UG students, local engineers to install new asphalt plant

—German team to spearhead exercise
─continuous training in Germany on the cards for local operators

DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, July 16, 2019

The new state of the art asphalt plant that has recently arrived in Guyana is unlike any of its counterparts in the region. Thus, the Government is making a salient effort to ensure the technological machine is properly installed.

“We are going through the tender phase. It will be seriously scrutinised because we have to have a contractor who can deliver this foundation on time so we can install [the plant],” said General Manager within the Demerara Harbour Bridge Company (DHBC), Rawlston Adams.

Adams also disclosed that University of Guyana students and engineers within DHBC have an integral role to play with the plant’s installation, which will be spearheaded by the German company from which the plant was purchased. According to Adams, “the intention is for us to have all the engineers who will be working on this plant [to] be part of the installation process”. The DHBC head explained that this is necessary for the training and the transfer of knowledge on the operations of the asphalt plant.

Moreover, training opportunities for Guyanese concerning the asphalt plant will not conclude once the plant is installed. Instead, the GM noted that there will be more openings for training, particularly on the international front. “After the first six months of operation… the company is requesting that we send the operators to Germany for further training. So, it is a continuous training process,” Adams stated.

Nevertheless, the technological mammoth is equipped with the capabilities of being wirelessly analysed by professionals in Germany, thereby eliminating the need for equipment to be shipped to the European country. “If we are experiencing a problem, we can call Germany and say, ‘there is an issue’. They will be able to, over the internet, tap into this plant, conduct a diagnosis and help us figure out what is happening,” the DHBC General Manager explained.

While the long-term continuous training comes at no additional cost, airfare and accommodation for trainees are expected to be footed by the Government. It is anticipated that the asphalt plant will be fully installed by September 2019. Minister of Public Infrastructure the Hon. David Patterson along with Permanent Secretary Kenneth Jordan on Tuesday inspected the 34 pieces of equipment that constitute the new asphalt plant.