Tasman mill target date missed

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33962, 1 October 1975, Page 3

Tasman mill target date missed

C.Vcw Zealand Press Association

AUCKLAND, September 30. Kawerau contractors have missed the target date I —today—for completion of the multi-million-dollar extensions to the Tasman Pulp and Paper Company i mill, but working up of the new newsprint machine will begin this week. ;

Valuable newsprint I contracts with Australia' hinge on completion of the new machine, but it now appears that work will be completed in time! • to guarantee export sup-1 plies. The machine will not be! fully commissioned for a few weeks, but Tasman "Pulp and Paper is now in a position to guarantee to meet its commitments to the Australian market early next year. The contracts had been] under threat because' of[ (industrial strife on the site,i I but sin.ee an agreement: (seven weeks ago there have! i been no work stoppages. | ■ In a carefully worded i statement today aimed at! (avoiding any new friction, ‘Tasman Pulp and Paper said I I the construction work force ! I would be discussed within ai .month. • The company reported 'that steady progress had

been made on the expansion,; project in recent weeks, butji not all objects had been achieved. Tests this week The managing director of the Fletcher Construction , Company (Mr J. G. Smith) said the firm had set itself , the target of having con- , struction at the stage where essential components were complete and Tasman could begin setting up the machines, tuning the drives, and testing in sequence the . activities needed to produce! saleable newsprint. “Although not all the , work has been completed, we have met certain requirements, and this week Tasman will begin testing the paper winder by using news- ! print from its existing machines,” Mr Smith said. Next week, the paperwrapping section would be! brought into use. Further. commissioning would depend on progress' next week. The overlap of! construction and commis-

isioning was a vital factor in! [attaining full production. Mr Smith added that the! construction site had been! free from industrial stop-j pages during the last seven i weeks and that absenteeism' had been substantially reduced. The labour force would be! disbanded during the next! month, he said. Last year the first stage' of the sloom expansioni started with the beginning: of work on the new Kraft! pulp mill and chemical! iplants. When the third mill is ini ■ full production, Tasman will' be able to produce more I than 330,000 tonnes of news-; | print a year. The output ini 11957, the first year of full ! production, was 60.000! I tonnes.