Sener Foundation volunteers complete engineering study to improve the production process for whole cane sugar in Peru

Volunteers with the Sener Foundation have completed the engineering study conducted as part of the project to improve the social and production aspects of whole cane sugar in Sierra de Piura (Peru), in collaboration with the NGO Ingeniería para la Cooperación – Lankidetzarako Ingeniaritza (ICLI) and the civil association Fomento de Investigación y Acción para el Desarrollo (FIAD) of the University of Piura (Peru). The work of Sener’s staff focused on identifying various improvements throughout the entire production process in order to modernize and optimize it.

In total, more than 500 hours of engineering have resulted in the proposed improvements, which focused primarily on creating by-products derived from the production of whole cane sugar; recovering the heat used throughout the production process; incorporating instrumentation into the production and composting.

The project coordinator for ICLI, and Sener engineer, Imanol Iraragorri, stated that “the involvement of the Sener Foundation and the participation of the Sener Engineering team and the University of Piura, together with ICLI, in this project has provided an example of how different parties have to collaborate in order to develop the technology needed to achieve the goal of improving the conditions of the most disadvantaged people living in the Piura highlands.”

For her part, the director of the Sener Foundation, Rosana Madroñal, noted that “we are very proud of this project, of the work that has been done in the Sierra de Piura through the different training courses and, above all, we are very proud of our volunteers who have made their engineering knowledge and expertise available to the people of Piura in order to improve their daily lives and, ultimately, their quality of life.”

Isabel Soto, a Sener engineer and volunteer on the project, pointed out that “what I liked most about the project was the interaction with the University of Piura and how they brought us closer to the final goal of the project, and their constant willingness to help.” Juan José Milla, a Sener engineer and also a volunteer, stressed that “this project required a change of mentality, since it forced us to propose effective solutions that are tailored to what the beneficiaries need.”

As a whole, the project, in addition to the engineering study to improve the production process, required a social effort to plant more than 6 hectares of sugarcane seeds, and provide technical training on the cultivation of sugarcane, as well as literacy courses, to more than 40 people. In addition, 130 people benefited from the training on planning, organization and association.

The result was a comprehensive project – undertaken in one of the most disadvantaged areas of Peru – that seeks to improve the living conditions of families in the Piura highlands that produce whole sugar cane. And it did so by training the women there and by sharing with them the engineering knowledge of Sener’s personnel in order to improve the production process.

The involvement of the Sener Foundation and Sener in this project is yet another example of the group’s commitment to society and to the more social aspect of sustainability. Sener has been committed to its professionals, the environment and society since its founding, and seeks to improve its environment through engineering, technology and innovation.