Germany: SPIE achieved LNG facility installation for Zapp Precision Metals in less than 6 months

Schwerte, 5 April 2023 – SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, took less than six months to install a new facility to supply Zapp Precision Metals, a company in the steel processing industry, with liquefied natural gas. The multi-technical service provider has been delivering solutions for this customer at its Schwerte and Unna locations in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia since 2007.

Extensive range of services from a single source

As a result of the energy crisis and the resultant threat of gas supply problems, industrial customers are increasingly turning to off-grid tank facilities for their supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Teams from the CityNetworks & Grids operational division at SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa, the German subsidiary of SPIE, cater to this need by installing facilities for various industrial customers and allowing them to use LNG in their processes.

Under this contract, Zapp Precision Metals entrusted SPIE to handle the consulting, planning, management, and execution phases - all from a single source - of its LNG facility installation in Schwerte. A 15-strong team fitted the supply pipes from the vaporiser to the gas pressure regulator, installed the gas pressure regulator itself and connected the facility to the factory that would be using the gas.

Rapid project implementation

The multi-technical service provider planned and installed Zapp Precision Metals’ new LNG facility within six months, putting it into operation in November 2022. “One challenge for the project was that the customer wanted the new infrastructure to be put in place quickly. Our team was more than equal to the task, demonstrating great expertise, reliability, and an ability to come up with tailor-made solutions at short notice,” says Heiko Prenger, project manager at SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa. 

Safety first

The client provides the LNG in a permanent tank or, alternatively, on a trailer. As safety is always the top priority for SPIE on any project, “the team works with an odorant so that the LNG, which is odourless by itself, can be detected if any leaks do occur,” explains Michael Heiber, who heads SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa’s Gasdruckregel- und Messanlagenbau[1] office.

Reinforcing a long-standing business relationship

With this latest project, SPIE and Zapp Precision Metals have built upon their long-standing close business relationship. “We are proud of how much Zapp trusts us and of how satisfied they were with our successful execution of the project. The possibility of converting the energy supply system at the location at short notice allowed us to give our customer the certainty and security it needs to plan its processes” says Peter Pfannenstiel, General Manager of the CityNetworks & Grids operational division at SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa.

[1] Office for gas pressure regulation and metering stations