FSC Finds Alternative Fixes Online
The Fiji Sugar Corporation has highlighted some positive outcomes on the back of losses suffered from the coronavirus pandemic.
FSC managed to conduct online training for harvester operators and repairs with live feeds from suppliers overseas who guided the drivers and engineering staff.
Chief executive officer Graham Clark said all mills will be ready for the 2020 crushing season.
“Labasa Mill has finished its maintenance while Lautoka and Rarawai were expected to be ready in a week’s time.
“We are ready to conduct our steam trials and test the equipment and machines before crushing.”
Labasa begins crushing on June 10, Rarawai on June 23, and Lautoka on June 24.
“Usually at this time of the year we would be bringing in experts from overseas to carry out diagnostic work on the mills during the trials and start of crush,” he said. “Owners of the mechanical harvesters would have also brought in people from India to operate the machines.
“But in both cases, that was not possible because of travel restrictions. FSC and the Sugar Cane Growers Council put together a training programme to train locals to run the machines with experts from the suppliers in India, Case Construction Equipment and Shaktiman Farm Equipment.
“We have since done two lots of online training whereby a link up was done with the suppliers and this has resulted in 28 locals from Labasa and 26 from Rarawai now qualified.”
Mr Clark said operators for the Lautoka Mill area were expected to trained this week.
Rising costs
FSC incurred a loss of $6.5 million as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Mr Clark said losses were linked to increased costs through the now prolonged crushing season, air freighting parts for the mill machinery and equipment rather than by shipping and the effects of cyclone Harold on the sugar cane.
FSC had to embrace additional costs to mitigate the pandemic-related problems, which set the season back by two weeks.
“We would not have incurred that if we had done things the normal way, so it has come at a cost.”
FSC had to make up for it through other aspects, Mr Clark said.
“We were forced to do a lot of work in trying to mitigate this problem and this was finding an alternative way of doing work.