OREANDA-NEWS. March 16, 2016. Air Products is reinforcing its position as one of the UK’s leading industrial gas suppliers by investing in a multi-million pound renovation of its production facility in Carrington, Manchester. The arrival and installation of major elements, including a new coldbox for the new plant during March, marks a significant milestone in the project.

Air Products has been based at Carrington since the 1960s and while the original plant is still performing well, the company took the strategic decision to upgrade the technology so that it can provide the product quality and reliability that the region’s industry will depend on in the future. The upgrade will also improve environmental performance and enable increased production levels, allowing the company to support the growth of its customers across the North and Midlands.

A cleverly designed engineering solution was required to ensure there wasn’t any unplanned disruption to production at the site throughout the renovation process. As space was not available to build it alongside the existing facility, Air Products’ engineers have effectively built the new plant on top of the existing ageing process. Within the programme of work, separate processes are being replaced in-situ with the plant still operational.

“The skill and expertise demonstrated by our Air Products engineers is incredible. It’s a fantastic achievement to create a new, more efficient industrial gas production plant on the same site as the process we are replacing, while its still operating,” said Leyland Harrison, Senior Principle Project Engineer for Air Products. “It’s a bit like doing open heart surgery, but making sure we have the new heart working perfectly before we take the old one out.”

There have been no unplanned interruptions during the entire 18 month upgrading process, demonstrating the team’s expertise in delivering a complex, large-scale refurbishment project in coordination with normal operations, and with no incremental increase in project costs.

Central to the plant improvements is the installation of a new, super-efficient cold box to manufacture liquid oxygen, nitrogen and argon from fresh air. The 55 metre structure contains a highly engineered distillation process that operates at around -186 degrees centigrade. The new facility has been designed in the UK and and manufactured by Air Products’ own engineers.

“This is an exciting chapter in Carrington’s development, as we prepare for future growth by making a significant investment in the site and our technology. We’re committed to the region and our fantastic team that serve our customers from the site, while striving to ensure that we meet the highest safety and environmental standards. Their efforts have already been rewarded as Carrington has several European safety awards in recognition of its excellent performance,” added Tim Hulbert, Vice President of Air Products’ industrial gases business in the UK and Ireland. “Our continued commitment to the North West means that our customers who depend on our industrial gases (including hospitals, food producers, speciality chemical manufacturers, pharmaceutical, steel mills and advanced metals processors) can continue to rely on us as we grow our capacity to meet their needs.”

Air Products employs more than 50 specialists at the Carrington site, the majority of which are highly trained drivers, who deliver Air Products’ liquid industrial gas products across the country. The site is also the base for plant managers, logistics specialists, engineers and operations staff who ensure that the plant is a highly reliable component of the company’s wider network that serves the UK and Ireland.