Gas Logistics & supply (May 2008)
Interview with Ulrich Schlegel, Senior Vice President Logistics, Sourcing and Filling Plants
“The responsible treatment of nature and its resources is very important to us. We have therefore invested in a state-of-the-art residual gas disposal plant.” Ulrich Schlegel
Mr. Schlegel, what are your priorities in the area of gas logistics and supply?
This is quite clear – work safety and cost optimisation. We need to carry out production and filling in a cost effective and efficient way, while at the same time ensuring maximum safety for employees and customers. In the past year, the Supply Chain Management team therefore launched the PRIMUS project – Program for the Improvement of Productivity and Safety – the aim of which is a standardised Group-wide definition of the technical standards and processes in production and filling.
What measures does this programme cover?
In Europe alone, the Messer Group is planning to build five filling plants in 2008, which are all to be built in accordance with the cost and performance optimised standard as defined in PRIMUS. Our safety, health, environmental and quality experts will support this project by developing work place safety and environmental protection rules that apply across the Group. Environmentally acceptable action – the responsible treatment of nature and its resources – is one of the main points of our mission statement. We have therefore invested in a state-of-the-art residual gas disposal plant at our Gumpoldskirchen specialty gases plant in Austria, which went into operation in 2007. Here we dispose of toxic, flammable or environmentally hazardous gases professionally and in compliance with all the relevant safety standards for the entire Group.
Gas production and delivery are very capital-intensive. What do you do to keep costs down?
We have carried out comprehensive country-specific profitability analyses to support the management in their efforts to further optimise the cost and sales structure of the entire Messer Group. We have now defined a significant savings potential in gas production and transport for the individual subsidiaries. This is to be implemented in 2008. But you are right: the high level of investment involved in renewing our vehicle fleet continued in 2007. We were able to hand over a total of 21 vehicles to the national subsidiaries, with another 20 still to be delivered.
Were you able to detect any changes in the market?
Demand for noble gases such as helium, krypton, xenon and argon grew worldwide, in some cases dramatically. Thanks to a number of new contracts, we were able to meet our customers’ equirements and provide a reliable basis for customer supplies.
