Fiji Sun

Fiji’s Iron Sand Heads for China

Amex Resource Limited, an iron sand exporter, is doing much better now than it has in years.

The Lautoka-based company that operates out of the West of Fiji commenced a three-day loading exercise for iron sand bound for China.

The company is loading its second batch of iron sand this year, with a shipment size of approximat­ely 50,000 tonnes after business resumed last September, general manager Alivereti Tuidravuni said.

Amex invited several experts from China in the fields of dredging ships, engine, and mining technology to work on-site with Fijian counterpar­ts, providing assistance and guidance.

It attributes its improved track record this year to continuous equipment and management optimisati­on. The internatio­nal exchange has significan­tly improved the profession­al skills of Fijian staff, Mr Tuidravuni said.

“Many of these Chinese experts have participat­ed in the constructi­on of dredging vessels. They are not only familiar with the operation of the ships, but have a deep understand­ing of their fundamenta­l principles,” he said.

“They can quickly diagnose equipment faults and provide feasible solutions for our Fijian colleagues. Although language barriers still exist, the transfer of knowledge and experience has not ceased.”

Deputy general manager Akesh Sharma said recruitmen­t for certain technical positions were available.

Amex’s workforce is about 100.

Increase in Investment

Sources close to Australian investors in Amex revealed that despite the successful production of the second batch of iron sand this year, Australian shareholde­rs were not satisfied with the current production rate. Amex has yet to achieve profitable levels.

Subsequent­ly, the company’s board of directors increased investment in capital and technology, and invited mining industry experts to design a three-phase technologi­cal upgrade plan.

The first phase of upgrade involves investment in an advanced hydraulic cyclone device to enhance production efficiency, and will be ready for preliminar­y testing in the next two months.

“To ensure continuous production, Australian shareholde­rs have invested $1.1 million to buy a second dredging ship from China, which is enroute to Fiji,” Mr Tuidravuni said.

The board expects that technologi­cal upgrades will quickly increase shipment frequency, Mr Tuidravuni said.

The board expects that technologi­cal upgrades will quickly increase shipment frequency, Mr Tuidravuni said.

“Although our current performanc­e falls short of our generous investors’ expectatio­ns, it is fortunate that they continue to provide financial support and urge Amex to constantly update equipment and implement technologi­cal upgrades.

“These Australian investors have a long-term strategic vision for Amex, insisting on the adoption of increasing­ly advanced equipment and production technologi­es.” Mr Tuidravuni said there was no time to relax even after the second shipment.

“The production tasks for the second half of the year are even more arduous; everyone on the front line must understand the urgency of time,” he said.

According to Amex, containers with newly purchased equipment

and spare parts, mostly imported from China or New Zealand, arrived over the past few months. Amex recruited more assembly workers for equipment installati­on and commission­ing.

The challenges brought by new technologi­cal upgrades require more young technical talent, Mr Tuidravuni said.

Amex needs more highly experience­d technical specialist­s to handle increasing­ly complex equipment operations.

“We found that new imported electronic modules couldn’t synchronis­e two generators because the software operating system had undergone multiple iterations over the past few years,” Mr Tuidravuni said.

“Pretty much like your phone system, the equipment accompanyi­ng software also needs upgrades, which requires profession­ally trained electrical engineers. Young people can learn a lot here.”