The Workshop

Pilot Plant

This facility comprises of three sub-units and will be fully developed once the proper space is available at Ergates. It is currently in the embryonic form with only limited physical facilities.

The sub-units are:

•  A small workshop for the fabrication and erection of experimental units needed in the laboratories and the incubator.

•  A collection of small scale processing equipment (mixers, mills, dryers, evaporators, presses, etc) which can be used to demonstrate technologies of a processing nature and allow the production of small, commercial quantities of products ready for functional and market testing. (Note: This is a peculiarity of the Proplan Centre as it has a strong Chemical and Natural Sciences bias. Other biases are possible).

•  A collection of mini-income earners. Small projects incapable of self-sustainability but able to offer income, employment and training when operated in an environment where all is shared (space, utilities, facilities, personnel, management, etc). In the language of economics a collection of mini-income earners has the effect of slushing through the fixed expenses portion of the Break Even Diagram bringing the Break Even Point drasticly to the left and thus making the impossible, possible! Locally!