ENDEGS is the European expert for the mobile and safe degassing of tanks, containers, tank cars, pipelines, ships and suction trucks in Europe. The company offers technologically unique solutions for the time⁃ and cost⁃efficient incineration of gases, gas mixtures and vapours of explosion groups IIA, IIB and IIC, with a combustion efficiency of almost 100 percent.
Interview with Kai Sievers, CEO of ENDEGS Group.
Easy Engineering: How was 2022 for your business, a short summary?
Kai Sievers: 2022 was a good year for us – we were once again able to assist many customers in reducing their industrial emissions. This way, we contribute to sustainability, environmental protection and the reduction of the global greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint. We were also able to help in emergency cases and assisted in successfully ending dangerous situations, such as the crash and derailing of tank wagons containing highly flammable propane.
E.E: How did the market change in the last year?
K.S: The awareness for health, safety and environmental protection is constantly growing in the industries we work in. People become more sensitive about their personal health, and industrial odors, noise or visible flames can make people uncomfortable and scared. Protecting the surrounding neighborhoods around industrial facilities from dangerous vapors is therefore as important as ensuring occupational health and safety for everyone involved in the processes. Another important factor: Europe is to become climate-neutral by 2050 – no more greenhouse gases are to be released that are not otherwise compensated. The industry also needs to contribute to that goal in order to reach climate-neutrality by 2050. Therefore, the demand for solutions addressing safety and sustainability in the industry is constantly rising. We are glad we are offering exactly this for more than 16 years.
E.E: What were the best-selling products of 2022?
K.S: We offer technologies that address exactly these topics and challenges. Therefore, all of our services were very well-booked throughout the year.
Our portable vapor combustion units (VCU) were an innovation: we developed them in 2008, enabling a mobile treatment of vapors and emissions for the very first time world-wide. Our combustion units are trailer-mounted and very flexible and can burn all kinds of gases, gas compounds and vapors of the hazard groups IIA, IIB and IIC with a combustion rate of more than 99.99 % and no open flame – making us the only company operating in Europe being able to do so. We operate our units in four different combustion powers – 3, 5, 10 and 20 MW – so they can be used in different scenarios and applications. We have successfully carried out more than 1.400 degassing projects internationally, offering the degassing of all types of containers, tanks, pipelines, ships and other components. ENDEGS vapor combustion units can also be used to degas all types of equipments during refinery turnarounds as well as to replace vapor recovery units (VRU) during their downtimes due to maintenance or failure.
We also added the fleet of mobile vaporizers wit nitrogen tanks to our portfolio of innovative solutions for the reduction of industrial emissions. The ENDEGS nitrogen services are ideally suited to purge and render insert systems and system components handling flaming liquids and gases, making them ideal for working with liquified gases under pressure such as LNG/CNG, hydrogen, propane or ammonia. Those gases are highly flammable and more complex as “conventional” products. The vaporizers with nitrogen tank can also be combined with our combustion units, enabling the degassing of all types of components containing those more complex gases.
Furthermore, we offer the rental of the ATEX Zone 0 robot. The robot is remote-controlled and enables a safe cleaning of industrial tanks. Previously, employees had to work in the hazardous ATEX Zone 0 and were exposed to a significant health risk despite safety suits and masks. The robot can be controlled out of a cabin in a safe distance via two joysticks, a monitor shows every move in real time. Due to its small size, mobility and versatile robot arms, it can be used in many industries for a wide range of materials. Leveraging the ATEX Zone 0 robot for rent is not only safer, but much more efficient as well.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2023?
K.S: As safety, health and environmental protection are becoming more and more important, the awareness for these topics will continue to grow. We will also see further increase in the implementation of facilities for green products, particularly green ammonia and LNG. This also means the implementation of new supply chains around the globe. Furthermore, infrastructures for the new technologies have to be built and maintained.
Kai Sievers, CEO of ENDEGS Group.
E.E: What new products/services will be launched this year?
K.S: We always aim to optimize our services and technologies as the constant mitigation of industrial emissions necessitates continuous innovation. As an example, let’s come back to our new nitrogen services that enable the treatment of more complex products. We see a rise of new “green” projects and a growing number of new production facilities, especially for green ammonia and LNG terminals. To keep up with these changes and to be able to offer our services for these new and more complex products as well, we have to constantly adapt the applications of our technologies. Of course, we will also continue the optimization of our services in this year – because effective reduction of industrial emissions starts with innovation. Just recently, we have been named TOP 100 innovator 2023 – for the third year in a row, we are among the most innovative medium-sized companies in Germany. That makes us very proud and confirms us in our work – innovation is an integral part of our daily work and we give our employees the space they need so ideas can emerge. Many of our innovations are inspired by our daily work as we pay attention to the special needs and requirements of our customers- We always aspire to expand our technologies so they meet exactly those needs.
E.E: What sector of business do you think is expected to grow this year?
K.S: We experience a change in awareness at our clients that as never before been so strong. To be compliant with the ESG criteria – environmental, social and corporate governance – leads to a change in the different industry sectors we are active in. Over the past years, we have been innovative, reliable in our operations and supportive for our clients with our knowledge. This makes us their first partner of choice in the support of their challenging projects. Additionally, we are focusing the expansion of our geographical footprint and will open our first office in the Middle East, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the first half of 2023. We also expect the first projects over there.
E.E: A short message for collaborators for the beginning of the year.
K.S: Besides of all the technology we offer to our valued clients, it has been always the people in design & engineering, manufacturing, operations and in the office at ENDEGS that make the difference. Their passion and attitude to deliver the best results are the success of ENDEGS. For this year, we will also grow in our organizational setup in all areas to further support the overall company growth.