of their product’s quality and to substitute imports, thus responding to calls made by the country’s leadership, and contributing to Cuba’s plan for economic and social development.

(Taken from Granma)

This approach was emphasized during a review of the national housing program, by the President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, who insisted forcefully on the need to transform current mechanisms to address delays, such as the delivery of cement to provinces, fundamentally to sales outlets affiliated with the Ministry of Domestic Commerce (Mincin), allowing the population greater access to construction materials, while at the same time contributing to the economy with increased retail sales.

“In difficult times, think differently,” he stressed to those responsible for the program, during the meeting, where causes of a number of efforts that are behind schedule were analyzed, according to the Presidential website, including the documentation process; renovations; the awarding of subsidies; repairs of building damaged during extreme weather events; the eradication of dirt floors; and special housing support for mothers with three or more children.

In terms of addressing population trends, the website indicated that Housing General Director, Vivian Rodríguez Salazar, reported that 479 families have benefitted from the effort, 271 with new homes constructed, 44 expansions, 140 rehabilitations, and the awarding of ten buildings as part of the state plan.

“It is time to complete the expansion of production capacity for construction materials at the local level, to allow for at least one dwelling per municipality (daily),” insisted Díaz-Canel, as key to meeting annual projections and advancing toward the goal of ensuring “comfortable and durable” housing for all.

(Granma)

The President has reiterated that there is no reason to justify a property being completed but waiting to be certified as habitable. Given this insistence, 7,584 such certifications have been granted the first eight months of the year, in line with the number of homes completed via government programs, family subsidies, and private initiative.

Díaz-Canel noted that, despite instability in the availability of cement during the first months of the year – fundamental to meeting projections – provinces have reserves that will allow for the completion of the year’s housing construction plans, to continue making progress in this critical area.

(Granma)

I have witnessed a great deal of solidarity, effort, and hard work everywhere to overcome adversity, stated Pardo Guerra, also a decorated Hero of the Republic of Cuba, who visited several of the country’s provinces to review progress made to date in recovery efforts, identify the most successful experiences and extend them to the worst affected areas.

I see a lot of confidence in the people that lost all, or part of their homes, which goes to show their confidence in the Revolution and its leadership, and confirmation of the idea expressed by Cuban President, Army General Raúl Castro, that no one will be abandoned to their fate, stated Pardo Guerra.

Despite what has been achieved thus far, more work can be done to speed up progress, something that will require greater organization to ensure that those affected receive available resources in a fast and timely manner, stated Pardo Guerra, also a member of the Party Political Bureau, before highlighting the work of residents from Villa Clara who, to date, have managed to repair 22,912 – or 44.4% – of the total number of homes that were completely destroyed by the hurricane.

What is more, in the case of the Aguada de Moya People’s Council, home to the worst affected cooperatives and campesinos in Villa Clara, the majority of homes that were destroyed following Hurricane Irma have been rebuilt thanks to the combined efforts of those affected, various institutions, and the decisive support of the country’s leadership, which provided the necessary resources, according to information provided during a ceremony presided by Julio Lima Corzo, first secretary of the Party Provincial Committee, during which 88 new homes were unveiled.

(Granma)