MOSCOW (MRC) -- Alfa Laval, a leading global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling, has strengthened its operations in the United States with three new facilities, expanding its commitment to serving its customers in the United States, reported Hydrocarbonprocessing.
These investments better position Alfa Laval as a key partner for its customers throughout the United States. Alfa Laval customers will benefit from greater accessibility to the products, services, capabilities and industry-leading expertise they need to improve their processes and enhance their business’ sustainability and profitability.
"Our focus is to add value to our customers’ businesses through quality, a reliable supply chain, stability, performance innovation, and deep product and application experience" says Jo Vanhoren, managing director and president, North America Cluster, Alfa Laval. "The expansion gives us greater flexibility to adapt to customers’ needs. We’re producing closer to our customers, enhancing sustainability overall, and we’re faster, as needed, to serve our customers better."
Already the market leader in the United States and North America, this USD50 million investment continues to increase the company’s pace of innovation, while providing a stronger local presence for its customers in the United States. These state-of-the-art facilities provide Alfa Laval customers access to the company’s expert engineers for unrivaled product and application competence, and service centers designed around making it easier for customers to keep their equipment and processes optimized for performance.
"We are investing in logistical excellence - localized production, service, supply and distribution - to create even better experiences for our customers," says Vanhoren. "Our focus is to add value to our customers’ businesses. We are committed to developing a more sustainable environment and turning our customers’ sustainability challenges into business opportunities."
The company has expanded its facility in Richmond, Va., with a new brazed heat exchanger production unit. This will provide customers in the United States with an enhanced and streamlined supply chain for this range of compact heat exchangers. Because of this expansion, 90 % of the most popular brazed heat exchanger models will be produced in the United States.
Alfa Laval has expanded its facility in Greenwood, Ind., to house a new, automated distribution center which, combined with a centralized transportation hub outside of Indianapolis, will shorten order lead times for its customers. The facility features state-of-the-art service center upgrades for reconditioning and repair of plate heat exchangers, decanters and high-speed separators. Plus, an all-new high-speed separation center of competence has been developed, offering factory acceptance, media testing, and hands-on customer training from expert Alfa Laval engineers.
Alfa Laval also expanded its facility in Broken Arrow, Okla., with an all-new spiral heat exchanger manufacturing facility, adjoining its existing air-cooled heat exchanger facility. Together, these facilities offer a Welded Competence Center for customers in these demanding market applications.
As MRC reported earlier, Alfa Laval has recently won an order to supply compact heat exchangers to a refinery and petrochemical plant in China. The order has a value of approximately SEK 100 million and is booked in the Welded Heat Exchangers unit of the Energy Division. Deliveries are scheduled for 2020.
Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,724,670 tonnes in the first ten months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market in January-October 2019 totalled 1,066,520 tonnes, up by 7% year on year. Supply of block copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymer) and homopolymer of propylene (homopolymer PP) increased, demand for statistical copolymers (PP random copolymer) decreased.
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