Industrial and speciality gas manufacturer and supplier Air Products South Africa will start the formal construction of its R300-million air separation unit (ASU) in Zone 3 of the Coega industrial development zone, in the Nelson Mandela metropolitan municipality, in the Eastern Cape, this month.

The aim is to complete the construction and commisioning of the unit in the third quarter of 2014, says Air Products South Africa central support GM Josua le Roux.

“The first flow of gas production is scheduled for October 2014 and this, together with several other key investments, will form a national footprint of sound gas-producing infrastructure across South Africa,” he states.

Engineering News reported that the company had broken ground at the site in May. The project will enable Air Products South Africa to directly supply its customers with industrial gases – oxygen, nitrogen, argon and carbon dioxide – and reduce its carbon emissions as a result of fewer trucks transporting the gases from Gauteng to the Eastern Cape.

Over the last five years, the company has conducted market research, which indicated that substantial volumes of gas are delivered to the Eastern Cape. This presents a significant business opportunity for Air Products South Africa to expand its existing gas distribution network in the province.

Le Roux notes that this opportunity exists because there are large automotive manufacturing factories, agroprocessing facilities, food and beverage factories and renewable-energy plants in the Eastern Cape.

Improving Operating Efficiencies

Le Roux says the company has evolved from being purely a production-orientated company to more of a supply-chain-focused company, which serves customers in several industries such as the automotive, food and beverage and paper-manufacturing industries.

“Air Products South Africa has adopted an approach of holistically improving our product, service and technological offering to customers,” he adds.

Moreover, Le Roux points out that there is an element of volatility in the gas industry, which requires that the company be creative and flexible in its operating practices.

“The volatility relates specifically to the supply chain element of Air Products’ customer demands. The levels of demand can vary dramatically, depending on the number and scale of our customers’ projects that are under way,” he explains.

Le Roux notes that it is important for the company to ensure adequate supply for its cus- tomers, particularly during periods of peak demand for construction projects, when delays can result in substantial costs.

“This is why Air Products South Africa has invested millions of rands in sufficient storage facilities throughout South Africa, in proximity to its clients, to provide an efficient, fast service,” he highlights.

Safety on Site

Air Products South Africa’s Deal Party plant, in Port Elizabeth, has, to date, been incident free for the entire 30 years of its operation.

“The Deal Party plant boasts a clean record and multiple awards for adhering to and exceeding safety, health, environment and quality (SHEQ) standards,” says Air Products South Africa sales manager Pierre Fourie.

Moreover, he highlights that the Deal Party plant is a National Occupational Safety Association- (Nosa-) accredited facility and that the company has won numerous Nosa awards. In particular, Fourie highlights the company’s receipt of the Nosa Five-star award, which acknowledges excellence in occupational safety, health and environmental quality.

“We regularly empower our staff by providing them with broad-ranging skills. “They are also given first aid, fire fighting, dangerous-goods and forklift training and participate in welding courses. “We also conduct internal and external quality audits to ensure that our premises are maintained to the best safety standards,” notes Fourie.

Air Products South Africa scooped the Nosa Five-star award as a result of its good housekeeping, its mechanical, electrical and personal safeguarding, its management of fire and other risks, as well as its incident recording and abidance to SHEQ standards, he says.

Fourie further cites that the company’s commitment to using high-quality products and the implementation of strict safety controls assisted it in winning this award.

“When I arrive at work, I make sure that I am totally focused on the work at hand. “It is so easy to make mistakes, as we work daily with highly complex mixtures of gas. “I have to be 100% focused to ensure that I mix the correct blend of gas,” stresses Air Products South Africa fill operator Justin Krige.

He started at Air Products South Africa as a general duty- man and progressed to fill operator, a job he takes seriously, owing to its technical nature and complex skills requirements.

“I blend various volumes of gas to produce several welding and speciality gases that service a number of industries. “A mistake could mean that the customer receives the incorrect mix of gases and the high level of customer service and satisfaction that Air Products seeks to deliver will be compromised – which we cannot allow,” Krige emphasises.

He credits the successes in his career to regular training pro- vided by Air Products South Africa.