MtnMusic, I agree with your point of view and I find this...

MtnMusic, I agree with your point of view and I find this exchange of ideas about the future 10'000 tones plant fruitless without knowing the actual flow sheet of the system.
Back in the eighties I was part of a two man team for a multinational Co developing a new line for two breakfast products where we replaced an 18 kg/min production line with one producing about 50-55 kg/min.
Without going much into details, some part of the new process line required a multiples of the same machines but some other parts like the steel belt cooler or dryer we have seen on Puna's plant could just be designed bigger or larger to accommodate the flow.
I am also not surprised that they have mechanical issues to resolve as the pilot plant was different in many ways just looking at the pictures, no conveyors, the product just dropping by gravity on trolley was one aspect standing out.
I can easily visualise the product crystallizing to a degree which would necessitate the introduction of lump breaker and the transition between the different process machines may need sorting out and I haven't the addition of the reagents process which may vary due to unexpected raisons?
There are many details which can only be sorted out with the new set up and some time cannot have been foreseen in advance, one aspect which is general in all plants, there is what is referred to as a bottle neck and over the years you can just improve them and gradually increase the production rate.

If my memory serve me right, the employees count actually decreased with the new plant!