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<strong>The</strong> <strong>First</strong> Fifty <strong>Years</strong><br />
with wattle� From 1970 wattle was only cooked in 10 bar digesters,<br />
after No’s 9 and 10 were re-stretched with strips added to convert<br />
them from 6 to 10 bar� Since 1990 all digesters have worked at 10 bar,<br />
which has made the operation of digesters far easier and has produced<br />
a more consistent pulp�<br />
<strong>The</strong> digester plant has undergone a greater transformation than<br />
any other plant in <strong>Saiccor</strong>’s <strong>50</strong>-year history�<br />
From an engineering perspective two untiring men, Piero Mian<br />
and Henry Zan, drove the transformation, together with a team that<br />
included Bepi Trevisan, Sergio Govetto, Silvano Rigotti, Luigi de Corte<br />
and Giordano Soldat� Piero Mian worked in the digesters from the<br />
start of the factory, then as a section Foreman from 1960, Assistant<br />
Engineer from 1970 and finally as Divisional Engineer from 1979 until<br />
he reached retirement age in 1984� At that stage he moved to the<br />
magnesium plant, where he stayed until he actually retired in 1989,<br />
just before he turned 70, at which time he was still running up and<br />
down inside the evaporator like a spring chicken� Today at 81 he<br />
remains fit and strong� Piero was another autocratic Italian manager,<br />
overseeing everything personally, and as a consequence working day<br />
and night� He was tough on his people but would protect them with<br />
his life; it would have been easier to take off his right arm than to<br />
take away one of his people� He was diligent to the finest detail and<br />
would persevere with a problem until it was solved� His work on<br />
solving the problems on circulation pumps, their packings and<br />
corrosion on the digester vessels, was outstanding�<br />
Henry Zan (son of Ennio) took over as Divisional Engineer in digesters<br />
when Piero moved out in 1984� Henry was <strong>Saiccor</strong>’s first Technikon<br />
graduate mechanical engineer and has, in pursuing a similar strategy,<br />
carried on the transformation of digesters started by Piero� For his work<br />
in solving the problems of digester valves and gaskets in particular,<br />
Henry was awarded a <strong>Sappi</strong> EAA Bronze award in March 2000� As an<br />
Assistant Engineering Manager, he is still in charge of digesters�<br />
Two other people, although not <strong>Saiccor</strong> employees, have made a<br />
major contribution to the digesters, namely Allan Lofstrand and<br />
Franco Scarpa� Between the two of them they have built all but two<br />
(No’s 9 and 11) of <strong>Saiccor</strong>’s existing digesters� Allan, a Swede, worked<br />
for Avesta and was in India in 1964 when he was asked to go to<br />
<strong>Saiccor</strong> to build No10 digester� Once the digester was commissioned<br />
he went back to Sweden, returning on 5 January 1969 to build No<br />
12� He married a local girl, Maria, and has stayed in South Africa ever<br />
since, being involved with every digester after No 11� He joined LHL<br />
Engineering in 1969 for a year, then Durban Engineering� In 1971 he<br />
joined Axel Johnson (who represented Avesta) and in 1978 became<br />
Managing Director of ND Engineering, where he is today (although<br />
the company name has changed a few times and is currently Metso)�<br />
30<br />
Piero Mian<br />
Henry Zan<br />
Allan Lofstrand and Franco Scarpa
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