GEA ViEX provides custom-designed fully welded heat exchangers supplier for US Refinery Expansion

Only 1 month after the acquisition of GEA ViEX Inc. Canada, the company has received a significant order for GEABloc® custom-designed fully welded heat exchangers from the USA.
The equipment will be used in various refinery processes at Sinclair Tulsa Refining Company’s refinery in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The process applications involved are ideal GEABloc® applications as they recover significant heat, have extremely small footprint and real estate requirements and are significantly cheaper than conventional shell & tube heat exchangers. The total order value exceeds USD 6 million. Delivery will take place in 2009.
“The recent acquisition of ViEX Inc., Canada has given GEA PHE Systems the competitive edge to provide customers with consultation, financial security and a superb product, the GEABloc®, globally.” says GEA PHE Systems president Ulrich Fehlauer.
In 2007 GEA PHE Systems experienced strong growth in the energy industries, including petro-chemicals, refineries, oil & gas production, renewable energy and power applications. The order is reaffirmation of the fact that GEA PHE Systems provides all types of panel heat exchangers equipment out of one hand.
America is the world’s biggest single market for heat exchangers. Since 2007, GEA PHE Systems has been producing brazed and gasketed PHE for the American market in a state of the art plant in York, Pennsylvania. With production facilities for fully welded PHE at GEA ViEX in Toronto, the whole product range can now be manufactured on the North American continent. This will improve service and reduce delivery times for American customers. At the same time, the proximity to the user and knowledge of the regional market will help to shape future product development. The PHE market is enjoying a worldwide boom. As a result, GEA PHE Systems has also made considerable investments over the last few months in their European and Asian production sites. The Swedish plant in Landskrona and in Nobitz-Wilchwitz in Germany received additional press centres, brazing industrial ovens and test facilities. The existing GEA Ecoflex plant in Sarstedt, which was opened in 2003 only, has already been expanded with an additional 5,000 m2 production hall, to enable a fully welded PHE production.