Adding value to industrial gases

Messer Benelux is part of the leading European industrial gases specialist, Messer of Germany. Philip Yorke talked to Jan Desmeth, the company’s managing director for the Benelux region, about its unique value-added services and major investment in a CO2 recovery plant in Belgium.

The Messer brand name has been synonymous with expertise and quality in the production of industrial gases for more than 100 years. The Messer Group manufactures and supplies oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and helium as well as a range of exotic and specialised industrial gases. The company’s gases are used in a wide variety of applications that involve an equally wide range of industries, such as the steel and metal industries, chemicals, food and pharmaceuticals as well as automotive and electronics. Messer employs over 5200 people and has a portfolio of more than 130 different gases. In 2010 the company recorded sales of almost €1 billion.

The Messer Group is active in over 30 countries in Europe and Asia as well as in Peru, and has more than 60 operating companies worldwide. The group has one of the most diverse product portfolios on the market: in addition to standard industrial gases it produces shielding gases for welding and speciality gases, as well as medical gases and many different combinations of gas mixtures. The company’s state-of-theart research and competence centres are used to develop new applied technologies for the use of gases in almost every sector of industry. The company is particularly proud of its record on sustainability and environmental protection.

Value-added services and traceability

Messer Benelux is the brand leader in the Benelux region and continues to see consistent growth. This is due to more than just high quality products and reliable delivery services. Mr Desmeth said, “It is a very competitive industry and we differentiate ourselves very clearly by our dedicated range of services and by working closely with our customers to help them to optimise their business potential. For example, most of our customers have problems with cylinder management where the value of the cylinder exceeds the value of the contents. That’s why we have developed an affordable cylinder rental system with an easy return system for the cylinder itself.”

Desmeth added, “Furthermore we have developed a unique traceability system that means, for example, that if a construction site manager loses a cylinder they can trace it, no matter who returns it, and deduct it from their stock. Others suppliers have a bar code system but not one that caters for lost cylinders, which can be expensive both in terms of time and money. We are serving over 10,000 customers in the Benelux region and we make a big effort to provide the best possible customer service and employ the best trained and most dedicated operatives.

“We also have a big team of scientists and engineers in the Benelux region specialising in the application of gases for speciality markets such as the food industry where the requirement is for fresh fish and meat products. These products can be frozen more quickly and efficiently with liquid nitrogen rather than with traditional freezers which only reach -30oC as opposed to liquid nitrogen which can reach -100oC and in a fraction of the time. In addition, we have over 40 dedicated dealer networks that look after our smaller customers and these are all based within 30 kilometres of our customers’ businesses.”

Developing Europe’s largest CO2 recovery plant

Early 2010, Messer Benelux commissioned a state-of-the-art CO2 liquefaction plant with an annual capacity of 150,000 tonnes

Spectron Gas Control Systems

Spectron Gas Control Systems is the specialist for gas supply systems. For over 60 years the company has been producing manifolds for a wide range of gases. The regulators meet the highest standards for safety, gas-sealing and purity and are matched to the appropriate application and gas characteristics. The product portfolio includes pressure regulators and supply systems for technical, medical and also specialty gases as well as fully automatic controlled touch screen cabinets for the semiconductor or photovoltaic industry. Spectron also includes alarm and control systems for gas applications, as well as gas purification systems to improve or secure the purity of the gases. The company is well positioned globally and always close to its customers with a further production location in Great Britain and the world-wide network of sales partners.

Motrac Handling and Cleaning

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of CO2 to be recovered from industrial waste gases. This significant investment will be located on the site of the British company Ineos Oxide at Zwijndrecht near Antwerp Belgium. This specialised plant will recover around 20 tonnes of CO2 per hour from Ineos’s industrial waste gas and render it useable. Water and impurities are removed from the gas in several steps, before it is liquefied by means of cooling and compressing and then stored in special tanks. The liquefied gas is then put into tankers, which then transport it to the customer. This means that the CO2, which is normally released directly into the surrounding environment, is now put to good economic use as a ‘green’ gas.

Desmeth added, “Our largest CO2 recovery plant is being constructed near Antwerp jointly with Ijsfabriek Strombeek. We have set up a joint venture company called ‘BECO2’ in which we hold a 70 per cent stake, and this represents an investment of more than €60 million. We will use two thirds of BECO2’s capacity to supply carbonic acid, dry ice and gaseous and liquid carbon dioxide to our customers in the food and beverage sectors as well as for the manufacturing and carbonated water industries. The remaining 30 per cent is utilised by Ijsfabriek Strombeek. The new plant has been fully operational since May 2010.” n