BOC wins 10 year contract with MSD in Rathdrum

Phil Black - PII Editor 29/08/2012

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Industrial gas technology supplier BOC has won a €1.5 million contract over 10 years with leading Irish pharmaceutical company MSD. The contract covers the provision of gases and technology to MSD’s Rathdrum site in County Wicklow.

The plant develops and produces Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients for MSD products manufactured at other sites across the globe.

BOC won the business against stiff competition from other major global suppliers. The contract involves the construction of a PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) plant for nitrogen generation at the Rathdrum site. BOC will be responsible for its maintenance and for ensuring the provision of gases and technology on site over the life of the contract. The nitrogen is used for blanketing and purging operations within the pharmaceutical company’s manufacturing processes.

A key element in the successful bid was the energy efficiency of the plant, as BOC Key Customer Manager Michael Kilduff explained. “MSD in Rathdrum wanted to ensure that the PSA equipment would be as energy efficient as possible for both environmental and economic reasons. Our parent, The Linde Group, has been incorporating high efficiency into its latest range of plants and this was a major advantage over those offered by other suppliers.”

Robert Kiersey, MSD’s Project Manager, said “We wanted a solution that was flexible but highly efficient over a range of different output levels to match changing production patterns. The BOC proposition gave us the flexibility we were looking for. We were equally impressed by the round-the-clock back-up that BOC are prepared to offer us and their in-depth knowledge of our industry.”