The cause of the UK’s high-profile Buncefield oil storage depot explosion in 2005? Overflow during remote filling of a storage tank. Disasters like this led to process industries adopting strict safety and environmental regulations, which you are likely quite familiar with. But some problems in the life of a plant manager aren’t always severe enough to reach international news headlines. However, even overfilling a tank with a fairly benign material can cause major headaches for a company.

Air Liquide and BASF have recently signed three new long-term contracts in the Antwerp basin (Belgium). Leveraging on five existing onsite production plants in the Antwerp basin, the industrial gases specialist has entered into a new 15-year agreement to renew its airgas supply to existing installations and provide additional oxygen to a new Ethylene Oxide plant to be built by BASF.

The key growth drivers for the fertiliser market are increasing awareness about food security in developed counties and population growth, states the Global Market Insights report. It further adds that Latin America and Asia-Pacific will provide significant growth impetus in terms of revenue.

The world of bulk material handling seems easy at first glance: moving, filling, delivering. The art of dealing with a variety of different materials, however, lies in the details, such as the docking and undocking of containers at weighing stations. In the process, cross-contaminations and the release of dusts can occur. Azo Clean Dock prevents this problem. Its latest generation can do even more: it “thinks” for itself.

Diosna — the German machine and system manufacturer is known for its high quality of its pharma machines and customized concepts — Since May 2018, Henrik Oevermann has been in charge of Diosna’s business as CEO. One of his first challenges was the changing of existing structures. The pharmaceutical and food divisions are now working more closely together in order to create synergies, delivering flexibility in engineering and in production. Now he is thinking intensively about the next steps in Diosna’s progress.

Mc Dermott will sell its Lummus Technology business to the joint partnership between The Chatterjee Group and Rhône Capital as per the share and asset purchase agreement signed earlier this year. The decision was undertaken as the firm failed to receive any higher bid for the technology.

Wilden Velocity Series AODD pump offers operational flexibility that allows users to optimise performance, leak protection and operating costs while not compromising reliability.

Under an agreement signed between Finnair and Neste, the airline will make use of sustainable aviation fuel in its operations with an aim to reduce the CO2 footprint of flying.

In process engineering systems, it is essential that piping systems are heated in winter. Otherwise, the liquids transported in these systems would either become viscous or even freeze completely. In the case of water-based liquids, the pipes could also burst. A monitoring solution that can be individually adapted to the specific needs of older systems provides a remedy.

Under the deal, LU-VE Group will be taking over Alfa Laval’s air heat exchanger business. The move is expected to affect about 400 employees at various production sites such as Italy, Finland and India.