BPP/A Engineering Services:

Mill Operations & Compliance to SOP

Processing procedures requires the crop (FFB) to be processed on a FIFO (First-In-First-Out) basis. All crop delivered to be processed on the same day, within 24 hours. Crop to be graded to ensure crop delivered is of certain ripeness standard and sufficient loose fruits delivered.

Sterilization cycle to be strictly adhered to and to ensure the cooking pressure is attained. Temperatures at the Digester, Crude Oil tank (COT), Continuous Settling Tank (CST/VC), Sludge Tank (ST), Pure Oil Tank (POT) and at Kernel Drying Silos are maintained as recommended. 

Press cone pressure to maintain as recommended to avoid high nut breakage and the ripple mill cracking efficiency maintained to reduce kernel breakage 

Monitoring of Mill Losses and OER Optimization

Mill process if it does not conform to the laid down SOP will result in high oil and kernel losses which will ultimately lower the extraction of oil (OER) and kernel (KER). 

Areas to focus on  the oil losses are: in Empty Bunch, in Press Fibre, on Nut, in Sludge heavy phase and in the Final Effluent. 

Areas to focus on for the kernel losses are: in Press Cake Fibre, Light Tenera Debris & Shell (LTDS) and either Hydrocyclone and/or Claybath. 

Mill Machinery Maintenance

Maintenance of machinery is essential to ensure mill operates uninterrupted as this will a factor which would ultimately contribute to the profit of the mill which operates as a cost center.

Maintenance practiced in Palm Oil Mills are : 

1) Preventive Maintenance, 

2) Predictive Maintenance and 

3) Breakdown Maintenance.   

Effectiveness of the preventive maintenance program is monitored by the %age of breakdown in any given month and also those achieved year-to-date. 

Effluent Plant Management & BARformula Technology

Waste water from mill process is highly acidic with high BOD, COD and Solid level. This waste cannot be discharged into the water ways prior to treating and monitoring the above mentioned parameters. DOE has set the parameter for the discharge of POME (Palm Oil Mill Effluent) discharge into water ways and also for the Land Application, which all mills MUST comply. 

Water Treatment Plant

Water is now becoming a valuable commodity especially during the drought season (El Nino) hence minimizing the usage of water is vital and this is monitored on a daily/monthly/yearly basis.  

The water for mill use & consumption are treated in the mill and its treatment cost is monitored based on the water quality required for processing, boiler and human consumption. Well treated water for the boiler is essential to ensure there is no scale formation on its tubes.

Boiler and Turbine

Boilers are used for the generation of steam which is used to drive the turbine & alternator to generate power for the mill and the housing complex with the Plantation. 

Care must be taken to ensure the is in good working condition and operates efficiently to generate steam at the designed capacity & pressure. 

Turbine too must operate efficiently to deliver the rated designed power. For the Turbine & Boiler to operate at its maximum capacity annual service & inspection to be carried out.

Mill Production Cost

Monitoring of milling cost is essential to ensure as a cost centre the mill is profitable and self sustaining. 

With the ever increasing cost for labour and spares, it is necessary that the mill utilisation is at its maximum and the productivity of the workers are high to ensure operating cost is kept to the minimum whilst maintenance of machinery are looked into to ensure little or no breakdowns occur during milling operation.

Manpower Requirement

Since labour cost is escalating on an annual basis, it is essential to engage with people of right talent, skill and aptitude. Monitoring the productivity is another yardstick  be adopted to evaluate the cost of operation. Training of workers and multitasking them must be considered, for effectively using the available human resource to increase productivity. 

Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Issues

It is essential to ensure the mill comply with the safety requirement of the Company & local authority to avoid accidents, fatality and damaging the environment as this is an expensive affair in terms of loss of man days,  medical cost, plant shut down and penalty & fines to be settled through the court.

Budget Planning

Well thought out plan to be drawn up on essential work to be carried out for the following year or two so that either upgrading of machinery or essential machinery repair can be carried out. Capital expenditure & Revenue budget to discussed with top management and agreed upon with time line for completion with estimated cost so that allocation of funds could be made at the appropriate month. 

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