NPROXX has now completed a move of its operations to significantly larger premises at Alsdorf, Germany. The relocation is designed to support the hydrogen storage specialist’s major growth ambitions. “We have about 10,000 square metres in our facility now” explains Managing Director Klaus-Peter Kopper. “We have effectively tripled our size and capacity.”
In fact, the new facility gives NPROXX the space and capability to boost its production rates of hydrogen storage tanks and tank systems even further, thanks to improved efficiencies and new machinery. “We could in theory grow to five times our current production, to over 30,000 tanks a year” says Kopper.
NPROXX’s Quality Manager, Claus Klein, highlights the much-improved production layout in the new plant. “It’s more streamlined and more like an automotive plant” he says. “Now our design teams are closer to the shop floor, we can achieve greater coordination, communication and efficiency, to ensure we deliver to customer needs more effectively.”
CTO Dietmar Müller sees exciting commercial possibilities opening up for NPROXX in 2024 as a result of the expansion. “We now have the chance to handle significantly bigger orders” he says. “We can deliver a storage system much faster than before, and our process stability improvements have already started to bear fruit with increased quality and reduced scrap rates.”
As well as efficiency, the new installation is delivering much greater automation. “Our strategic investments are activating fresh potential, from robotic handling systems to automated winding and curing equipment” explains Müller. “In-house system assembly abilities allow us to achieve integrated tank supply. Our customers stand to gain on cost, speed and reliability.”
Delivering the difficult challenges
The production of larger and more complex hydrogen tanks and systems is an NPROXX speciality which is also enhanced by the move to the new facility. “Our competitors focus on smaller vessels for automotive use,” says Müller. “We are very good at producing big tanks and systems for challenging situations. For example, we are currently looking at six-metre-long tanks systems for train and truck applications.”
NPROXX is also progressing towards compliance with the latest R134 pressure vessel standards. The tough requirements of this certification demand significant design adaptations, but Klein sees this as an opportunity “to get better and better”. And with strong market demand, including licencing agreements in the USA and China on the horizon in 2024, NPROXX’s new facility provides the perfect base for its ambitious expansion plans. “We now have the space and the capability to grow more aggressively,” concludes Kopper.