Saiccor - The First 50 Years 5.8 MB - Sappi

The First Fifty Years
FLOCK
Year KW Ash ppm CaO ppm Si ppm Resin % Cu No.
72 22 2223 994 66 0.23 –
73 23 2236 946 106 0.23 2.07
74 23 2414 1027 93 0.24 1.97
75 21 2438 986 72 0.25 1.97
76 – 2783 954 121 0.27 –
77 – 2306 798 85 0.23 –
Early in 1976 the Courtaulds’ factories started experiencing difficulties
processing Saiccor pulp� Bryan Thomas and John More, a Courtaulds
chemist who at the time was Saiccor’s Technical Services Manager
based in Coventry, struggled in vain to find a cause�
Silica and spots had risen but were not considered the cause of the
problems being experienced�
The situation at the Courtaulds’ factories went from bad to worse
and a high-level meeting was called in Coventry in the middle of the
year� At the meeting it was agreed that pulp sent to Courtaulds had
to meet a specification� Pulp that did not meet this specification
would be classed as substandard and could be offered as such to
Courtaulds at a discount price� Bryan Thomas was personally charged
with ensuring the specification system worked�
The initial specification matched Saiccor’s capability, for example
the limit on spots was 5 000/m 2 , nevertheless it was stringent enough
to classify 5–10 per cent of Saiccor’s pulp as substandard� As the
quality of Saiccor’s pulp improved over the years, the specification
was tightened, so that 5–10 per cent substandard became the norm�
Courtaulds submitted large claims to Saiccor in 1976 for pulp that
was supposedly unfit for purpose� Saiccor were also asked to keep
production at 750 t/d when it was capable of 800 t/d, to ensure quality
did not deteriorate�
By 1977 the Courtaulds’ factories returned to normal and Saiccor
reverted to making maximum production�
With Bryan Thomas’ new appointment as R&D Manager, the
Process Investigation Department crumbled� I had been
appointed Assistant Technical Manager of Pulp Finishing
(equivalent to Plant Manager today), Tony Butler left Saiccor in
March 1977, and Glynn Evans, a chemical engineer who joined
the department on 1 September 1973, was appointed Assistant
Technical Manager for Pulp Preparation in April 1976� He
transferred to Pulp Finishing in 1979 but resigned at the end of
September 1979�
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John More
Glynn Evans