Message-ID: <363F801F.3FAD@AfricaOnline.Co.Ci> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 1998 23:13:53 +0100 From: Reid Harvey <mailto:ceramics@AfricaOnline.Co.Ci> Subject: Industrial Development To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
Following is a copy of a posting I sent earlier today to the Intinvest forum of the World Bank, where a focus is Foreign Direct Investemnt (FDI). I am posting it on Devel-l because it may be considered relevant here as well. Thanks. Reid Harvey* * * * * * * *
Among several who have recently introduced themselves I see an interest in industrial development. Clearly, where industrial capabilities are improved there would be a lot of new interest in FDI. Allow me to explain one very simple way of starting industry from scratch.
Lindsay Publications in Bradlee, Illinois, carries a set of seven booklets called, the Build Your Own Metal Working Shop Series. The first book is called the Charcoal Foundary. I was impressed by the simplicity of the author's approach, so I built a charcoal foundary after his design. This consists of a five gallon, metal pale in which is rammed a mixture of sand and clay, common materials. An old hair drier can be used at the base of this foundary to boost temperatures to the 1550C, or so, needed to melt iron scrap. Working in Guinea we melted iron in the same kind of foundary, with the aid of a hand operated centrifugal blower. The charcoal foundary cost about US$50.00 in scrap and parts.
The second booklet is called, the Metal Lathe. The lathe can be built using aluminum parts cast from the charcoal foundary. Once the lathe is built it is possible to turn the parts needed for following instructions in the other books, thus building a milling machine, drill press, sheet metal break, etc., all the machines needed in a complete shop. From this beginning, now having a machine shop it is possible to put together a wide array of machines.
Money to buy the scrap needed to build the machines is negligible, a few hundred dollars. An investment in time, perhaps a year or more is needed. And an expert machinist is needed to teach local people. Other inputs vary by locale, but need not be expensive.
So when a part breaks on a village's one water pump, they don't need to abandon the pump. They can get the part from their local machine shop.
I would venture the opinion that developing this kind of project might be the very best way of developing a foundary, a machine shop and the requisite skills to their productive use. One reason for this is that no outside inputs are needed, the scrap and other materials locally available. Another reason is that the project participants, building their own machines have a new stake in ownership.
I hope those on the list will accept this, somewhat simplified idea of just how easy it all can be, getting started with industrial capability.
Reid Harvey