TALLAHASSEE – Air Products, based in Allentown, Pa., plans to expand its liquefied natural gas heat exchanger manufacturing capacity by constructing a second manufacturing facility – 300,000 square feet – at a new site in Manatee County that will bring 250 jobs to the Sunshine State, Gov. Rick Scott announced this morning.
To date, all the units that Air Products has manufactured for this business line have been exported from the company’s facility in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. This expansion will help Air Products stay ahead of the increasing demand for its world leading LNG technology and equipment. Coming with the new Florida site will be 250 new jobs.
“Air Products’ investment in Florida demonstrates our success in recruiting job-producing companies that strengthen our economy as well as our business climate,” Scott said of the boost 250 new jobs will mean for the state with this deal.
“Air Products’ investment in Florida demonstrates our success in recruiting job-producing companies that strengthen our economy as well as our business climate,” Scott said of the boost 250 new jobs will mean for the state wuith this deal.
“This expansion is welcome news for Manatee County and our state as a whole,” The governor said.
The new location is readily accessible to port services, which will facilitate global shipping of Air Products’ sizable equipment and allow for the manufacture of even larger LNG heat exchangers demanded by the market, said Jim Solomon, director of LNG at Air Products.
“The number of potential LNG projects in the pipeline is at an all-time high due to the strong demand for cleaner fuels in growing economies worldwide," Solomon said. "Additionally, several of the projects on the horizon will require the largest heat exchangers we have ever built and the new location does not face the same shipping constraints of our current location. We believe the site we have selected in Florida offers exactly what we need."
Solomon said the new facility will be built at a deepwater port location with the flexibility to produce LNG offerings without any physical shipping restrictions.
The new LNG manufacturing plant, which will employ approximately 250 employees in a four year ramp-up period, is to be complete and begin operations in late 2013. Sandy McLauchlin, general manager of Air Products’ LNG engineering and manufacturing, expressed appreciation for the efforts of officials from Manatee County, Enterprise Florida and state government.