An Engineer’s Darfur Journal – Part V – Production
Our first day of production was a flurry of activity! I didn’t expect there to be a significant difference between training and production, but I underestimated the assembly workers’ motivation to prove themselves and earn money for each stove they produce as a group. They eagerly set to work as soon as they arrived at the workshop: one worker at each of the 10 assembly workstations, plus an extra worker at each of the two final assembly workstations — 12 workers in total. After a full day (including a break for breakfast), we loaded 50 completed Berkeley-Darfur Stoves into the storage room — at least 25 more stoves than we had ever produced in one day during training. After a brief reflection on this accomplishment, one of the assembly workers approached the SAG workshop manager with a request for higher payments for each stove constructed. At the current wage that they receive at the end of the day, he argued, it was not worthwhile for the workers to travel from their camp into El Fasher. After a successful compromise, everyone arrived at work the next morning with smiles and laughter. It’s a huge relief to hear that the assembly workers enjoy the work and can have fun while building these important stoves.
To give an idea of the capacity of the workshop and how well the workers have been improving as they develop their skills, here is a breakdown of the production so far: on the first day of training for the first group of eight workers, we built 20 stoves over seven hours for an average of 2.8 “worker-hours” per stove (an estimate of how long it would take one person to make a complete stove). On the last day of training, 25 stoves were built at 1.6 worker-hours per stove. Today, on only the third day of full production, we achieved an average of 1.4 worker-hours and made 75 stoves! At this rate, Oxfam America, SAG, and the assembly workers will build the remainder of the 1,000 stoves in this initial shipment in only two weeks. That’s about 1,500 stoves per month and 18,000 per year, all from a small rakoobah in El Fasher. Luckily, more sheet metal stove kits have been ordered from the manufacturer in India and will be shipping to Darfur soon.
As I left the workshop today at noon for the last time, I couldn’t help but think how far we have come in six short weeks. Starting from an empty enclosure with a dirt floor, we ended with a bustling workshop, complete with 12 workers at an efficient assembly line, producing fuel-efficient stoves that will provide so many benefits for families affected by conflict in Darfur. Receiving beautiful gifts from my friends at SAG and Oxfam only reminded me how much I will miss everyone with whom I have lived and worked. Thank you to them for their friendship and hard work and to all who continue to support this important project. I hope that this workshop in El Fasher will be a model for others in our effort to supply a Berkeley-Darfur Stove to every family that needs one.
