David Duncan presents service award to Shelton Williams

A lot can happen in 35 years. Over the course of 35 years, the Imperial Sugar Company (ISC) has evolved with the times by integrating automated equipment in their packaging facilities, by capitalizing on internet-based media as a way to increase brand recognition, and by diversifying their product base. Some ISC employees have been with the company through all of these changes; Grayland Allen, Haywood Batiste, Dennis Roper, and Shelton Williams of ISC’s Gramercy, La. packaging facility are among such employees.

For these four ISC employees, this year marks a milestone few may ever expect to achieve: 35 years of service with a single company. To express their gratitude, ISC recently presented these employees with awards commemorating the anniversary.

ISC has long been committed to recognizing employee achievements and to finding ways to show their appreciation. The practice of presenting personnel with awards for years of service has been in place at ISC’s Sugarland, Texas. facility for at least 32 years now. ISC’s Gramercy, La. and Port Wentworth, Ga. locations adopted this tradition more recently in 2007. The awards are given for every five years of service, so employees celebrating their first five years with ISC, as well as those as those celebrating 35 years, are all given an opportunity to be acknowledged and thanked.

Grayland Allen with his plaque that recognizes his 35 years of service with Imperial Sugar Company

As tokens of the company’s gratitude, ISC presents each employee—from office staff to line operators—with an honorary plaque and a keychain featuring the Imperial Sugar insignia. On this occasion, employees receiving awards are also able select items from a catalogue which suit their personal interests and hobbies. The catalogue offers several fine goods including upscale ladies handbags, to portable navigational systems, to smokers for the culinary-inclined. Haywood Batiste, a shipping forklift operator at Gramercy, selected a navigational system for his truck; Grayland Allen, a Bosch line operator and mechanic, chose a digital camera.

David Duncan, Gramercy’s plant manager, personally presented each of these individuals with their awards.

One of this year’s recipients of the 35 years of service award, Dennis Roper, a bin operator at the Gramercy plant however, points out that ISC is very conscientious to “recognize their employees and the different steps people make, not only at these events but continuously and throughout their careers.”

David Duncan congratulates Dennis Roper with a plaque honoring his 35 years of service.

In addition to Grayland, Haywood, Dennis, and Shelton, several other members of the Gramercy team were also honored this year for their service; these employees included Marcia Tolito (5 years), Shannon Dumas (10 years), Lorrane Washington (10 years), David Keller (10 years), Darrell Hidalgo (15 years), Douglas Oubre (15 years), Christine Becnel (25 years), Karen Howard (30 years), and Lazin Grow (30 years).

If 35 years of service were not impressive enough, Keith Griffin, the human resources manager for Gramercy notes that when considered together, all of these employees’ years with ISC amounts to an astounding 290 years of service.

With so many other companies experiencing high employee turnover, some might wonder how ISC retains such dedicated employees. One way is as Dennis Roper previously stated: by continuously recognizing employee achievement through programs like the years of service awards.

Pictured (l-r) Mel Petit, volunteer with the SVdP food bank, along with Harold Miller, president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for St. James Parish

SVdP is a non-profit Catholic lay organization whose primary mission is to provide services to those in need and living in poverty. In St. James Parish, SVdP serves a critical need in the community by operating a food pantry which provides food and other necessities to approximately 300 local families on a semi-monthly basis.

The Imperial Sugar Company facility in Gramercy has a long history – approximately 25 years – of providing much needed support to SVdP, donating on average of two pallets of sugar per year to the organization.

According to Harold Miller, President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for St. James Parish, “The support we receive from Imperial Sugar is very important to the operation of our food pantry. Many of our clients are elderly and live on a small, fixed income and so they depend on us to provide them with staples like fruit, bread and sugar.”

One of the oldest charitable organizations in the world, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a Catholic lay organization of 700,000 men and women throughout the world who voluntarily join together to grow spiritually and offer person-to-person service to the needy and people living in poverty in 142 countries on five continents. Programs include home visits, housing assistance, disaster relief, job training and placement, food pantries, dining halls, clothing, transportation and utility costs, care for the elderly and medicine.

ISC worked with the National Safety Council based in South Carolina to develop a safety leadership training course specifically for the company. The Safety Leadership Training Class was broken down into three parts: safety leadership; communications; and evaluating and coaching employee safety behavior. Joel Zeringue, Safety Supervisor at Gramercy, was a member of the ISC team that helped with the development of the training class.

During the interactive training course, participants set goals, completed tasks, and earned bonus points based on team performance. According to Zeringue, hands-on exercises conducted during the class were useful in identifying the individual communication styles of the participating supervisors and managers.

David Duncan observes while Anthony Mitchell creates a tower out of paper cups.

One of the exercises performed during the communications portion of the class involved blindfolding one of the students. For this exercise, the class was broken down into three teams. In each team, two of the participants were designated as mangers and the third as a worker. The worker was blindfolded and given 50 paper cups that he would use to build a tower under the direction of the two managers. Each team had to state a goal before beginning the exercise. For instance, to build a tower five cups high. The worker had to rely on the communications from the two managers to accomplish this task.

“The training was not only educational but was really fun,” said Zeringue. “The class better equips our leaders to enhance the culture of safety and help take Imperial Sugar to the next level of performance.”

There were a total of ten supervisors and managers from the Gramercy Packaging Facility that participated in the one-day training class. Along with Zeringue, employees receiving certificates of completion from the National Safety Council included: Packaging/Shipping Shift Leaders Butch Bell, Keith Marengo, Jay Matherne, and Anthony Mitchell; Planner/Maintenance Supervisor Todd Chabaud; Plant Manager David Duncan; Human Resources Manager Keith Griffin; E&I Manager Keith Sharp; and Operations/Maintenance Manager Jerry Tolito.

Supervisors and managers at ISC’s Port Wentworth plant have already completed the training.

Dennis Roper, an operator in Imperial Sugar Company’s packing facility in Gramercy, La., was so moved by the images he saw on the news that he felt compelled to do something for his neighbors to the east.

“I can only imagine how devastated these people must feel,” he states. “I heard that there are still many people who need help. Some don’t have insurance to begin rebuilding so they need assistance and support from others.”

Roper, with several members from his church, will depart to Alabama on June 25 to help with the long process of rebuilding communities in Calhoun and Cherokee counties, which were torn apart by the massive storm.

It was not only Roper’s faith that served as an inspiration for his trip to Alabama but his memories of the outpouring of generosity that filled his home state after Hurricane Katrina hit the area almost six years ago.

“I saw people from all parts of the country come to our community to lend a hand and help us get back on our feet after Katrina, asking for nothing in return,” says Roper.

According to him, the roof of his church, the First Baptist Church of Gramercy, suffered extensive damage from the hurricane. The cost of $30,000 to replace the roof would have placed an extreme financial hardship on the church’s membership.

“We didn’t know how we were going to afford a new roof,” he recalls. “However, one Sunday we met a man who told us not to worry about it. Next thing we knew, we had five groups of people from Elizabethton, Tenn., who replaced our church roof, providing labor and all the materials at no cost to us. I was overwhelmed by their kindness and selflessness.”

It was his recollection of this event that prompted Roper to ask himself what he was going to do to help those who lives were disrupted by the twisters. Although he was sure he wanted to assist, he wasn’t sure how to go about it.

Roper then goes on, “I hadn’t talked to my pastor about it, but I asked the Lord to lead me in the right direction.”

He began to research online, areas that were hit by the tornadoes in Alabama. It was during his search that he came across the name of Dr. Sid Nichols, Director of Missions for the Calhoun County Baptist Association in Alabama, which is involved in meeting the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the people of the county.

“When I called Dr. Nichols and explained what I wanted to do, he began to laugh.” Roper then adds, “He told me that just that morning he was talking to another man, not knowing that I would be calling, about setting up housing for people from Louisiana who wanted to help with the relief efforts.”

Roper was surprised at the immediate positive reaction he received from the fellow members of his church when he shared his plan to help those in Alabama affected by the twister, and it didn’t take long for him to secure volunteers.

After Roper and his group arrive, they will get their work orders and then immediately begin helping residents rebuild homes and other important structures. As further evidence of his group’s conviction to assist, Roper and several of the men are using their own personal vacation time to make this mission. They are currently collecting tools, everything from chainsaws to hammers, and loading a trailer that was loaned by someone from the community.

He hopes that his trip will encourage other people to help not just in Alabama, but wherever there is a need for assistance.

He concludes by saying “We can sit back and listen to the news about how acts of nature have destroyed people’s lives and decide whether we are going to do something about it. I just thank the Lord that he has placed the idea in my heart to make a difference and I’m looking forward to getting over to Alabama and putting a much-needed smile on somebody’s face.”

Red Geurts, LSR General Manager

Richard “Red” Geurts, CEO and general manager for Louisiana Sugar Refining, LLC, shows his excitement as he discusses the building of the new sugar refinery in Gramercy, La. The construction of the $120 million sugar refinery in Gramercy is a three-way investment between Cargill, Imperial Sugar Company (ISC) and Sugar Growers and Refiners (SUGAR).

He is pleased to announce the building of the new sugar refinery continues to move forward at a fast pace and activity at the site has increased since LSR took over operations of the existing Imperial Sugar Company facility located on the premises and began operating as a new entity. According to Geurts, LSR spent the month of January making adjustments at the existing plant in order to begin producing sugar in February, including implementing several major changes to the former Imperial Sugar refinery.

Although the new plant is not yet complete, Geurts reports that LSR is operating portions of the new refinery that were fast-tracked to get into production as quickly as possible, such as a new bulk load out system and the ion exchange filtration system, which replaces the old process of using bone char.

LSR has also installed and begun operating its own packaging and palletizing system, producing 50-lb and Tote bags. It has already begun providing sugar to Imperial Sugar’s packaging facility located on the site since the beginning of last month. “We refer to Imperial Sugar as an ‘over-the-fence’ customer because they take sugar right out of the bulk storage system to charge their packing lines in order to produce product for the retail market,” said Geurts.

Cargill, which is the exclusive marketer of the industrial-use sugar produced by the refinery, began shipping sugar last month from the Gramercy plant to its customers.

“Automation is the biggest improvement being made at the new LSR refinery,” said Geurts. “We are leveraging automation to improve efficiencies and the operating environment that employees will be working in. This type of system will improve safety by reducing the risk of human error as well as improve product consistency and reliability.”

The new refinery is scheduled to begin commissioning early this summer and begin producing refined white sugar by August. At this point, LSR will begin shutting down portions of the old Imperial Sugar refinery. However, LSR will continue to operate the existing boilers, the cogeneration plant, the waste water treatment system and the storage area for the raw sugar.

Geurts has spent the last 40 years in agricultural processing. He began his career in the grain industry then worked in the flour milling industry, and the barley and malting industry for a time. Most recently he was with Cargill in the company’s corn refining business. He moved with his wife from North Dakota to head the building of the new refinery in Gramercy.

“I welcome the opportunity to lead the building of the LSR refinery and be part of the sugar industry,” declared Geurts. “The biggest advantage will be the diversity of the ownership base that includes the partnership between the sugar growers, Imperial Sugar and Cargill. The LSR leadership team is focused on leveraging the strengths of the three partners in making the venture a success.”

The LSR refinery will be one of the largest, if not the largest, cane sugar refinery in the U.S. when completed. The design capacity is 2 billion pounds of white sugar per year or one million tons. The plant is expected to employ approximately 190 workers.

Dense Phase System in Gramercy, La.

On the same site, ISC has partnered with Cargill, Inc. and Sugar Growers and Refiners, Inc. in their joint venture, collectively known as Louisiana Sugar Refining or LSR, to construct a new and improved refinery that will produce white refined bulk sugar, which is scheduled to start up in the summer of 2011. The new facility promises a production capacity of 150 short tons an hour and will be one of the safest and most efficient refineries in the world. This is a rate 50 percent greater than that of the former facility.

The three member companies of the joint venture recently assembled their safety experts and completed a process hazard assessment. Learnings from ISC’s project to rebuild the Port Wentworth, Georgia refinery were incorporated in the safety review. A number of risk minimizing features were added to the refinery design as a result of the assessment further enhancing the safety standards of the new refinery and ensuring the best known practices for dust safety are being utilized.

LSR will transfer refined sugar to ISC’s bulk storage area where it will be purchased by ISC for its retail packaging requirements. The existing refinery will restart production in February under LSR’s ownership and continue operating until the new refinery is capable of replacing its capacity.

ISC’s dense phase transfer system is provided by MAC Equipment. The name “dense” is derived from the way the sugar is moved in slugs in an enclosed pipe in order to prevent sugar degradation and dust concentration. Once inside the pipe, sanitized dehumidified air is utilized to “push” the sugar with pulses to the destination bin.

Other options available for the transportation of sugar include the more conventional conveyor methods of mechanical systems, which would require extensive support structures and enhanced maintenance requirements, such as the dilute phase system. The problem with these alternatives however, lies in their inability to preserve the integrity of the sugar product.

In the dilute phase for example, sugar is in suspension with the air leading to crystal degradation. Unlike the dilute phase, the dense phase system by its very design, presents minimal exposure for degradation.

This past week, employees at ISC’s Gramercy, La. refinery participated in a training class dedicated to the dense phase system. The course was facilitated by the MAC Equipment Company and provided information on the function of the equipment, including how to promptly address issues identified in the control system. David Duncan, the Gramercy plant manager, expresses his gratitude for MAC’s involvement remarking that, “They are experts in this technology and we have learned many critical operational subjects.”

While the dense phase system will be new to the Gramercy location, it is not entirely new to the Imperial Sugar Company. In fact, it has been in operation at ISC’s Port Wentworth, Ga. refinery for over a year. As Brian Harrison, Vice President for Sugar Technology notes, the dense phase system is new, and at the same time tried and true; Brian says, “The dense phase technology we have utilized in Port Wentworth is a proven technology for sugar handling.”

Team members carefully packed 105 baskets and then delivered them to 14 local churches and to the St. Vincent DePaul Food Bank. Each gift basket included a large turkey, 2 lbs of light brown, powdered and EFG sugar, as well as sweet potatoes and green peas.

In October, letters were mailed to local churches to let them know that the baskets would be delivered on Nov. 18. Each church had a representative waiting to accept the baskets on behalf of its congregation. The associates from Imperial Sugar delivering the baskets heard throughout the morning, “There is a need more than ever this year.” and “We truly appreciate your kindness and generosity.”

Imperial Sugar team members who dedicated their time and efforts to this worthy cause include:

Pictured: Sheila Boudreaux, Operator 5/Packaging with Imperial Sugar Company and Karen LeBlanc, Coastal Ventures, Inc.

• Allen Brown, Operator 4/Packaging
• Sheila Boudreaux, Operator 5/Packaging
• Ronnie Decareaux, Operator 2/Maintenance
• Erin Hymel, HR Assistant
• Charmaine Ordeneaux, Admin. Assistant
• Karen LeBlanc, Coastal Ventures Inc.
• Chad Huguet, Sid’s

Other Imperial Sugar Company associates who supported this initiative were Cindy Benton and Sheila Turner from the customer service group, and Jackie Mattos and her staff from the shipping department who helped secure the sugar for the baskets.

In response, the company hosted a local blood drive.

According to Tracy Dicharry, senior human resource administrator at the Gramercy plant who coordinated the drive, 41 pints of blood were collected from as many contractors and Imperial associates.

“Given the hot weather, I was impressed with the turnout,” says Dicharry. “That speaks to the close-knit bonds shared among our people.”

Dicharry says that anyone who was unable to participate in the blood drive may still donate in Mr. Tolito’s name at any local blood center in LaPlace, La.

Well-tuned engineering skills certainly have their place on the job – as well as in the heat of competitive racing.

Just ask master technician Kevin Todd and house engineers Wade Lambert and Onell Lousteau, all of whom work at Imperial Sugar Company’s refinery in Gramercy, La.

As house engineers, Lambert and Lousteau make sure the plant systems – including air, water and conveyors – are all running properly. As a master technician, Todd fixes anything that breaks, using such skills as welding, steel fabrication, and various mechanical and millwright work.

When they’re not on the job, this trio spends as much time as they can on their favorite hobby – racing radio-controlled model boats in international competition.

In their off-time, you can find them customizing and racing model boats – boats that reach speeds of 70 miles per hour and more.

The three are members of the North American Model Boat Association (NAMBA), as well as members of the largest club in NAMBA’s District 5 – called Voodoo Model Boaters.

Operating radio-controlled vehicles has been a hobby of Todd’s for many years. He says he started focusing on boats 10 years ago because with airplanes, for example, “once you crash them, you pretty much go get a garbage bag.” He also finds them more interesting because hydrodynamics are involved, as well as aerodynamics.

Todd, Loustea and Lambert recently competed in the NAMBA nationals, which were held at the St. John’s Parish retention pond in Reserve, La. Competitors came from as far away as Australia.
Todd says the pond provides a perfect place for a race because there are no residents or businesses nearby and the noise from the boats gets quite loud.

The race course is a 330-feet-long, 50-foot-wide oval – with up to six boats competing in each six-lap heat. Each event is conducted over a period of five days. First place goes to the best cumulative time.

The model boats range from 40 to 56 inches long and run a 7.5-horsepower gasoline engine, which amounts to a “highly modified weed-eater motor,” Todd says. Boats that use nitro fuel have clocked speeds as fast as 89 miles per hour. Two minutes is the best time for six laps.

Todd and his colleagues spend a lot of time coordinating and setting up local races, sometimes working as pit bosses and making sure things go smoothly and safely. “The props are razor sharp,” says Todd. “And some of these boats weigh as much as 25 pounds – and, at 65 mph, 25 pounds would hurt.”

Todd and Lambert also own and operate a business called Byyouboyz RC Boats, where they build and customize model boats to help support their racing passion.

Gramercy associates that are members of the Voo Doo Model Boat Club are (l-r); Onell Lousteau, house engineer Kevin Todd, master technician and Wade Lambert, assistant house engineer.

Racers might spend anywhere from $1,500 to $4,000 on a boat, but Todd says money won’t win a race. “It’s about knowing the boat, setting it up well and being a consistent driver.”

While Todd hasn’t won a trophy yet, three fellow members of the Voodoo club became national champions at nationals in June.

The Voodoo RC Boat Club will be sponsoring the next NAMBA nationals event in November – also in Reserve. It’s called “The Voodoo’s World Fastest Gas Boat Shootout” and includes entrants from such countries as Germany, Australia and Kuwait.

Antron Brown, a top drag racer who can be seen on ESPN, also competes as a member of the Voodoo club.

“It’s a really fine sport. A lot of fun and very competitive,” says Todd. “The good thing is that at the end of the day, everybody’s still friends.”

]]> http://www.iscnewsroom.com/2010/08/19/honing-their-craft-on-and-off-the-job/feed/ 0 http://www.iscnewsroom.com/2010/08/03/from-study-hall-to-sucrose-gaining-a-real-world-education/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=from-study-hall-to-sucrose-gaining-a-real-world-education http://www.iscnewsroom.com/2010/08/03/from-study-hall-to-sucrose-gaining-a-real-world-education/#comments Tue, 03 Aug 2010 05:40:14 +0000 isc http://www.iscnewsroom.com/?p=8750

For Stephen Douglas, a chemical engineering major at Louisiana State University, an internship in Gramercy is turning out to be far more than he first expected.

This summer, for the first time, Imperial Sugar Company (ISC) is offering an internship program that allows six outstanding engineering students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in their field.

“It’s a fantastic program, and I’m excited to have six great students,” says George Muller, vice president of administration.

George Muller, vice president of administration.

“This isn’t your typical summer job where you goof around for barely-above-minimum wage. This has some real teeth to it. And the feedback I’ve gotten is that all six students are very engaged, taking it seriously and learning as much as they can.”

One intern is at ISC’s refinery in Gramercy, La. The other five work full time at the refinery in Port Wentworth, Ga. Each intern is spending the summer focusing on at least one substantial project for the company, and each one is partnered with a different ISC engineer, who will serve as mentor.

For Stephen Douglas, a chemical engineering major at Louisiana State University, an internship in Gramercy is turning out to be far more than he first expected. He started in the lab, transforming product test spreadsheets into automated graphs to identify trends in the purity and consistency of granulated sugar.

Add to that, his current project at the molasses blending station, where he’s designing a filtration system that uses automated, self-cleaning filters. Douglas, who will be a senior this fall, sums it all up this way: “I’ve been exposed to a lot of different areas, which has turned into a really valuable experience, depending on where I work afterward.”

Rising senior Emma Sebeey is originally from Cameroon, West Africa, but now studies chemical engineering at North Carolina State University (NCSU). Sebeey’s first project of the summer is to help improve the process of removing impurities from liquid sugar and, in turn, gain cost efficiencies. “I’ve learned a tremendous amount in only three weeks,” she says.

Raised in Dubai, Seena Mehrabanzad is earning a master’s degree in engineering and technology innovation management. He’s working with senior process engineer Chris Gordon to optimize one of the steps in the sugar crystallization process.

Explaining why he transplanted himself from Carnegie Mellon for the opportunity, Mehrabanzad says, “The fact that the company is rebuilding was intriguing to me. I hope that I can help with some processes to make them even better than they were before.”

Rising sophomore Will Flores, also at NCSU, is pursuing an academic path in computers and electrical engineering. To match his interests, ISC engineers tasked him with a project that involves replacing a programmable logic control – a computer – for the mechanical stretch wrapper, which wraps clear film around sugar packages stacked on pallets.

“It’s been a help to talk to my mentor, Tim Strozzo, about whether this field is worth poring over all the electrical engineering books,” Flores says. “So far, so good!”

Interns at Port Wentworth refinery are: (l-r)Will Flores of NC State University, Seena Mehrabanzad ofCarnegie-Mellon University, Evan McConnell of NC State University, Emmanuella Sebeey of NC State University and Ian Avera of NC State University.

Evan McConnell, who will be a senior at NCSU next year, says he likes the fact that he can apply what he’s been learning at school. “I’m working on a project with the plant’s steam turbines,” he says. “It’s funny, because the last class I took before coming here dealt with turbines and how they operate. I’ve really enjoyed how new tasks come up every day. It’s very refreshing!”

Originally from Homer, Alaska, Ian Avera will earn his mechanical engineering from NCSU after one more semester. His multiple projects fall under the category of energy savings. For example, Avera is weighing options for recapturing lost energy and condensate from the refinery’s steam boilers.

“It’s a huge opportunity in terms of savings,” says reliability engineer Andre Jeffries, who is Avera’s mentor.

Like the others, Avera points to the hands-on benefits of the internship. “This isn’t my first internship,” he says, “but I consider it to be my best. It’s the first experience where I’ve been able to combine the nitty-gritty calculations and analysis that I’ve learned in class with hardcore engineering experience.”

Kathy Gonzalez has become Imperial's newest Certified Safety Professional® (CSP). This premier credential certifies they meet the highest national and international standards for health and safety in the workplace.

When it comes to ensuring worker safety, Kathy Gonzalez gets right to the point.

“If you boil it down, my role is to make sure that the way the people come into the plant is the way they leave,” says Gonzalez, environmental health and safety (EHS) manager at Imperial Sugar Company’s (ISC) refinery in Gramercy, La. There, she’s responsible for the welfare of co-workers on the job.

With her guardian mindset, she’s become the company’s newest Certified Safety Professional® (CSP). This premier credential for professionals like Gonzalez certifies they meet the highest national and international standards for health and safety in the workplace.

Meeting these exacting standards means working with managers, supervisors, machine operators, mechanics and others to make sure all equipment is running properly – without any safety concerns. Gonzalez also is an active participant in the Imperial Sugar EHS cross-site safety community, which works together to develop and implement safety policies, training and practices needed to make this happen.

“My biggest job is to identify potential hazards and mitigate the risks people take when interacting with machinery or other materials,” says Gonzalez, who’s worked for ISC for two years.

She likens her position as safety head to a conductor of an orchestra. In this case, “all they guys in the field are the ones who play the instruments. I provide and conduct the musical score.”

The CSP certification is recognized by safety and health organizations worldwide and is similar to an accountant having a CPA credential. Requirements for certification include an undergraduate degree, several years of professional safety experience and the passing of a two-part, nine-hour exam.

Gonzalez estimates she studied about 150 hours for both parts of the CSP exam. “It’s definitely put me on top of my game,” she says. “It’s provided a good refresher on processes and theories that can be applied to various aspects of my work.”

According to Gonzalez, safety awareness at the Gramercy refinery is strong. She credits success to everyone’s commitment and participation.

Gonzalez brings more than two decades of safety and health experience to Imperial Sugar, where she oversees the work of two staff members, a nurse, a professional firefighter, fire protection mechanics, security and dust mitigation cleaners.

Previously, she worked as an EHS manager for Remy International, a major manufacturer of hybrid motors, starters and alternators, as well as at a major printing company.

“One person does not make a safety department,” Gonzalez likes to say. “I have never worked at a place with employees as willing as Imperial’s to embrace safety. We’re a tight-knit team.”

Gramercy labor extension signing included: (seated l-r) are George Muller, ISC VP, and Lloyd Kliebert, union president, (standing l-r) are Keith Griffin, HR manager, with union members Kerwin Joseph, Roland Brown, Troy Armont, Janelle Poche and Karen Howard. Raylene Carter, refinery plant manager (far right).

By an overwhelming majority, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local No. 1167-P recently approved a one-year extension of its contract with the Imperial Sugar Company (ISC).

George Muller, ISC vice president of administration, says the original collective bargaining contract would have ended February 1, 2011. With the extension, the contract now will run to February 1, 2012.

Construction is under way on a new state-of-the-art, 3,100-tons-per-day Louisiana Sugar Refining (LSR) refinery at Gramercy – a joint venture with Louisiana growers and millers, Cargill and the Imperial Sugar Company.

The contract extension applies to the ISC packaging facility that will be operated adjacent to the LSR refinery.

The DMAIC team in charge of the project first conducted speed trials on its two-pound brown sugar retail packaging line. DMAIC – which stands for define, measure, analyze, improve and control – is a Six Sigma approach used to determine root causes of problems in manufacturing or other processes.

The team soon discovered that excessive downtime in packaging was the result of delays in the brown sugar processing area. So, the team switched gears and started looking at possible bottlenecks there.

The Gramercy Brown Sugar DMAIC team included (l-r) Jay Matherne, supervisor, Troy Chabaud, Maintenance, Becky Moderson, operator and Dwayne Dumas, technician. Team members not pictured included Corwin Williams, brown sugar shover and Tara Lougue, administrative assistant.

“The new goal was to determine what was affecting our ability to make brown sugar right the first time,” said John Gerace, Gramercy packaging team manager. “In other words, making quality product – within specification ¬– the first time through the refining process so it wouldn’t have to be done again, causing delays down the line.”

The team used statistical sampling techniques on various pieces of equipment at discreet points within processing to uncover problem areas. As a result of their findings, several changes were made to the equipment, delivering a 40 percent increase in processing throughput. Equipment changes also were accompanied by new safety standard operating procedures (SSOPs) and operator training.

From there, the team moved its focus back to packaging, performing a high-level review on the 50/25 pound packaging line for industrial customers.

Action steps included the writing of new SSOPs for the operation of the machines and the conducting of design of experiments (DOE). DOE is another Six Sigma tool used to investigate a process systematically. It involves a series of structured tests in which planned changes are made to one or more input variables until the desired output is achieved.

A fifty pound bag of dark brown sugar rolls off the production line.

The experiment designed for the industrial packaging line modifies the drop rate of the product going into each bag and measuring the corresponding output. That includes increasing the drop rate from the fill buckets to the point where sugar goes into the bags, making sure each package falls within the proper weight control parameters.

“We’re changing drop speeds and measuring the output,” said Gerace. “It’s trial and error, but it’s all being done in a controlled fashion. Once we get it to a point where it’s running satisfactorily at a higher rate, we’ll write an SSOP for that and train the operators.”

Members of the brown sugar DMAIC team are: Jay Matherne, supervisor; Troy Chabaud, maintenance; Becky Moderson, operator; Corwin Williams, brown sugar shover; Dwayne Dumas, technician; Tara Louque, administrative assistant; Stephen Downey, Hagen & Company consultant.

Several of Imperial’s consultants, including the Dennis Group, Fluor and Chilworth Global, were partners in designing and installing the capital equipment.

Bob Christensen, Gramercy projects E&I manager, checks a Fenwal suppression unit at the base of the plant's silo.

“Our CEO, John Sheptor, has been pushing hard for more safety improvements in our plants, our procedures and everything else,” said Bob Christensen, Gramercy projects E&I manager. “There’s been a tremendous amount of plant upgrades done since.”

Walls in the packing area were reinforced with steel tubing to withstand the blast of an explosion.

With sugar being moved constantly throughout the plant, safeguards must be put in place to reduce the accumulation of sugar dust and keep it from being ignited by a spark or heat source such as friction between moving parts.

According to Christensen, who is overseeing the project, the way the old plant was constructed presented some unique challenges. For example, because the small packaging room is located in the middle of the building, the plant couldn’t be vented for explosions through an outside wall, which is preferable. So, vents were put in the ceilings.

With vents in the ceiling, in the event of an explosion, the blast would vent through the roof to the outside and not propagate through adjacent high-traffic rooms. The plant also set up chemical suppression and chemical isolation systems to head off explosions before they can occur.

Explosion protection devices also were installed on bucket elevators, which convey raw and refined sugar and are a common source for deflagration. These devices let operators know if belts and buckets are getting out of alignment, which could trigger a heat reaction.

If an elevator gets out of alignment, an alarm sounds. If the situation continues, it will shut the elevator system down.

Upgrades at the plant included moving the electrial panels at the raw sugar warehouse outside.

“We’ve done a tremendous amount of wiring and equipment upgrades, and we know the upgrades are working,” said Christensen.

Take, for example, the temperature sensors that prevent bearings from overheating. Recently, a bearing on one of the elevators was getting too hot and set off an alarm, giving the team a heads up to address the situation before it became serious.

Lonnie LeBlanc , capital projects liaison at the plant, has been helping with the upgrades, working closely with Christensen on day-to-day construction management, reports and mechanical items. “Lonnie is very involved.
He’s been a tremendous asset,” said Christensen. “He interacts frequently with the consultants and contractors, zeroing in on mechanical issues while I deal with the electrical ones.”

Other safety upgrades at the Gramercy plant include:

• New switches on elevator discharge chutes to keep them from backing up.
• Flame and spark protection on granulator systems.
• A central vacuum system to remove spilled sugar.
• Reinforcement of a wall with structural steel tubing to withstand the blast of an explosion.

Safety initiatives at Imperial Sugar Company will continue into the future. As Christensen said, “Safety is a moving target.”