Jamalco Reports Record Production Figures

The Jamalco bauxite plant is reporting record production figures for the first six months of the year, with output at 3, 944 metric tonnes of alumina per day, exceeding the projected daily target of 3,650 metric tonnes.
The company was also able to meet 100 per cent of its specifications for the period, and only “fell” to 99 per cent on one occasion, informed Managing Director, Jerome Maxwell, at a meeting held recently at the Halse Hall Great House in Clarendon, to update business leaders on the company’s performance for the first half of 2009.
He lauded the company’s workforce, noting that the excellent performance was due to their hard work.
The achievements, Mr. Maxwell said, were significant, even with the continued low demand for the product globally and record alumina inventories of more than four million metric tonnes, representing some four months’ supply on the London Metal Exchange.
He added that as a result of the low demand for alumina worldwide, production has been curtailed at all Alcoa refineries in North and Latin America and the Caribbean, except for Jamalco and Alumar in Brazil. He said that Jamalco has moved from ninth to fourth among Alcoa refineries.
Mr. Maxwell told the business leaders at the meeting, that while there had been some increase in the price of alumina, the industry “will take time to recover”.
He said that in accounting terms, Jamalco was “breaking even” and was managing operations on a “cash basis” in order to cover the cost of its operations.
Refinery Manager, Silvio Porto, said that much of the company’s success could be credited to the competence of the workforce and contractors. “We are in the game to win, not lose and when the going gets tough, the competence of the team is important,” he stated.
He explained that Jamalco had implemented the seven principles of the Alcoa Business System (ABS) and was on a drive to achieve continuous improvement that would consistently deliver results.
The ABS is modelled after a similar system used by Toyota Motor Corporation, which involves the company’s leaders, at various levels, going to different departments each week to view work processes, coach staff and offer advice.
Capital Expenditure Manager at Jamalco, Richard Hall, in the meantime, informed that the company was curtailing its capital project programme, noting that only those projects that are absolutely necessary for continued production will be pursued.
Other company speakers at the meeting included Manager, Corporate Services and Government Affairs, Leo Lambert, who gave an update on the company’s community framework, while Lands Superintendent, Evon Williams, gave an overview of Jamalco’s land acquisition and resettlement programme.