Technical Index: a measure of factory performance for over 20 years at Mackay Sugar

Coefficient of Work or its more modern equivalent of Pool Sugar Index are essential to the commercial evaluation of sugar factories in Australia. Recent studies have suggested these benchmarks are lacking in some respects and that a complementary metric is required. This shortcoming was realised over 20 years ago and a measurement criterion called Technical Index developed and introduced into the weekly data reporting scheme for all factories at Mackay Sugar. The methodology behind the development of Technical Index and the equations for the calculation of Technical Index are given. Data for Technical Index and factory sugar losses are compared. In addition, Pool Sugar Index and Technical Index for four factories over a period of 12 years are reported and analysed. The meaning of Technical Index is discussed. Technical Index ranges between 90 and 100 with higher values indicating good performance. There appears to be a good correlation between Pool Sugar Index and Technical Index for the season average data, the correlation is less clear for data reported on a weekly basis. Technical Index is typically about 5 to 8 units less than Pool Sugar Index for Mackay Sugar factory operations. Technical Index is a key performance indicator that complements Pool Sugar Index and has been found to be a useful benchmark for factory operations. Key words Pool Sugar Index, factory evaluation