Air Products hosted customers and distributors for a tour of the upgraded Pinetown Facility, the centre of the KZN region’s operations, and to express its appreciation for the continued support. True to their commitment to service excellence, the team highlighted their focus on continuous improvement to ultimately benefit customers and distributors.
During the event, MD Charles Dos Santos highlighted Air Products’ established footprint in the KZN area, which includes their operations in Newcastle and Empangeni. He explained how the company evaluates the different regions and implements improvements and operational changes at the identified facilities to ensure they serve customers as efficiently as possible.
Dos Santos commented: “As a company, we strive to ensure that our facilities are equipped to deliver outstanding levels of service, which often leads to the need for an upgrade. Continuous improvement is key to all our operations; however, it is crucial that we are strategic with the execution to manage these costs. In order to accomplish this in a sustainable manner, we execute these upgrades in phases. The Pinetown Facility is a prime example of this strategy, as we have upgraded the administration building, and the next phase will include the production areas. We are currently also following this same approach in other areas.”
Executive Director of Packaged Gases and Welding, Sizwe Nkonde, thanked customers and distributors for their longstanding relationships and highlighted that it is one of Air Products’ biggest advantages and reasons for the consistent growth in KZN.
“When we embarked on this project to upgrade the facility, we included key experienced internal resources who were crucial in ensuring that the outcome conforms to the highest safety, technical and operational standards. We consistently align to global best practices on projects of this nature to obtain results that mirror our vision of being a leader in the industrial gas market. We believe that being a leader is underpinned by safety, innovation and ultimately providing a secure supply to customers,” Nkonde said.
Nkonde further explained how the operations of the Pinetown, Empangeni and Newcastle Facilities are intertwined and focused on providing an efficient service to customers and distributors. Bulk products from Newcastle and Vanderbijlpark are received in Pinetown and used to fill cylinders before distribution to the market.
He concluded by highlighting that Air Products is positive about the growth opportunities in the KZN region and thanked customers and distributors for the opportunity they have had to grow alongside them over the years.
For more information on Air Products, visit www.airproducts.co.za.
