September has been a tough month for the Francisco Cabrera Metal Structures Company (Metunas), in this eastern Cuban province. Measures to reduce the country's energy consumption have been felt with particular force. It is enough to observe its crowded finished production area and the relative tranquility in each of its work areas to realize what the intensification of the US blockade is signifying for the entity.

However, here they have found a lot to do, says Raudel Rosabal González, maintenance director. Certainly, he says, it was necessary to reduce work shifts from two to one, as well as readjust the number and individual roles of the workforce, part of which was placed in equally important tasks such as cleaning and other actions of epidemiological prevention.

Additionally, he specifies, "we made a study of the most electricity consuming machines and tools in the maintenance part, trying to create a productive flow that increases productivity, shortens the time of use of the machines and thus reduces electricity consumption" .

Actions towards energy efficiency had already begun in Metunas long before President Díaz-Canel's intervention on September 11. “Since the beginning of the year we have replaced high energy consuming lamps with LED technology that are economical. We also reviewed the consumption standards for greases and lubricants, readjusting them as the days go by; seeing where the main needs are, always in conciliation with the production area to know which machines are the most necessary for the fulfillment of the plan ”, he explains.

WHAT CAN STAY

Rosabal González considers that a good part of what has been done is now here to stay. "These measures, he says, have helped us to see from a different perspective the technical assurance that must maintain the production itself. We have been reorganizing and the company has not stopped on the productive side. Maintenance has continued to provide a quick and effective response, taking into account, of course, the breakdowns that occur and the resources we have. ”

When the energy availability in Metunas improves, they assure that they are ready to enter the development phase of their industrial infrastructure and re-boost their production levels. "That will allow us to continue promoting our productions," says the Maintenance director.

Along with the installation of modern equipment that will expand the quality and variety of its options to be placed on the market, during 2019 the company's collective has worked intensively on other equally relevant ones, such as the only mesh die cutting machine in Cuba .

Rosabal González reviews that in the latter case they do it in conjunction with the Santa Clara Mechanical Plant, knowing its relevance, since it would avoid Cuba the current import of die-cut metal meshes very useful for the construction, for example, of corridors of industrial warehouses. Nor did the overall repair to the tile forming line, another crucial area of ​​the factory, come to a complete halt; Metunas is one of the suppliers of galvanized zinc tiles for the country's housing program and other investments that require them.