$1.49M Mobile Batch Plant to power Western growth

A new $1.49 million Mobile Batch Plant has been commissioned at the Old Humes Yard in Lomolomo, Lautoka, to meet growing infrastructure demands in Fiji’s Western Division.

The plant, operated by Humes and Standard Concrete Industries under Basic Industries (PTE) Limited, a subsidiary of Fijian Holdings Limited (FHL), is expected to significantly enhance production capacity, reliability, and efficiency for high-margin construction projects.

Speaking at the opening last Friday, Ratu Meli Tavaiqia, representative of the Turaga na Tui Vuda, praised the investment as visionary.

"Nobody in Fiji will deny that de­velopment is fast here in the West and within this corridor from Nadi to Lautoka. Soon, there will be a lot of development projects on this corridor," Ratu Meli said.

"I thank FHL for be­ing very visionary; to have this in­stalled so that it can cater to for the demand in years to come."

The new plant is expected to in­crease production capacity and reliability in order to secure high margin projects. The fully automated batching system, powered by a PLC (programmable logic controller), allows for consistent, high-quality concrete production closer to project sites.

Independent validation by Technicrete Australia confirmed the plant’s efficiency and future-readiness for Fiji’s dynamic construction landscape.

FHL group chief executive officer, Jaoji Koroi said they are increasing their capacity in the west. 

"This investment is part of our strategy to make sure that we are able to deliver quality products to the market and also to meet the re­quirements that is out there in the market," Mr Koroi said.

"So, it is addition to our capacity to ensure that we can meet the de­mand that is out there in the mar­ket. This batching plant is more modern, unique, it is more auto­mated in its batching."

He said there were a lot more features that are out there to ensure that they deliver quality products to the market. 

Basic Industries chairperson Semi Lotawa described the plant as a milestone in operational excellence.

“Our aging plants caused frequent downtime and customer frustration. This investment directly supports our strategy to improve reliability and customer satisfaction,” he said.

Despite challenges such as shipping delays and installation coordination, the project was successfully delivered thanks to collaboration between management, engineers, Technicrete Australia, and the Lomolomo team.

The new mobile batch plant marks a bold step forward in supporting Fiji’s infrastructure growth and enhancing the competitiveness of local construction services.

“During our visit to Nadi last December, we saw first-hand how reliability issues were limiting our competitiveness,” Mr Lotawa said.

“This investment of $1.49 million was approved because it directly supports our strategy to achieve operational excellence and drive superior customer satisfaction.”

Mr Lotawa said the mobile batching plant represented a bold step forward.

“Like all great projects, this one came with its share of challenges from shipping delays, installation coordination, and ensuring our people were trained for the new system,” he said.