Construction of Johannesburg-based industrial gas company Air Products South Africa’s R300-million air separation unit (ASU), located at the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) in Port Elizabeth, in the Eastern Cape, was successfully completed in November, with an injury-free record.

Company corporate risk manager Sue Janse van Vuuren states that the 18-month-long construction of the plant started in May 2013 and, as was projected at the start of the project, the ASU was commissioned in November.

“In meeting our delivery commitment, we worked hand-in-hand with the contractors to ensure the stringent application of health and safety rules. As a result, we saw the project delivered within its allotted timeframe, without injury or incident, enabling us to deliver on our customer service promise and our health and safety commitment to send everyone home safely, every day,” Janse van Vuuren elaborates.

She adds that the incident-free delivery of the Coega IDZ plant was a direct result of Air Products’ integrated safety, health, environment and quality management system.

“The system integrates a number of elements, including Air Products’ global standards, local legislation, certification system requirements and best practices, with compliance monitored through various auditing and reporting processes,” says Janse van Vuuren.

The plant had gas flowing to customers at the Coega IDZ before the end of 2014, as projected at the start of the project. The ASU is the sixteenth plant of its kind to be built in South Africa by Air Products South Africa.

Janse van Vuuren explains that Air Products’ existing facility in Deal Party, Port Elizabeth, is an example of the company’s consis- tent application of health and safety standards. The plant, which blends gas and welding mixtures, fills cylinders and supplies various industrial and specialty gases, has maintained an incident-free safety track record for more than 30 years.

Speaking at the launch of the Coega ASU in November, Air Products central services GM Joshua le Roux explained that the energy efficient facility – the first of its kind to be commissioned in the Eastern Cape – forms part of Air Products’ long-term capital investment pipeline of R2-billion, which is aimed at establishing a solid national gas production and supply footprint in South Africa.

“We committed to supply gas to our Eastern Cape customers by the fourth quarter of 2014. We are, therefore, successfully providing a stable and secure supply of industrial gases to the region,” he added.

Le Roux further explained that Air Products had made the strategic decision to invest in the Coega IDZ based on thorough market analysis, which showed an increasing demand for gas across the industrial spectrum in the Eastern Cape, along with promising economic growth.

“The availability of a secure supply of industrial gas, which no longer has to be trucked in over long distances from outside the province, strengthens the Eastern Cape’s industrial infrastructure and its attractiveness as an investment destination of choice,” he concluded.