Air Products, the global leader in the production of gas separation and purification membranes, today hosted a groundbreaking event at the site of a $70 million expansion of its Missouri Manufacturing and Logistics Center in Maryland Heights, near St. Louis, Missouri.
The investment, which is Air Products Membrane Solutions' largest ever, is driven by growing product demand in biogas and hydrogen recovery applications, as well as customer needs for the use of nitrogen for the aerospace industry and cleaner fuels for the marine industry.
"We are excited to officially break ground on this important project. This expansion builds on our commitment to be a leader in the energy transition," said Dr. Erin Sorensen, general manager, Air Products Membrane Solutions. "I share in our local team's excitement for today's event and in the promise of what this new facility will mean for our business and our customers as we continue to work together to generate a cleaner future."
A crowd of more than 100 guests including state and local leaders joined Air Products Membrane Solutions employees for the groundbreaking event. Those in attendance included program speakers Taylor Mazdra, Regional Manager, Missouri Department of Economic Development and Mike Moeller, Mayor, Maryland Heights, Missouri.
The new manufacturing facility is expected to be in production by the end of 2025 and include the addition of 30 new full-time positions. Currently, about 170 employees work at the St. Louis facility. This expansion follows a previous $10 million investment made in 2023 to increase production capacity at the current facility.
Air Products Membrane Solutions specializes in the development of hollow fiber membrane separators and systems for onsite gas generation. Air Products designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets a full portfolio of PRISM® Membrane Separators, Marine Systems, and Engineered-to-Order Systems to protect lives and goods at sea, on land, and in the air. Air Products' systems are also designed to create more sustainable energy sources and raise productivity across a variety of industries and applications.
Air Products Membrane Solutions' key offerings include:
- PRISM® Membrane Separators – Consist of thousands of polymeric hollow fibers that act as a molecular filter to separate gases into individual elements, including methane, nitrogen or hydrogen. The membrane separators are offered to value-added packagers as an original equipment manufacturer component inside specialized systems. Industries served include aerospace, offshore drilling, food and beverage, transportation, and defense.
- Marine Systems - Air Products is the world's most experienced and largest supplier of marine-based membrane systems serving several market segments including dual-fuel systems, chemical tankers, oil platforms and liquefied natural gas carriers. More than 2,000 ships worldwide currently use separation systems based on Air Products' membrane technology.
- Engineered-to-Order-Systems - Large industrial membrane systems for nitrogen generation and process gas applications, which are fully tailored to customer specifications serving the oil and gas industry, ammonia plants, chemical manufacturing facilities, and renewable diesel production.
- Global Service and Support - Provides maintenance and optimization of membrane systems, offering health checks, replacement parts, remote monitoring, and other services to keep membranes operating at peak performance.