Afrox has invested R100-million in a new speciality gases plant at its Gases Operation Centre (GOC) in Germiston. The site was commissioned in January and went into commercial production on March 1, 2010. The facility, reportedly the most modern of its kind in the southern hemisphere, addresses customer needs in terms of current market trends, technological advancements, new standards and emerging legislation.
‘The new site was designed with special consideration of workflow and to reflect the changing needs of our customers,’ says Robert Carlton-Shields, speciality gases business manager. ‘This means we have to consider building our capacity around a variety of different mixtures; ensure our analytical capabilities are world class; and also make sure that we have good standardisation supporting our multi-national clients. With this new centre, we can become more systems oriented and electronically-driven, significantly reducing any risk of error.’ In addition, Carlton-Shields says the new production facility will allow Afrox to produce gases with shorter lead times – in some cases as little as five days.
Exclusive range of speciality gases
Afrox has also launched an exclusive world-class range of speciality gas products called HiQ 60, developed internationally by its parent company, The Linde Group. The HiQ 60 calibration gases include pure gases and non-reactive gas mixtures, with an extended five year shelf-life and flat-line guarantee, allowing for greater reliability in the accuracy measurement and longer term usability of gas. HiQ 60 pure gases include argon, carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, nitrogen and synthetic air, with calibration mixtures available with multiple non-reactive components. A range of HiQ speciality equipment including scientific regulators, gas distribution equipment and laboratory gas generators further complement the gases.
‘With the HiQ range, our customers can be confident that they are using a product that is in line with global specification in terms of both quality and safety,’ says Carlton-Shields. ‘This is a market-superior total solution that addresses customer needs in terms of current market trends, technological advancements, new standards and emerging legislation.’
Gases in the food industry
Afrox has developed an extensive range of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) gases, called FoodFresh. MAP can retard spoilage and extend the shelf-life of of packaged foods dramatically. ‘FoodFresh fulfils the requirements of quality assurance, hygiene and freshness demanded by the food industry,’ says Marietha Strydom, product manager: scientific & Helium at Afrox’s Special Products. Other applications for gases in the food industry include liquid nitrogen for freezing, calibration gases for laboratories as well as novel applications such as facilitating soil health for agriculture without the need for insecticides.
Afrox: T +27 (0) 11 490 0400
Afrox website
