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<strong>The</strong> <strong>First</strong> Fifty <strong>Years</strong><br />
manually� Israel Shezi, David Magubane, Bernard Mzotho, Maxwell<br />
Kweyema and Stanley Hlungwane made a very positive contribution<br />
to the success of the computer control of digesters�<br />
In mid-1978 work started on a proposal to install a new 4,8 m pulp<br />
machine� This developed into the 975 t/d Expansion Scheme (100 t/d<br />
above the operating rate at the time)� <strong>The</strong> scheme included a ‘<strong>50</strong>0 t/d’<br />
machine (No 3 continua) (<strong>50</strong>0 t in 24 hours to average 4<strong>50</strong> t/d), a<br />
rearranged first screening where the centriscreens would follow Nos<br />
1–3 Repolas and would in turn be followed by two new washers<br />
(Nos 5 and 6 Repolas) and then a new high density storage tower<br />
(No 8), which would feed the two bleaching plants� No 1 continua<br />
was to be shut down and flock output reduced� By February 1979 all<br />
the equipment required had been established and the 975 t/d<br />
expansion scheme was approved by the Board in March 1979 for R19,9<br />
million� It was agreed by the Board that the scheme would increase<br />
production by 100 t/d as production at the time was already 885 t/d�<br />
Orders for the machine and dryer were placed with KMW and<br />
Flakt in March 1979, while all other equipment was ordered by May�<br />
For the first time the entire installation, with the exception of No 8<br />
tower, was done by one contractor, Murray and Roberts, including<br />
mechanical, electrical, instruments and civils, with Ian Colepepper<br />
their overall project co-ordinator� Construction started in June 1979�<br />
<strong>The</strong> only pre-commissioning training deemed necessary was to send<br />
Bepi Martelossi and Basilio Segatto to Monsteras in Sweden for two<br />
weeks to see a similar machine in operation� Paddy Brannigan<br />
managed the project for <strong>Saiccor</strong> with Ciano Ioppo at the ‘coalface’�<br />
Norman Boulter took charge of the commissioning of the machine<br />
and I took charge of first screening�<br />
Commissioning of No 3 continua started in September 1980 with<br />
two teams, the day shift under Martelossi and the night shift under<br />
Martin Ferreira� Both teams reported to Norman Boulter� From the<br />
mechanical side, Basilio Segatto covered 24 hours� Basilio was born<br />
on 10 September 1930 in Torviscosa and came to <strong>Saiccor</strong> on 24 April<br />
1954 as a machinist� He reached the position of Chargehand Turner<br />
before being transferred to the plant on 1 March 1975 as Assistant<br />
Divisional Engineer Pulp Drying� He was appointed Divisional<br />
Engineer Pulp Drying on 1 April 1986, a position he held until he<br />
retired at the end of December 1992� He was a firm, strong character,<br />
a very meticulous man, who always thought in terms of fractions of<br />
millimeters� One of his fine achievements was completely redesigning<br />
the Lamb cutter at the end of No 3 continua to make it work on<br />
<strong>Saiccor</strong> pulp�<br />
<strong>The</strong>re were numerous problems starting up No 3 continua, the<br />
most persistent being with the wire tying machines, and for the first<br />
94<br />
Basilio Segatto
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