Saiccor - The First 50 Years 5.8 MB - Sappi

The Tainton Period (1971–1983)
negotiations to get permission to transport the vessels, and when it
was granted, travel was only permitted on Sundays at 15 km/h�
After a long, tortuous and eventful journey, the first digester arrived
at Saiccor in May 1975� The two halves were rejoined with a 1,2 m
extension ring to bring the volume to 285 cubic metres, the same as
the other digesters� Nos 15 and 16 were commissioned in October
1975 and No 17 in November�
The remainder of the extension scheme was completed on time,
with the exception of the Simon Carves sulphur burner (No 4), which
was severely delayed and only commissioned in May 1979, when the
Lurgi burners were laid to rest� The pressure knotters, low density
storage towers, and Nos 6 and 7 washpits were commissioned in
February 1976�
The pressure screens (centrisorters), which at that stage were
installed on top of Nos 1-5 washpits, were commissioned in June
1976�
Glynn Evans was in charge of the commissioning of the 1975
scheme, which went well, especially the centrisorters that operated
perfectly from the first push of a button� However, by September
1976 the epoxy lining on Nos 6 and 7 washpits proved unsatisfactory
and had to be replaced with tiles� The pressure knotters proved
difficult to operate and required several modifications, after which
they operated satisfactorily but were always prone to severe blockages
from certain wattle cooks� It was never fully established what caused
the blockage although a high viscosity wattle cook was a prerequisite�
Production Manager Marino Cudin needed all his experience and
talent to make the new plants work� Marino was born on 19 May
1929 in Torviscosa and joined SAICI at 14 in 1944� He transferred to
Courtaulds in Coventry for a year, engaged on the flock experiment,
before joining Saiccor on 20 May 1958 to work on the flock pilot
plant� He remained in the flock plant until he was promoted to Shift
Superintendent in August 1961� On 1 August 1970 Marino was
promoted to Production Manager of the liquor plant, digesters and
first screening, a position he held until he retired on 1 June 1990�
Marino was a highly intelligent individual, who always had new
ideas and innovations� He served as President of the Italian Club for
a number of years�
In October 1978 the Board approved the ‘Computer Control of the
Digester Plant’ for R1 million, on the basis that ‘probably the most
important aspect of final pulp quality is uniformity, and with the
increased complexity and frequency of cooking batches, the necessity
for better co-ordination and supervision has increased and more
sophisticated techniques must be adopted to maintain good control�’
(Board Paper, October 1978)
91
Marino Cudin