Process Development Projects for the New Millennium

摘要

As we entered the 21st century, the sugar industry found itself at a crossroads facing many difficult challenges: nutritional values of sugar under attack; uncertainty in governmental sugar programs; environmental pressure; global competition (WTO, NAFTA), and a new economy in which the only Constant is "change". We must change with business environment and needs if we are going to survive and prosper in this new millennium. In the last two decades many industry's strategy, characterized by emphasis in risk management, centered in downsizing, restructuring, re-engineering and computerization including automation and information technology to drastically reduce the cost of operation. Yet the sugar industry, as a whole, has not kept pace with needed productivity improvements. We must re-evaluate and improve our conventional practices, simplify manufacturing processes, automate operation for efficiency and consistency in product quality, and finally capitalize on best available technologies. We have very good reasons to be optimistic about the long-term prospect of the cane sugar industry. Compared to the beet sugar production, the cane sugar operation is energy self-sufficient from bagasse and more environmentally friendly, particularly with respect to the carbonate cake disposal problem. Finally, sugar cane, one of the most efficient plants in photosynthesis, produces the most carbohydrate per unit of farmland, other things being equal. What do we need to do in order to prosper in this century? To be competitive in a global economy, we need to be cost effective and to keep up with the latest innovation. The following are some projects, when successfully completed, will drastically improve the cost structure of the cane sugar production.