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SA sugar firm expands in Brazil

14 July 2008

Durban-based sugar equipment and consulting company Bosch Projects has established a subsidiary in Brazil, with the aim of marketing its patented cane diffusion technology to the country's booming sugar and ethanol sectors.

The company's expansion to Brazil started with the in-house development of equipment using its patented Chainless Diffuser technology, which is applied to an existing sugar extraction process.

Bosch Projects do Brasil was established to provide an exclusive technology licensing agreement to Dedini Industrias de Base, the largest equipment supplier to the sugar and ethanol sector in the South American country.

The subsidiary's head office was opened in the city of Piracicaba in Sao Paulo state toward the end of January this year.

"Realising that the Brazilian sugar and ethanol sector was experiencing an unprecedented boom, we decided to find a Brazilian partner to whom to sell our new diffuser technology," Bosch Projects sugar equipment director Ivan Voigt told SAinfo last week.

To date, Dedini has taken orders for 10 chainless diffusers including a number of 15-metre diffusers, the largest cane diffusers in the world. Also included in the licensing agreement are Bosch Projects whole stick shredders, rotary juice screens, long-tube evaporators, continuous vacuum pans, direct contact juice heaters, vertical crystallisers and massecuite reheaters.

World's largest sugar cane industry

According to the company, the Brazilian sugar cane industry is the largest in the world, processing about 500-million tons of cane per annum.

The country also produces the most sugar and ethanol in the world, exporting most of both. As such it is attracting huge foreign investment in the cane industry, which is also being spurred on by the growing international trend toward biofuels.

In all, it is expected that about 80 new cane processing factories will be built over the next three years.

"The Chainless Diffuser technology we make available to our Brazilian partner forms a part of a growing trend [in Brazil] toward cane diffusers, as opposed to cane crushing mills," said Voigt.

Global ambition

Bosch Projects is active in many sugar-producing countries, with partnerships with countries in Brazil, USA and Southeast Asia.

The company has also worked as consultants and engineers in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan, Egypt, Central African Republic, Cameroon and Senegal, Hawaii, USA, Mexico, Guyana, Barbados, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Fiji.

"We [also] offer technical consultancy serves to two prominent British sugar companies," Voigt added.

Engineering News reported last week that Bosch Projects had been appointed by the United Sugar Company Egypt to assist in the erecting and commissioning of a packing plant, as well as handling and storage facilities for packed sugar at a new refined sugar plant situated 170 kilometres to the east of Cairo.

In addition, the publication adds that the company is also involved in the expansion of Illovo Sugar's Dwangwa sugar mill in Malawi.

SAinfo reporter