A partnership between industry peers has resulted in the launch – and shortly, the distribution worldwide – of a new triple-patented oxyfuel system, described as a revolutionary step forward for compressed gas safety in industry, at the joint Safety Unites: Compressed Gas Safety Conference in June.

A long-standing partnership between Bolt & Engineering Distributors (B.E.D.) Group, First Cut, Gas Safety International (GSI) and Germany’s Messer Cutting Systems, led to the development, and demonstration, of the triple-patented product offering – a torch, a valve and the combined system.

“Compressed gas safety risk is centred around people, product and process. However, the human factor is always the weakest link. We were, therefore, very pleased to launch our world-first patented leakproof oxyfuel system at the conference, specifically for the industrial and mining sectors, which will revolutionise compressed gas safety,” says GSI MD Peter Rohlssen.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the conference, he said that, often, despite being one of the most vulnerable components, the pipe is overlooked when testing for leaks on gas equipment.

In line with this, Messer and GSI developed the new system, which comprises individual patents for each of the three Safety Advanced Technology (SAT) components – the valve, the cutting torch and the overall process – to mitigate the risk of workers not checking for gas leaks before they use oxyfuel equipment.

Germany-headquartered Messer designed the special cutting torch, which operates a special valve, which, in turn, was created and manufactured in South Africa.

“The SAT valve is designed to eliminate all possible leakages into the atmosphere, from the regulator to the torch and everything in between. With those two together, we will have zero leaks on the gas line between the regulator and the torch,” says Rohlssen.

“We are convinced that this is going to revolutionise the use of gas equipment, from a safety level, throughout Southern Africa, and, through Messer, the rest of the world.”

In South Africa and the wider Southern African region, distribution will be through B.E.D. and First Cut.

The initiative demonstrates the relevance and success of the unique four-way partnership.

First Cut became the primary local distributor for Messer Cutting Systems in 2019, says First Cut CEO Ian McCrystal.

“To ensure that our differentiating feature would be around safety factors, we entered into a relationship with Peter Rohlssen, the highly respected owner of GSI, who brought tremendous experience and credibility to our offering through compressed gas safety training, consulting and auditing,” he explains.

Further, the company entered into an agreement with the B.E.D. Group, also in 2019, whereby First Cut and B.E.D. would distribute Messer products in South Africa, with B.E.D. focusing on the mining industry and First Cut remaining the primary distributor to the metal fabrication and other sectors.

“B.E.D.’s infrastructure and footprint, and our strong relationship with the local mining industry, will play a key role in rolling out this new SAT patented product offering, through our export division. This will ultimately greatly contribute to improved compressed gas safety within the local and Pan-African mining sector,” says B.E.D. CEO Mike Giltrow.

“We look forward to seeing how this successful compressed gas safety collaboration – and the revolutionary product offering it has produced – will positively impact on the awareness and application of compressed gas safety throughout all industry sectors going forward,” adds Messer Cutting Systems oxyfuel business unit division sales manager Martin Zeller.

The conference also served as a platform for the partners to call for improved safety and training, advocating for industry to be more aware and proactive regarding compressed gas safety.