GRAMERCY – A Baton Rouge area industrial maintenance firm was recently awarded a contract to handle equipment maintenance at Louisiana Sugar Refining’s new refining and packaging facility in Gramercy.

Turner Industries, which has handled similar contracts at industrial plants throughout the River Parishes, will handle machine maintenance at the Gramercy sugar refinery, according to a release from LSR. The refinery, which will be completed in early 2011, is being constructed on the site of the existing Imperial Sugar refinery in Gramercy. The $150 million project is a joint venture between Imperial Sugar Co., Cargill Inc. and Louisiana Sugar Growers and Refineries LLC.

“Turner Industries will be a great partner and asset for us,” said Red Geurts, LSR general manager. “They bring a long history of asset maintenance and are a well respected employer and member of the community. When LSR is complete, it will become the newest, and one of the largest capacity sugar refineries in the United States.”

Turner Industries has facilities in Louisiana – Port Allen, Sulphur, and New Orleans, in Texas – Houston, Beaumont, Corpus Christi and Paris, and in Decatur, Ala.

“Turner Industries is extremely proud of the role we will play at this new, state-of-the-art sugar refinery, said Billy Guitreau, president, Maintenance and Turnarounds Division, Turner Industries.  “Just as this new facility brings innovation and technology together to refine sugar efficiently and safely, we will support it with innovative maintenance and safety practices.”

Upon completion in early 2011, LSR will make refined white sugar that will be sold in dry bulk sugar form, in 50-pound bags and totes as well as liquid sugar. It will be equipped to refine a million tons of raw sugar per year with nearly all of it coming from the 700 sugarcane growers represented under the Louisiana Sugar Growers and Refiners umbrella.