Trade News
Guildford, UK, 2 November 2011 – The Government has awarded industrial gases company BOC £1.5 million from its Regional Growth Fund to support the construction of a new Dissolved Acetylene production facility in North East Lincolnshire.
BOC, a member of the The Linde Group, is proposing to site the facility next to its existing Special Gases plant at Immingham. Subject to final planning permission, work on the project, worth around £20 million in total, will begin with a view to the plant becoming operational in 2012. The new facility is expected to generate around 40 jobs (direct and indirect).
Dissolved acetylene is used in a wide range of industrial processes by over 160,000 customers of BOC across the UK. It is used for welding and cutting operations as well as in the hardening of metals. As such it is a key technology in many engineering and infrastructure programmes.
Mike Huggon, Managing Director of BOC, said: "I am delighted that the Government has recognised the strategic importance of this project to the UK economy. The new plant that we are proposing to construct at Immingham is designed to provide the UK with a state of the art production and filling facility suited to the demands of 21st century engineering."
Councillor Chris Shaw, Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council said: "I am delighted that BOC has secured this investment which will lead to quality jobs in the area. The project is a prime example of how the private sector, council and MPs can successfully work together under one voice for the benefit of the area."
Tony Ogden, Manager of BOC Operations at Immingham and Chairman of Humber Chemical Focus, commented: "This investment will be a real stimulus for the economy both at local and national level. It will create new jobs in the Humber region as well as servicing the needs of the wider UK industrial community."
The planned new DA facility is part of a coordinated programme to strengthen the supply chain for this product. BOC is investing nearly £10 million in the latest 'ecological porous mass' cylinders which contain greater volumes of gas within the same cylinder sizes.
The company is also reinforcing and formalising commercial agreements with third party suppliers in Europe to ensure stable, secure yet flexible supplies. The new cylinder technology is compatible with systems used by continental suppliers and this will simplify technical compatibility and quality assurance.
Taken together, these investments will make the supply chain more flexible and responsive to variations in demand within the marketplace in the UK and Ireland.
BOC
BOC is a member of The Linde Group. An industrial, medical and special gases provider, the company supplies compressed and bulk gases, chemicals and equipment. For more than a century the company's gases and expertise have contributed to advances in many areas of everyday life, and industries including steelmaking, refining, chemical processing, environmental protection, wastewater treatment, welding and cutting, food processing and distribution, glass production, electronics and health care. For more information visit: http://www.BOConline.co.uk
The Linde Group
The Linde Group is a world-leading gases and engineering company with around 50,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. In the 2010 financial year, it achieved sales of EUR 12.868 billion. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development. For more information, see The Linde Group online at http://www.linde.com
North East Lincolnshire Council
North East Lincolnshire is a small unitary authority in the Yorkshire and Humber Region and has a diverse community group with a population of approximately 158,000. The adjoining towns of Grimsby and Cleethorpes form the largest centres of population, with the major container port of Immingham to the north. In contrast, rural communities such as Laceby, Waltham and Irby extend into the attractive Lincolnshire Wolds. The area is well served by road and rail and is only a few miles from Humberside Airport and close to Robin Hood airport in Doncaster. The famous Humber Bridge enables you to reach the ferry port of Hull in less than an hour by road. Grimsby, Europe's food town, offers a deep history, a great selection of shops, a famous fishing heritage and much, much more. Cleethorpes has all the ingredients you would expect of a traditional seaside resort. It has miles of sandy beaches, a superb events and festivals programme, and a host of quality attractions. The resort has many restaurants, cafes and pubs from quiet and traditional to lively and modern and caters for a wide variety of tastes from real ale to trendy wine bars.
Further information:
Simon Napper
BOC Communications
Phone +44.7500.815166
E-Mail: simon.napper@boc.com
Notes to editors
An image is available to accompany this release. Please contact Simon Napper. E-Mail: simon.napper@boc.com. Phone +44.7500.815166
Photo caption: Pictured at the proposed site of BOC's new Dissolved Acetylene plant in Immingham which has been awarded a £1.5 million Government grant are (from left): Damien Jaines-White, Head of Economic Development at North East Lincolnshire District Council; Councillor Chris White, Leader of North East Lincolnshire District Council; Tony Ogden, BOC Head of Operations, Immingham; and Jason Longhurst, Head of Regeneration, North East Lincolnshire District Council.
The Regional Growth Fund is a £1.4 billion Government fund which is designed to encourage enterprise, growth and jobs in the private sector and support areas and communities that are dependent on the public sector. The Government expects that 326,000 jobs will be created and safeguarded thanks to the fund. For more information, visit: www.bis.gov.uk