Mission accomplished, deadline met

Our project with the East Asia Sugar Group is a fine example of BMA’s business success in China – and of the smooth collaboration between the German and Chinese project partners.

For the East Asia Sugar Group, the Chinese subsidiary of Mitr Phol Group, high product quality and low-energy processes are constant targets. Which is why its 20,000 TCD cane sugar factory and 1,000 TPD back-end refinery have now been relocated within Chongzuo in the Guangxi region, also known as China’s “sugar kingdom”.

At the start of the project, BMA prepared a basic concept for the refinery process, focusing on the evaporator station and the heat economy of the sugar house. Following our recommendations, the customer placed an order for falling film evaporators (FFE), batch pans, cooling crystallisers and drum dryers from BMA, with guaranteed technological performance data.

In China, achieving a balance between process performance and adequate cost is crucial. With this in mind, our approach was to have BMA AG supply key equipment such as the juice distributors for the FFE units or the calandrias and agitators for the batch pans, while the other equipment was sourced and assembled locally by BMA China, in compliance with BMA quality standards. Our customer closely followed the heat balance scheme, with its planned use of vapour, condensate and the appropriate heat exchangers.

East Asia Sugar Group was aware that the target energy savings would only be achievable with suitably controlled batch pans, which is why programming services (based on the ABB platform chosen by the customer) for the evaporator and pan stations formed part of the package ordered from BMA.

One major aim in process control for refined sugar is maximum homogeneity of crystal quality and size distribution. To keep size distribution for R1, R2 and R3 sugar within the desired range, it was therefore decided to integrate a seeding system and cooling crystalliser in the pan station for these products.

In China, speed is of the essence. One major challenge in this project was, in fact, to complete engineering, manufacture, assembly and installation within just one year. Thanks to the outstanding project management, efficient communication among all parties involved, and the efficient schedule control, commissioning of the equipment really did start on time.

With this successful project, East Asia Sugar and BMA have together set new standards in China. There are already plans for further collaboration.