Founded | 1953 |
---|---|
Founder | Salim Huneidi |
Headquarters | Kuwait Dubai, UAE (Corporate Office) |
Key people | Amer Huneidi - Chairman |
Website | www |
Gulf Cryo is a Middle Eastern company that supplies industrial, medical and specialty gases. The group comprises thirty companies in the MENA region and operates as a closed share holding company. [1] It is considered a leader in the gas industry in the MENA region. [2]
Gulf Cryo was founded by Salim Huneidi in 1953, as the Kuwait Oxygen and Acetylene Company. It was the first gas manufacturer in Kuwait to provide industrial gases such as oxygen and nitrogen to the local petroleum industry. [3]
In the early 1950s, Salim Huneidi, who worked as an agent for an international Steel Structure and Construction company felt that there was a shortage of supply of cutting and welding gases in Kuwait. He began researching the industrial processes to supply to the growing demand of industrial gases and built the Arabian Gulf’s first oxygen separation plant in 1953 in Kuwait City, under the name Kuwait Oxygen and Acetylene Company (KOAC). [4] [5]
Salim Huneidi signed a deal with the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) (earlier known as Amen Oil), which led KOC to shut down their small Oxygen plant and start outsourcing this product from local suppliers; that was the base that Salim Huneidi built on for his Industrial gas project in Kuwait. [1]
In 1971, KOAC expanded its operation to the Shuaiba Industrial area in Kuwait and established The Kuwait Industrial Gases Company (KIGC). KIGC would primarily supply its products to the oil and refining infrastructure being built in the Shuaiba area. KIGC built a pipeline between the company and the refineries i.e. The KNPC Group, to provide a continuous supply of Nitrogen to cover their demand. [6]
The Arabian Industrial Gases Company (AIGCo) was formed in 1977 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. In 1998, Amer Huneidi, son of Huneidi was appointed as chairman and soon afterwards he led to the consolidation and creation of The Huneidi Group of Companies. [7]
By 2006, Gulf Cryo Qatar was established and in 2007 Gulf Cryo became a holding company. In 2008, Gulf Cryo Saudi Arabia was established. In 2009, Investcorp purchased 20% of the organisation. [8] In late 2009, Gulf Cryo Oman was established. By 2012, Gulf Cryo was established in Iraq, Egypt and Jordan. [9]
In 2013, EQUATE Petrochemical Company, as part of its sustainability initiatives, launched its second CO2 recovery project in Kuwait in partnership with Gulf Cryo. [10] The next year, Gulf Cryo announced expansion of its CO2 business. The company invested in four CO2 hubs in Dubai, Kuwait, Dammam and Amman.
Gulf Cryo acquired Deniz Gaz, a gas company based in Turkey and entered the Turkish market in 2014. [11] [12] The same year, Gulf Cryo acquired a minority stake in Tyczka Air Austria. [1] Yaliz Gaz, another Turkish gas company, along with its affiliates was acquired by Gulf Cryo in 2015 increasing the company's coverage in Turkey. [13]
In February 2016, Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, the investment arm of the Kingdom of Bahrain, announced that it has acquired a minority equity stake in Gulf Cryo. [14] Gulf Cryo in partnership with EQUATE Petrochemical Company also launched the first commercial carbon dioxide (CO2) plant in Kuwait. [3] [15]
Gulf Cryo produces and supplies industrial gases namely Acetylene, Air, Argon, Carbon Dioxide, Helium, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen. The company also produces medical gases including Entonox, Medical Air, Medical Carbon Dioxide, Medical Nitrogen, Medical Nitrous Oxide and Medical Oxygen. It also produces Dry Ice. [16]
The management systems at Gulf Cryo are complaint to ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007 FSC 22000 standards.
Dry ice colloquially means the solid form of carbon dioxide. It is commonly used for temporary refrigeration as CO2 does not have a liquid state at normal atmospheric pressure and sublimes directly from the solid state to the gas state. It is used primarily as a cooling agent, but is also used in fog machines at theatres for dramatic effects. Its advantages include lower temperature than that of water ice and not leaving any residue (other than incidental frost from moisture in the atmosphere). It is useful for preserving frozen foods (such as ice cream) where mechanical cooling is unavailable.
The economy of Bahrain is heavily dependent upon oil and gas. The Bahraini Dinar is the second-highest-valued currency unit in the world. Since the late 20th century, Bahrain has heavily invested in the banking and tourism sectors. The country's capital, Manama is home to many large financial structures. Bahrain's finance industry is very successful. In 2008, Bahrain was named the world's fastest growing financial center by the City of London's Global Financial Centres Index. Bahrain's banking and financial services sector, particularly Islamic banking, have benefited from the regional boom driven by demand for oil. Petroleum is Bahrain's most exported product, accounting for 60% of export receipts, 70% of government revenues, and 11% of GDP. Aluminium is the second most exported product, followed by finance and construction materials.
A breathing gas is a mixture of gaseous chemical elements and compounds used for respiration. Air is the most common and only natural breathing gas, but other mixtures of gases, or pure oxygen, are also used in breathing equipment and enclosed habitats. Oxygen is the essential component for any breathing gas. Breathing gases for hyperbaric use have been developed to improve on the performance of ordinary air by reducing the risk of decompression sickness, reducing the duration of decompression, reducing nitrogen narcosis or allowing safer deep diving.
Exhaust gas or flue gas is emitted as a result of the combustion of fuels such as natural gas, gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, fuel oil, biodiesel blends, or coal. According to the type of engine, it is discharged into the atmosphere through an exhaust pipe, flue gas stack, or propelling nozzle. It often disperses downwind in a pattern called an exhaust plume.
Bottled gas is a term used for substances which are gaseous at standard temperature and pressure (STP) and have been compressed and stored in carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, or composite containers known as gas cylinders.
Investcorp is a global manager of alternative investment products, for private and institutional clients. Founded in Bahrain in 1982, the firm has offices in United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, India, China, Japan, and Singapore. Investcorp's principal client base is in the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, but it also has a growing base of institutional clients in North America, Europe, and Asia.
An oxygen concentrator is a device that concentrates the oxygen from a gas supply by selectively removing nitrogen to supply an oxygen-enriched product gas stream. They are used industrially, to provide supplemental oxygen at high altitudes, and as medical devices for oxygen therapy.
Linde plc is a global multinational chemical company founded in Germany and, since 2018, domiciled in Ireland and headquartered in the United Kingdom. Linde is the world's largest industrial gas company by market share and revenue. It serves customers in the healthcare, petroleum refining, manufacturing, food, beverage carbonation, fiber-optics, steel making, aerospace, material handling equipment (MHE), chemicals, electronics and water treatment industries. The company's primary business is the manufacturing and distribution of atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, rare gases, and process gases, including carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, ammonia, electronic gases, specialty gases, and acetylene.
Kuwait Projects Company (Holding), known as KIPCO, is an investment holding company in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. KIPCO, with consolidated assets of $40.1 billion as of 31 December 2023, operates in 20+ countries across multiple industries. KIPCO is a multi-sector operator with portfolio companies in commercial banking, petrochemical & oil services, foodstuff, asset management & investment banking, media, real estate, healthcare, logistics, and education.
Air Liquide S.A. is a French multinational company which supplies industrial gases and services to various industries including medical, chemical and electronic manufacturers. Founded in 1902, after Linde it is the second largest supplier of industrial gases by revenues and has operations in over 70 countries. It has headquarters at the 7th arrondissement of Paris. Air Liquide owned the patent for Aqua-Lung until it expired.
Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is a technique used to separate some gas species from a mixture of gases under pressure according to the species' molecular characteristics and affinity for an adsorbent material. It operates at near-ambient temperature and significantly differs from the cryogenic distillation commonly used to separate gases. Selective adsorbent materials are used as trapping material, preferentially adsorbing the target gas species at high pressure. The process then swings to low pressure to desorb the adsorbed gas.
Industrial gases are the gaseous materials that are manufactured for use in industry. The principal gases provided are nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon, hydrogen, helium and acetylene, although many other gases and mixtures are also available in gas cylinders. The industry producing these gases is also known as industrial gas, which is seen as also encompassing the supply of equipment and technology to produce and use the gases. Their production is a part of the wider chemical Industry.
The Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) is the national oil refining company of Kuwait. Established in October 1960, KNPC handles the responsibility of oil refining, gas liquefaction, and distribution of petroleum goods within the local market. KNPC is also handling CFP.
KOAC may refer to:
Arcapita founded in 1997, is an asset management firm. Headquartered in Manama, Bahrain, Arcapita also operates from its offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore. The firm serves a group of investors in the Middle East region including investment firms, family offices, high net-worth individuals, and sovereign wealth funds. Arcapita completed over 100 investments in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia for a total transaction value exceeding $30 billion. The board of directors contain nine members, mainly from the Gulf Cooperation Council. Members are chairs, previous chairpersons, or current Chief Executive Officers of sovereign wealth funds, regional investment firms or global financial services firms.
The Messer Group GmbH is a supplier of industrial gases. Business is focused on 30 European and Asian countries. The company headquarters are located in Bad Soden (Germany). The managing director of the family company is Stefan Messer, grandson of the company founder.
Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) is the only petrochemical producing company headquartered in the Kingdom of Bahrain and sells its products both locally and exports to other gulf countries and beyond, including U.S., China, India, Pakistan among others.
Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company B.S.C. (Mumtalakat) is the sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom of Bahrain. It was established by Royal Decree in 2006 and is wholly owned by the Government. Mumtalakat actively sought investment opportunities locally, regionally and internationally.
INOX Air Products, also known as INOX AP, is the India-based industrial gas company. It is a joint venture between INOX Leasing and Finance Limited and Air Products & Chemicals. The company is engaged in the manufacturing, trading, and supply of industrial and medical gases including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, helium, nitrous oxide, acetylene, and specialty gas mixtures.
An explosion at the ARCO Chemical (ACC) Channelview, Texas petrochemical plant killed 17 people and injured five others on July 5, 1990. It was one of the deadliest industrial disasters in the history of the Greater Houston area.