Demaco Holland offers expertise in cryogenic technology. The company builds infrastructures which facilitate the transportation and application of industrial gases at extremely low temperatures. Hannah Barnett spoke to Manager Sales & Marketing Maurice Dekker and BU Manager, Hydrogen, Richard Klos to learn more about this innovative, expanding industry.
SAa one-stop-shop for the design, development, construction and installation of bespoke vacuum insulated solutions, Demaco Holland is backed by years of experience and fuelled by passion. The company delivers advanced infrastructures for the cryogenic industry and has done so successfully for decades.
“Unlike most in the market, we have a vast amount of experience,” said Maurice Dekker, Manager Sales & Marketing. “We have been in cryogenics for over 35 years
and worked with liquid hydrogen for more than 25 years, so, we have a proven track record. Our focus has always been on the quality, the know-how and the added value we bring. A project can easily take between 12 and 36 months: so we become partners with the client during that time.”
Getting started
Demaco was founded in 1960 as an agricultural machinery business, but in 1985 the company started to move into the cryogenic industry, distributing liquefied gases
at temperatures between -160 and -271°C. A full focus on cryogenics commenced in 1996.
With a turnover of roughly €24 million and 140 employees, the company now provides a full turnkey cryogenics service from its 10,000 square metre facility in The Netherlands. This means serving multiple sectors including automotive, electronics, pharmaceutical and food, as well as the space industry and the growing renewables sector.
As a pioneering part of the market, the company builds equipment to transport liquefied gases in a container which minimises heat loss. Liquefication is important for hydrogen in order to transport it safely
in small volumes, and at low pressures. One litre of liquid hydrogen is the equivalent of 800 litres of gaseous hydrogen.
“Once the liquefied gas is stored, it needs to be distributed to end users, so we have developed loading bays to put it into a trailer,” Mr Dekker explained, “and that trailer distributes the liquid to a nearby storage tank. We are one of few companies that have already built these types of loading bays. It’s not just a design, it’s something that we have put into practice.”
Innovative projects
One significant project saw Demaco build a loading arm for a Norwegian ferry company that is using hydrogen to power the electric
motors of its vessels. “In this market, there are a lot of testing facilities, and small companies that have bright ideas and a lot of money, but they don’t have the knowledge we do,” said Mr Dekker. “So, they come to us: we think with them, and build prototypes.”
The company also builds the infrastructure for large-scale projects in the space industry. These projects are typically very complex and require knowledge, expertise and engineering at the highest level.
For example, Demaco played an active role in the development and manufacturing of cryogenic piping for a satellite carrier platform with ISRO in India. This included pipes for liquid hydrogen and oxygen at very high pressures, spanning a total network length of 1.3km.
More impressively still, Demaco completed the ISRO project over 20 years ago and the infrastructure is still in use, showing not only the durability and quality of the company’s work, but its firm position well ahead of the curve.
Recently, Demaco also built 13 loading bays for a South Korean automotive manufacturer. “The customer had invested heavily into hydrogen cars and bought 200,000 units,” Mr Dekker said. “We thought it was a smart move to be investing in that space, but there is a whole infrastructure that needs to develop; from fuelling stations, storage tanks, trailer trucks for distribution, loading bays and liquefaction plants. Demaco has been able to build 13 loading bays within the past two and a half years, so that is a huge milestone in our development.”
Proactive partnerships
Working this close to the cutting-edge requires strong relationships with the other companies involved.
“For projects like the one in South Korea, especially when quantities get higher, we are looking not only to suppliers, but also partners for help,” said Richard Klos, BU Manager, Hydrogen. “Because in the
coming years, it’s expected there will be real growth in this market. And ultimately, we want to be able to serve it and we need partners to support us.
“We are specialists in cryogenics, but it r eally helps to have strong partners capable of undertaking certain parts of specialised projects, in close cooperation with us. We
have, luckily, a selection of those kinds of companies located relatively near to our own facility, and we can easily keep in contact and visit them if necessary.
“Along with the size of the company, and the experience we have in a wide range of cryogenics, we also have the production capacity to transfer that knowledge into
actual projects. There are a lot of companies focusing on the engineering and maybe a few have some manufacturing ability, but our combination of know-how and capacity for production is quite unique.”
A hydrogen-powered future In this developing market, the availability of liquid hydrogen (and qualified personnel to design and handle the gas) remains a challenge, alongside the stigma sometimes associated with it.
“In the past, hydrogen has been thought of as dangerous,” said Mr Dekker, “and linked to an exploding Zeppelin or the H-bomb, but that’s simply the energy depth that is available from the gas. Liquid hydrogen creates the force to put a rocket into orbit: it’s very powerful, but not dangerous if handled correctly.”
Always looking ahead, Demaco has already invested considerable time into setting up a strong team of engineers and project managers, as well as undertaking
multiple conceptual designs and field studies, ready for the inevitable expansion of the hydrogen market.
“Looking at market trends, there is the concept of a ‘hockey stick’ curve,” Mr Dekker reflected. “We believe that by 2025 to 2027 onwards, the sector will have a massive boost. This is also what we hear back from our clients, suppliers and the whole community. Demaco’s objective is to grow sustainably with the curve: that is something that we’re careful about, in terms of the projects that we invest in.”
For Mr Klos, cryogenics is a market he has watched evolve, and remains an exciting
and motivating one to be part of. “I’ve worked at Demaco for 19 years,” he concluded. “And like the markets we serve, the variety of customers is completely different. Obviously, the hydrogen market is becoming bigger and bigger: a large part of my job involves being part of this new growing market.
“Together we are building a greener world and learning new ways of working as a result. There is never a dull moment.” n
