In 1988, the Fiji Sugar Corporation marked a significant milestone in its expansion efforts with the commissioning of Fiji’s largest sugar crusher at the Labasa Mill, as reported in The Fiji Times on August 26 of that year.
The $1.8 million crusher was the first upgrade to the mill’s crushing equipment since its establishment in 1894 by the Colonial Sugar Refining Company. Labasa Mill, the third of four mills built in the country after Penang and Rarawai, acquired the crusher from Puna Mills in Hawaii, which had shut down due to high production costs.
FSC engineers dismantled the equipment in Hawaii in late 1987 and oversaw its assembly at Labasa after shipping it back to Fiji. This project was part of a larger $42 million investment by the FSC for the mill’s expansion since taking over from CSR in 1973.
Upon the crusher’s commissioning, FSC chairman Lyle Cupit noted that Labasa Mill’s 32 percent share of capital expenditure indicated a strong focus on development. Over a 15-year period, the corporation invested $130 million in upgrading all four mills.
The upgrades included modern bulk sugar storage and port facilities at Malau, a new boiler, a feeding station, and various other equipment. The Malau facilities improved the efficiency of the sugar crushing and shipping processes.
The new crusher features 84-inch rollers, pressure feed rollers, gearings, and a 1000 horsepower turbine drive, making it comparable to existing models but larger. While the additional crusher would enhance throughput only slightly, it was considered crucial for operational reliability. It aims to improve sugar juice extraction from bagasse, increasing efficiency from 5 percent to around 3.5 to 4 percent.
The new setup will also provide a backup in case any of the three existing crushers fail, ensuring continued operation. Work on the new crusher commenced in early March 1988, with Sheik Ahmed and Jack Sinclair overseeing the project.
FSC planned to install another similar crusher from Walkers of Australia during the upcoming slow season to replace one of the older units. Once installed, Labasa would boast the largest and most modern milling train among the nation’s sugar mills.
The three existing crushers, small units installed in 1894, have undergone multiple modifications to boost their capacity in line with increasing cane production. With the new machinery, Labasa Mill expects to crush 1.2 million tonnes of cane during a 30-week season, averaging 400,000 tonnes weekly.
Cupit expressed that the decision to install the additional crusher was a source of pride for both the FSC and the broader sugar industry.