By Claudine Housen, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE FROME Sugar Factory will get a major boost in production levels next week when the much-anticipated second tandem a collection of mills and turbines used to grind sugar will be commissioned into service.
"The first tandem has been in operation since the 11th of December," said Livingston Morrison, president and chief executive officer of the Sugar Company of Jamaica, in an interview with The Gleaner yesterday. "The second tandem will come on stream by latest next weekend. We are expecting that the second tandem will show similar efficiency as the first tandem."
He said that the delay in commissioning the second tandem was largely due to the enormity of repairs to the factory, problems with sourcing crucial parts, and delays with their service providers Caribbean Casting which was crippled for six weeks.
EXTENSIVE REPAIR PROGRAMME
"The repair programme for this year has been the most extensive that we have had
for many years," he said. On the second tandem at Frome, the rollers have been
totally refurbished and extensive work done in rehabilitating the boilers, along with other improvements.
The installation of the new tandem comes in the wake of complaints from the All Island Cane Farmers Association (AICFA) that only one tandem was in operation at Frome which was contributing to an increase in losses from illicit cane fires. While pleased with
the developments thus far, the Frome cane farmers are still apprehensive about the
possible outcome.
"Instead of grinding 3,000 tonnes on one tandem per day we are expecting that both tandems will grind 6,000 tonnes per day," said Edward Maragh, chairman of the Frome Cane Farmers Association. "We are hoping that we will be fairly well taken care of at that time. We cannot be happy until we see it in operation and get the results that we are expecting."
