N.Z. world leader in wool scouring

Press, 18 April 1980, Page 17

N.Z. world leader in wool scouring

That New Zealand is a world leader in wool scouring technology was emphasised at the opening of the new S2M scouring complex of Kaputone Wool Scour, Ltd at Belfast this week. Mr A. D. Shadwell, group managing director of the Mair group of companies, of which Kaputone is one, said that New Zealand had achieved its leading position for reasons including pollution problems in the northern hemisphere and the value of the New Zealand dollar. Scourers in this country had also accepted the need to be involved in research and development, and in that they had been associated with the Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand. The scourers had also shown a preparedness to purchase plant and erect buildings. In the 20 years that he had been associated with the industry Mr. Shadwell said that it had shown “tremendous acceptance” of the need to deliver on time. Scours had always been prepared to work 24 hours a day and seven days a week when there was a ship to catch. ' “I often think that many other sectors of the nation could emulate that example,” he said. . The. chairman of the

Wool Board, Mr .J. Clarke, echoed some of Mr Shadwell’s remarks. “What we see around us here in container handling and dense' packing facilities and in highly sophisticated scouring equipment is representative of the progressive approach that New Zealand scourers have adopted in recent years,” he said. “It is very much to their credit that, in the main, they have been quick to take advantage of new technologies, with the result that this country is now internationally recognised as the world’s leader in wool scouring technology.” During the first seven months of the current export season he said that 65,000 tonnes of wool had been scoured for export compared with 52,000 tonnes in the same period last season and 45,000 tonnes in the first seven months of 1977-78. Thus it appeared certain that last year’s record scoured wool total of 109,000 tonnes would be bettered this season, which would be in keeping with other sectors of the wool industry in that wool production (up 10 per cent on the previous peak) and sheep numbers were currently at their highest levels. The growth of scouring

was much more than natural evolution, he said. It was a result of a positive, forward-looking attitude by scourers and of development work carried out by the Wool Research Organisation at Lincoln, particularly during the past decade.

Noting that the relationship between WRONZ and scourers was very good, be said that in recent years scourers, of whom there were less than 30, had contributed more than $750,000 to the WRONZ budget to ensure that development work continued. Their current annual contribution was $200,000, which was indicative of their confidence in the research organisation. It was Jess than 10 years ago that WRONZ had revolutionised scouring with the development of its comprehensive system. It was the world’s first continuous process and was now used extensively in New Zealand and overseas.

From the WRONZ, in association with the scour manufacturers, Annett and Darling, had developed the highly sophisticated minibowl system, and in the new complex at Kaputone there was the first complete mini-bowl installation in this country.

The advantages of the mini-bowls included substantial energy savings, increased grease recovery, ease of supervision and a lower capital cost than with conventional scour trains.

Several partial minibowl systems were already operating in New Zealand and he understood that most of those scourers who did not yet have them were likely to install them in the near future. They had been exported to the United Kingdom and had been ordered by countries like Australia and China.