Scouring advance from research

Press, 22 December 1989, Page 28

Scouring advance from research

Research and development have been the keys to the New Zealand wool scouring industry becoming internationally competitive, says the national secretary of the Woolscourers’ Association, Mr Derek Hargreaves, of Christchurch.

During the last 15 years there had been many major advances in - the woolscouring industry through research, and over the last five years there had been a big investment in plant technology, he said. “By world standards the New Zealand wool scouring industry is highly efficient. Our scouring rates are 30 per cent cheaper than Australia, 40 per cent cheaper than the United Kingdom, 50 per cent cheaper than Western Europe, and 50 per cent cheaper than Japan.” Formed in 1939, and made up of 25 separate scouring plants, the Woolscourers’ Association has a strong tradition of backing research. The industry levies itself through the associa-

tion and provides over $600,000 a year to the Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand for specific wool scouring research projects. For many years it has also provided a wool technology bursary for study at Lincoln College, and has recently boosted this support to a $25,000, fiveyear bursary level.

The association liaises closely with W.R.0.N.Z., to the extent of having a Joint Advisory Committee which sets the priorities for wool scouring research projects.

“As a result of this steady investment in wool scouring research, W.R.O.N.Z. has provided the industry with new technology and plant designs which have led to high productivity and energy savings,” said Mr Hargreaves. Among the on-going areas of research carried out by W.R.O.N.Z. is effluent treatment. Good progress has meant that the industry has generally been able to comply with the increasingly tighter

local authority specifications and demonstrate a high degree of environmental responsibility. The industry employs nearly 1000 staff during the peak of the season and plants are evenly distributed between the North and South Islands — 12 in the north and 13 in the south.

About 1.5 million bales, or 235,000 tonnes, of greasy wool are scoured annually. The industry scours 70 per cent of the total New Zealand wool clip, and 63 per cent of all wool that is exported. It earns additional overseas funds in excess of $7O million.

For the year ended June 30, 1989, the value of New Zealand scoured wool exceeded $1 billion. • The New Zealand Woolscourers’ Association will award up to five bursaries annually for Lincoln College's diploma in wool technology course to mark the association’s 50th anniversary. The bursaries will be tenable for one year and valued at $3OOO each.