First Anniversary for Agility’s Vertically Integrated Plant
Agility Fuel Solutions, an international developer and manufacturer of all-composite cylinders and natural gas fuel systems for heavy-duty vehicles, is celebrating one year of production at its state-of-the-art facility in Salisbury, N.C. The $20 million flagship plant, opened in October 2015, is the only vertically integrated facility of its kind in North America and has revolutionized how natural gas fuel systems are manufactured and assembled. Occupying over 200,000 square feet, it features computer numerically controlled (CNC) laser and metals fabrications technology to maximize quality, and an automated paint shop with both powder and wet-coat capabilities to produce a superior finish consistent with truck and bus OEM requirements. This facility also features multiple flow-through bays to maximize installation efficiency for a variety of vehicles and system configurations. Over 125 unique new fuel system assemblies across the refuse, bus and truck segments have been launched since its opening. Many of these were the largest capacity fuel systems (175 DGEs) in the Company’s history, utilizing proprietary 27-inch diameter all-composite cylinders in its assembly. Achievements also include profitability within four months and an ISO 9001-2015 certification within nine months.
“We are very proud of what we have been able to achieve in such a short amount of time, which is a testament to the skill and dedication of our team and our partners to make this world class facility become a reality. This facility offers customer the best quality, cost and technology and we believe that the North Carolina facility will be instrumental in driving adoption of natural gas in the North American market,” said Kathleen Ligocki, CEO Agility Fuel Solutions.
“We look forward to even more great achievements in the future. We would also like to thank the local community for embracing us as a new employer to the area and special thanks to Rowan Cabarrus Community College, RowanWORKS Economic Development, Rowan County Commissioners’, Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, Salisbury’s Mayor’s office, and all the other local business owners who encouraged and supported us in our efforts to set up this world class facility,” stated Shawn Adelsberger, Agility’s Director of Operations in North Carolina.
Agility Fuel Solutions, headquartered in Santa Ana, California, is a leading provider of highly engineered and cost-effective natural gas fuel systems and Type 4 cylinders for medium- and heavy duty commercial vehicles. Agility’s proprietary natural gas fuel solutions enable the safe and effective use of natural gas as a vehicle fuel for local, regional and long-haul applications. Agility Fuel Solutions is a valued corporate sponsor of NGV Global.
Shipping to Help Transport Become “Major New Sector” for LNG Market, Says Shell
Maarten Wetselaar, Director Integrated Gas and New Energies at Royal Dutch Shell plc(Shell), says that shipping and trucking will drive transport to become “a major new sector” for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) market, Australian Financial Review reports.
The comments come following last week’s decision at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that a 0.5 percent global sulfur cap on marine fuel will be implemented from 2020 – a development that Wetselaar says supports Shell’s confidence in the future demand for LNG.
“These sectors have good affordability,” said Wetselaar, adding: “the alternative is oil, and that’s a price link that we like competing with in the gas side.”
35 to 60 million tonnes of LNG each year could be used by transport by the year 2025, and more than 100 million tonnes by 2030 says Wetselaar.
Overall, LNG demand could swell from the current 250 million tonnes as much as 420 to 450 million tonnes annually by 2025, suggests Shell.
Despite Shell’s confident assessment of future LNG demand, not everyone agrees that LNG should be the go-to solution for shipping in light of tighter sulfur emission controls to be implemented by the IMO.