& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

KAFCO goes into full trial production

Delay in handover costing contractor $90000 a day

by S Y Bakht
The Karnaphuli Ferliliser Factors (KAFCO) has finally gone into full-scale trial production. alter a /lumber of initial foully starts because of mechanical problems.
It has already exported some 26.000 metric tonnes (MU ol urea — to India at 230 US dollars per ton — worth some 5.98 million dollars and another 50.000MT of ammonia for 10.6 million dollars.
A top company official, however, says that the plant is not yet ready to be handed over bv the general contractor.
The contractor lor the turnkey project is liable to pay KAFCO IK).000 US dollars a day lor delay in handing over the plant. Ite adds.
The general contractor for the plant is a consortium of Chiyoda and Marubeni of Japan, and Petrochemical Manufacturers Association of Italy. Both Chiyoda and Marubeni also have equity participation in the 508 million dollar KAFCO project, while the contract lor the plant was worth some 395 million dollars.
The plant is currently run-
ning at lull apacity for over a month as 4he contractor's guarantee performance is being conducted to ensure compliance with the contractual specifications.
We are now hoping that we can sustain the plant at or near design capacity from now on." says Manucher Towhidi, managing director of KAFCO. while talking to The Daily Star. The factory Is designed to produce 1500 MT of ammonia and another 1725 MT of urea per day. Towhidi. however, adds that tin- KHi.r, date for the handover has not lieen fixed yet. "We will not accept the plant unless we are fully satisfied. My Job is to ensure that KAFCO gets a fair deal."
The planl was due to be handed over on January 31. 1995 with the penalty being due after a two-week grace period from February 15. Since going into trial production for the first time on December 15 last year, the factory had earlier lost nearly two months of produetton time due to shutdowns caused by some faulty equipment.
Tlie companv MD notes that the reason tlie plant had to be shut down a number of times was because certain items of equipment were not performing satisfactorily and repair measures had lo be undertaken. Some of the faulty equipment are due to be replaced later In the year at the cost of the contractor, he says.
Towhidi. however, feels that the problems may have been resolved at last. "We be lieve that the mechanical problems of the recent past are over and that we can look ’ forward to the future with much greater confidence." he says.