A bit of Tamil Nadu in a corner of Jordan

By Kesava Menon

ESHIDIYA (Jordan), JAN. 8. This is a corner of Jordan that has got a Tamil flavour. It is not just the presence of the several managers, engineers and technicians, most of whom have come from Tuticorin that gives the sound of Tamil Nadu to this desert site where SPIC-India's joint venture is located. This Indian joint venture company, vying for the top spot in Jordanian industry, has set a very high standard thanks to sheer Tamil dedication and hard work.

In the annals of the Indian diaspora, most ballads are devoted to the sprit of entrepreneurship demonstrated by those involved in the info-tech world. The Indo-Jordan Chemicals Company, SPIC- India's joint venture, functions in a more prosaic world producing phosphoric acid for use as the intermediate for the production of Di-ammonium Phosphate fertilizer. In achieving high bench-marks in project implementation and production levels, it has demonstrated that Indian industry has other strengths as well. This demonstration is particularly useful in the aftermath of the bursting of the dot.com bubble where it has been recognised that inventiveness does not preclude the need for sound management.

By the time it was commissioned in April, 1997, the IJCC had notched up two remarkable achievements. The project had been completed ahead of schedule and within the budget. It achieved 100 per cent capacity utilisation in 1998-99 and has notched up the same or higher levels of capacity utilisation in the two years since. With a 224,000-tonne annual capacity, the plant has been producing about 1,000 tonnes a day, well above the 700 tonnes per day daily production equivalent to 100 per cent utilisation. Putting the IJCC's achievement in perspective, its assistant managing director, Mr. Babu Varghese, points out, ``a hat-trick of three years of 100 per cent capacity utilisation is something that has not, I think, been achieved by a phosphoric acid plant anywhere in the world.''

The SPIC-India is the main promoter having contributed 58 per cent of the $170-million investment. The Jordan Phosphate Mines Company contributed 34 per cent and the rest was put in by the Trans Arab Investment Company of Saudi Arabia. The rock phosphate is supplied by JPMC from its mines located adjacent to the phosphoric acid plant and SPIC, by agreement, has to off-take the entire product. The phosphoric acid is transported by tanker to the port of Aqaba and shipped out. Through this joint venture SPIC has obviated its need for imports from other sources. Earlier, in view of the shortfall in India's domestic production of phosphoric acid, it had to resort to spot purchases from Morocco.

Although the plant was erected as a turnkey project by the French firm Krebs, SPIC's special maintenance organisation had a role in its installation and provided commission assistance. A total of 135 Indians work on the plant with the ratio between Indian and Jordanian staff at the operating level being 1:1.5.

Conditions can be extremely tough in Eshidiya. Personnel at the plant said that while summer temperatures were high, the lack of humidity made for at least tolerable conditions. In winter, however, the cold can be severe. In December last, for instance, the night temperature dropped to -4 Celsius.

Then again Eshidiya is stuck in the middle of nowhere with the nearest town of Maan being about 25 km away. The SPIC has rented accomodation for its Indian staff from the JPMC and also provided a canteen and entertainment facilities. But as the staff wryly note, ``there is very little else to do in this desert. So we work.''

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