Industrial gas specialist Messer invests in a new, automated filling plant in Eastern France.

As it expands its position in Western Europe, Messer is investing four million euros in yet another location for bottling industrial gases into cylinders. This bottling plant, which has already commenced operations, is located in Folschviller, in the Franco-German border region. Thanks to an automated bottling system developed by Messer, gas cylinders can be filled quickly and safely with pure gases and gas mixtures at pressures of up to 300 bar. Moreover, Messer ensures the traceability of its products along the entire logistical chain, all the way to the customer.

New technology for gas bottling

Messer’s automated bottling plant is equipped with the “Filtrac” system, a technology developed in-house by Messer. Filtrac provides automatic control of the opening and closing of the fill-system valves for the various gases, so that the desired product can be introduced into the cylinder with optimal timing. This innovative system is already in use at Messer’s filling operations in France, Italy, Spain and Denmark.

Messer’s enhanced procedure for tracing gas cylinders all the way to the client, known as “Babel,” will be employed at the new Folschviller plant as well. In 2004, Babel was utilised as the basis for the technology “My SAP Mobile Engine.” This system guarantees that the tracing system interfaces smoothly with the integrated SAP management software, which translates into reduced operating costs.