Messer, the industrial gas specialist, is now involved in plant construction together with the largest builder of air separation plants in China

Messer Group and Hangzhou Hangyang Co. Ltd., a Chinese firm specializing in the construction of major technical plants for industrial gases, signed a joint-venture agreement today. Cryogenic Engineering GmbH, a newly established company based in Frankfurt am Main, will be responsible for the turn-key completion of the project, as well as for marketing the facility. The focal point of these activities will be the booming markets in Europe and the Near / MiddleEast.

"We are currently merging our longstanding know-how with the enormous production capacity of our Chinese partner mainly for the East-European growth market," remarked Stefan Messer, CEO of the Messer Group. The manufacturing capacity of the Chinese joint partner is equivalent to more than 50 air separation plants per annum. Of the 10 to 50 million Euro in order volume per plant, more than half will be retained by the European and American suppliers of the joint venture. Due to a non-competition clause in effect for the Messer Group until 2007, no production plants may be built on German or British soil. However, according to Stefan Messer, “nothing stands in the way of a partnership with clients who have their production base outside Germany and the UK".

"East meets West" – a tried and tested co-operation

Messer, the world's largest owner-run company specializing in industrial gases, has been working together with the biggest Chinese manufacturer of pressure containers, and air separation and gas liquefaction plants since December, 2004. A partnership agreement concluded at that time with Hangzhou Hangyang has up till now provided for the transfer of know-how to increase the efficiency and potential of air separation units.In addition to its production plants, Hangzhou Hangyang also operates a research center for gas production in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.