I remember that whenever I spoke with that worker, he spoke to me with pride about that moment when Che, who was then Minister of Industries, unexpectedly entered his workshop and fraternized with the group.
«I was concentrating on the forging hammer, creating a pincer, when someone came up and touched my shoulder. Because of the huge noise in the place, I didn’t notice, but my companions did, and they signaled for me to look. It was then that I turned my head and saw Che,” recalled Arsenio, who was very surprised by that unforeseen visit.
Once in front, Commander Guevara asked Iglesias García about the production process, and what he was doing at that time; to which the worker replied that he made a tool to manipulate the pieces in the oven. It was then that the young Minister of Industries said: “Do you think you can forge it with me?”
Arsenio, in the midst of tremendous nervousness, responded: “Well, if you dare.”
Iglesias García looked for a pair of gloves, gave them to the visitor and began the joint forging of the tongs. «I confess that it was a very embarrassing situation, because it was not easy to have such a big man next to you; But well, in the end the piece came out, and we were all very happy,” he recalled.
«After completing the process, and faced with the unbearable heat emanating from the ovens, with temperatures exceeding 600 degrees Celsius, Che wanted to drink water, which created a tense situation, because the only liquid he had was bottled in a can of pear,” narrated the strong worker, who does not forget Che’s gesture of simplicity, who without hesitation took the container in his hands, but not before being warned by one of the escorts. The Minister replied: “Hey, do you think a worker is capable of poisoning me?”
THE TORCH OF INDUSTRIALIZATION
Upon inaugurating the so-called factory of factories on May 3, 1964, Che expressed prophetic words that demonstrated the importance of the nascent industry for the process that began on January 1, 1959.
Then he stated: “Now we will be able to begin the process of supplying a whole series of spare parts that have kept our industries in check during the five years of the Revolutionary Government.”
«Sixty years later, the Fabric Aguilar Noriega Company continues to be an essential industry for the Cuban nation. From its workshops components have come out for almost all the sugar entities and other industries in Cuba,” acknowledged Idael Hidalgo Cruz, director of the Mechanical Plant.
«During these years we have been able to overcome many difficulties, such as the fall of the socialist camp and the economic depression derived from that event, for which reason we were forced to survive facing other challenges unrelated to our origin. Then, with the start of the pandemic and the crisis linked to that situation, the workers and cadres knew how to grow and be reborn, to once again be the factory of factories that Che dreamed of.
Despite these, Planta Mecánica has been able to guarantee parts and aggregates that the sugar industry needs for its repair and maintenance, among whose productions stands out the manufacture of crowns, pinions, washers, sprockets, hammers, blades and blade arms, scrapers, boxes laterals, bearings and coping, acknowledged the manager.
Likewise, they have also collaborated in other prioritized programs, such as hydroenergy, through the repair of hydraulic turbines for the country’s mini-hydroelectric plants, the casting of wheels for railway cars and the manufacturing of metal structures for important companies in the region. nation.
Likewise, the nickel, cement, oil and chemical industries, among others, have benefited from different parts that the country previously had to import, and that are now manufactured in the Plant, listed engineer Hidalgo Cruz, who mentioned the foray into the manufacture of molds, mills and other items for the housing program, a purpose that seeks to contribute to the development of local materials production industries.
ON THE PATH OF MODERNITY
To continue being a pillar in the country’s industrialization process, the Santa Clara factory entered a stage of renovation and modernization several years ago, which will reaffirm it as one of the fundamental pillars of our economy.
The technological reconversion to which the entity is being subjected will lead to the production of parts and components aimed at prioritized programs in the country, in addition to increasing the quality and efficiency of its productions, many of which replace imports and will make it possible to expand its presence in the international market.
It involves the assembly of cutting-edge technologies aimed at reviving several of its workshops, where productions are carried out for vital sectors of the economy such as sugar, oil extraction, hydropower, cement, electricity generation, construction and chemistry, among others, said Manuel Nicado García, one of the entity’s most qualified specialists.
Based on the technological obsolescence of the factory, with more than 55 years of operation, and the high demand for various items destined for these sectors, for five years they have been working on the process of updating the main equipment, starting with the workshops. casting and heat treatment, Nicado said.
It was decided to start the process there, because they provide 80% of the raw materials consumed by the factory, says the specialist, who remembers how most of the parts are cast and then machined, for which current equipment does not provide the required quality levels, hence the imperative to undertake the investment.
The new furnaces, which operate from the electric arc, are much more efficient, saving energy and reducing casting time by almost half, in addition to humanizing the work, explained the technician, who recalled that, previously, most of the casting processes were done manually; On the other hand, with the new ovens, the processes are automated and much more productive.
Likewise, work is being done to modernize the pailería, machining and forging workshops, as well as the Quality Laboratory, providing them with software with many more features, with a numerical control center capable of achieving greater speed and precision in the different processes, he said. the seasoned specialist.
He also pointed out that with modern foundry technology, 80% of the sand that was consumed in the process is recovered, which provides notable savings and a benefit for the production of equipment and parts.
The investment that takes place there also seeks to humanize the production processes, so that workers, generally exposed to intense heat and the emanation of polluting agents, work in cleaner conditions, without aggression to their health and greater care for the environment, meant the executive.
