By Balford Henry, Staff ReporterALPART'S GENERAL manager Christopher Cummins leaves the job and the island on Friday, after only three months. But, the company says that his departure was on amicable terms.
Mr. Cummins will join Tokheim Corporation, the world's largest independent designer, manufacturer and servicer of electronic and mechanical petroleum marketing systems, as a vice-president in the United States.
Scott Lamb, Kaiser Aluminium's corporate relations manager in Houston, Texas, confirmed the departure yesterday.
Mr. Cummins told employees yesterday that he was leaving the job with "mixed emotions." At 32, he was one of Kaiser's youngest executives in Jamaica and was vice-president and general manager for its Jamaican operations. He came from the company's extrusion plant in Los Angeles in November to replace Ray Gendron.
National Workers Union (NWU) vice-president Norman DaCosta said Mr. Cummins had been "distinctively combative" in his relationship with the workers.
But, Lance Neita, Kaiser Jamaica's local public relations spokesman, said that as far as he knew, Mr. Cummins had an amicable departure from Kaiser and there was no forced resignation.
"He might have been outspoken, but he was pretty friendly and he put the company in focus in terms of cost of production and so on," Mr. Neita said.
Mr. Lamb also said that he was not aware of any forced resignation.
Kaiser owns 65 per cent of Alpart in Nain St. Elizabeth. The other 35 per cent is owned by Norway's Hydro Aluminium. The plant currently produces 1.45 tonnes of bauxite, but is expanding its capacity to 1.7 million tonnes by 2003.
Kaiser also owns 49 per cent of Kaiser Jamaica Bauxite Company (KJBC) in Discovery Bay, St. Ann. The other 51 per cent is owned by the Government of Jamaica, but Kaiser has access to all of KJBC's bauxite production, which is shipped to the Grammercy plant to be refined into alumina. Grammercy, which returned to production last year after an explosion the previous year closed down its operations, is located on the Mississippi River in Louisiana, U.S.A.
Kaiser Aluminium & Chemical Corporation filed voluntary petitions under Chapter 11 of the United States' Federal Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware in February, to allow it to reorganise its financial structure and implement a strategic plan to return to sustained profitability.
