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STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Much is written about the technologies, processes and
equipment behind turning wood and other materials into pulp
and, ultimately, into paper and other wood based products. However, there is seldom a
mention of the civil, structural and building aspects of projects
undertaken to produce those wood based products, or the
people behind the designs, drawings and documentation
required to create the mill site infrastructure, to construct
the buildings that house the technologies and processes and
to make the foundations that support the equipment.
years of service
to South Africa's pulp and paper industry.
A company that can arguably claim to have provided
longer service than any other to the South African pulp
and paper industry is CBI Consulting Engineers, which
in 2012 merged with one of South Africa’s leading
and longest established black owned companies, P D
Naidoo & Associates (PDNA) and in turn became part
of the international Mott MacDonald Group in 2013.
Mike Franklin, former Managing Director of CBI until
its merger with PDNA in March 2012, has provided
over 32 years’ service to the pulp and paper industry
through the above group. He explains the history
behind the company and how it established itself as
the leading civil and structural consulting practice in
our industry.
Early beginnings
CBI was established in 1944 when Mark Bernstein
formed the partnership Campbell & Bernstein, with
Walter Campbell, retired City Engineer of Durban.
Four years later, Hugh Irving joined the practice and it
became Campbell, Bernstein & Irving (CBI) - a growing
Water Engineering practice.
It was not long after its establishment that CBI became
closely involved in the pulp and paper industry. In
1949, the original owners of Sappi’s Saiccor mill,
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Courtaulds, approached CBI to investigate
a water scheme and rail siding, and the
present mill site in Umkomaas was found.
Three years later, in 1952, CBI was asked
by Courtaulds to convert the Italian
drawings, prepared for some of the first
mill buildings and equipment foundations,
from metric to imperial dimensions.
Beyond their infrastructural services, CBI
was also appointed for the structural and
architectural design of all of the buildings.
As the mill began to establish itself and
expand, CBI was appointed to undertake
the engineering of all subsequent major
expansions. This relationship has spanned
60 years and the company has seen the
mill grow to become a world leader in the
production of cellulose pulp. Mike recalls
his most memorable, major expansions
at the Saiccor mill as the new Magnesium
Plant, which took place between 1983 and
1985, the Mkomazi Project (1993 to 1995)
and the Amakhulu Project (2006 to 2008).
Saiccor: the catalyst for further growth
As a result of CBI’s contribution to the
Saiccor mill, the company was invited to
assist in the creation (1997-1998) and
expansion (2001-2002) of LignoTech, a
factory built alongside Saiccor to produce
Lignosulphonate from Saiccor’s effluent,
and a joint venture between Sappi and
Borregaard. CBI has also carried out
smaller projects at Sappi’s Tugela mill near
Mandini.
Andrea Rossi, Group Head Technology
Manager for Sappi, comments that Sappi
has had “a long and successful history with
CBI, particularly at our Sappi Saiccor Mill
where CBI have participated in all our major
expansions. They are an exceptional and
most professional organisation who have
many years of hard earned experience in
our industry. They have a strong work ethic
and service orientated approach that has
resulted in our long and mutually beneficial
relationship.”
CBI’s involvement in the early beginnings of
Saiccor proved to not only be the catalyst
behind the firm’s growth into a multi-
professional practice, but also the strong
foundation on which it has built a secure
relationship with South Africa’s pulp and
paper industry as a whole.
Following the success of the Saiccor
development, in 1958 CBI was again
appointed by Courtaulds for the structural
and architectural design of the new Usutu
mill in Swaziland, which also included the
development of two new towns for 7000
workers – including all housing, social and
commercial buildings required.
Moving into Mondi
In the early 1960’s, CBI participated in
a feasibility study to utilise wattle in the
production of paper. After several technical
partners withdrew, CBI approached the
CBI formed its first link to the pulp and paper industry through the early days of Sappi Saiccor (pictured above, in 1955). It has since been instrumental in establishing and developing most of South Africa's large mills, including Mondi Merebank (pictured top, in 1988) - from identifying its original 40 acre site on the bank of the Umlaas Canal to involvement in its Blue Sky upgrade and beyond.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
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Anglo American Corporation of South Africa, who
showed considerable interest and, with the help of
Durban’s City Engineer, a 40 acre site was found on
the north bank of the Umlaas Canal at Merebank
in Durban, on which the Mondi Merebank mill was
developed.
Construction of the mill’s infrastructure and first two
Paper Machine halls, PM31 and PM32, commenced
in 1967, with a third machine hall, PM33, added
between 1975 and 1976 and a further two machine
halls, PM34 and PM35, in 1980 and 1981.
CBI has been integrally involved in Mondi Merebank’s
growth over the years, including such notable
expansions as the new Log Debarker Building (1989),
the PM31 Rebuild (1990), the Recycled Fibre Plant
(1991), the Blue Sky Project (a major rebuild and
conversion of PM31 from 2002 to 2004), the new
PCC Plant (carried out for one of Mondi’s suppliers,
Specialty Minerals, in 2005) and the Multifuel Boiler
and Turbine Hall (2005 to 2006); along with countless
other minor projects.
Commenting on Mondi’s history with CBI, previous
Technical Director for Mondi South Africa, Casper
Nice explained: “What has struck me most about CBI
over the 20 years that I have been involved with them
in a variety of pulp and paper expansion projects is
the professional manner in which they approach and
solve problems, no matter how big or small. Over
the years CBI has also built a reputation of being
reliable in providing accurate cost estimates for major
expansions and it is no wonder that the name CBI has
become synonymous with the pulp and paper industry
in South Africa.”
It was this established and close working relationship
with Mondi that led to CBI’s involvement in the
development of Mondi’s greenfield pulp mill site
in Richards Bay where, with the use of fast track
overlapping design and construction techniques, and
using standardised procedures developed through
experience gained over previous projects, CBI was
able to complete all civil, structural, building and
architectural engineering for what became the Elater
Project in less than two years (1982 to 1984). At the
time, Mondi’s Richards Bay mill included the largest
single pulp line in the world, with a nominal starting
capacity of 450 000 tonnes per year.
The capacity of Mondi Richards Bay mill has grown
significantly over the years, with CBI assisting on major
projects such as two mill optimisation projects (1995-
1996 and 1998-1999), an Oxygen Delignification Plant
(2000-2001), the RB720 Project (a major expansion
of the mill from 2003-2005), a new Gas Turbine and
Precipitator (2005-2006) and the relocation of a
Chipping Line from another mill; along with numerous
smaller projects.
Wayne Mundy, Project Manager at Mondi’s Richards
Bay Pulp Mill, says: “CBI has always been a project
partner we could count on, always exhibiting a high
level of integrity and professionalism, and always
prepared to go the extra mile in the interests of the
client.”
CBI has been extensively involved in the Mondi Richards Bay mill (pictured left, in 1984) - beginning with all civil, structural, building and architectural engineering in its initial construction, and continuing to the present day with extensions like the RB720 Project (pictured right, in 2003).
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“We have also undertaken various projects at
Mondi’s Umgeni, Felixton, Springs & Piet Retief
mills,” explains Mike, “and have further assisted with
the development in 2000-2001 and 2002-2003 of
Mondi’s SilvaCel Chipping Plant, in Richards Bay.”
Beginning Belville too
CBI shares its history in the pulp and paper industry
with Nampak too, most notably its appointment
in 1983 by Nampak Paper Limited as consulting
engineers, architects and quantity surveyors for the
civil and building works for a new Tissue Wadding
Machine at Bellville, Cape Town. Since then, CBI has
provided consulting engineering services for Nampak
for their Tissue Wadding Machine in Kliprivier, for
Nampak Corrugated in Rosslyn, and also at various
related packaging plants that Nampak operates
around the country. In recent years, CBI has
performed a few feasibility studies for Nampak and
the company hopes that some of these will come to
fruition soon.
Following its merger with PDNA and Mott MacDonald
in 2012 and 2013 respectively, CBI continues to
match its internal growth with its contribution
to the growth of South Africa’s pulp and paper
industry. “We have a close working relationship with
Abakali, a wholly black owned practice of Quantity
Surveyors, with whom we have shared most of our
quantity surveying work on large industrial projects
since CBI assisted in their formation in 2002, and
a workstation is available in our Durban office to
accommodate one of Abakali’s quantity surveyors,
who operates in-house,” explains Mike.
And so the growth continues...
The company’s latest project has been a commission
by Sappi to carry out all of the civil, structural
and building engineering design and contract
administration for Sappi’s GoCell Project - an
expansion and conversion of their Ngodwana mill to
produce Cellulose Pulp as a supplement to Sappi’s
Saiccor production. At the time of going to print,
Sappi had just produced the first A-grade pulp from
its new line.
When asked about the part that CBI/Mott MacDonald
PDNA played in Sappi’s GoCell Project, Andrea Rossi
explained that CBI’s experience and knowledge
enabled Sappi to meet the project’s building/civil
and structural schedule. “CBI /Mott MacDonald once
again delivered a professional job,” says Andrea. “It has
been a pleasure working with the professional team that
we have come to respect and admire.”
“Our absorption into the Mott MacDonald Group in 2013
has provided us with the depth of resources to expand
our, until now, South African based experience and
expertise more broadly, but the unique relationships we
have with South African pulp and paper giants - Sappi,
Mondi & Nampak - will always be highly valued. Pulp and
paper is entrenched in the psyches of the dedicated staff
who have contributed to all of the above projects and who
form the core of our Industrial Structures Division.”
Mott MacDonald PDNA looks forward to assisting long
into the future with expansions, upgrades and rebuilds
at the mills they are familiar with, and also on new
greenfield projects, wherever these may be in South
Africa or elsewhere. ■
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
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