Howden, a Chart Industries Company, is a global leader of compressor engineering with a history of constant innovation. Utilising nearly 170 years’ experience, the company has recently developed the next generation of oil-injected rotary twin-screw compressors. Douglas Latta, Product Director of Screw Compressors, discussed the exciting next generation of W Platform machines, in conversation with Imogen Ward.
Howden has one of the largest installed bases of refrigeration and process screw compressors in the world, serving a wide range of industries including oil and gas, refrigeration, hydrogen, biogas, and mining. Today, in thousands of installations worldwide, Howden’s screw compressors provide high integrity, low maintenance solutions for liquid chilling, direct refrigeration and gas compression applications.
Howden manufactures the industry’s largest and most versatile range of
oil-injected and oil-free screw compressors from its global centre of excellence for compression technology in Renfrew, Scotland.
“We are pioneers of this technology,” Product Director of Screw Compressors said Douglas Latta. “Howden manufactured the first ever screw compressor in the 1940s, and further developed the technology in the 1960s with the introduction of the oil-injected twin screw compressor. This has revolutionised designs of refrigeration and gas handling plants worldwide. We have a strong heritage of screw compressor design and manufacturing, which helped push the boundaries
of our technology, and we remain a market leader.”
In the last two years alone, Howden has successfully made six acquisitions, enabling it to grow in existing markets, as well as capturing new segments, increasing aftermarket share and create new partnerships. In March 2023, Chart Industries, Inc acquired Howden, which saw the business increase again in size, scale and growth opportunities.
“With over 60,000 compressors installed globally, our presence covers Europe, The Middle East, China, India and the US,” Douglas explained. “Our size and scale
allow customers to have our specialist service teams help them extend the life of their rotating equipment.”
Crucial compressors
As the manufacturer of the world’s first screw compressor, Howden is no stranger to thinking outside the box. It has placed research and development (R&D) at the centre of the growth plans leading to many new and improved product ranges. Howden’s rotary twin-screw compressor has been continuously adapted to meet the modern requirements of the market .
“We went through a period of rapid development, from our first oil-injected compressor to developing one of the world’s most reliable oil-free screw com pressors,” said Douglas. “We extended the capabilities of this product range by developing new features, which allowed us to expand into new and emerging markets.
“Having begun in the refrigeration market, we now have a strong presence in the oil and gas industry and plan to continue to grow our presence into nuclear, biogas, waste energy recovery and hydrogen. R&D
is essential in developing new products and improving existing ones. It allows us to shape the compressor requirements around the changing needs of our customers.”
The Howden Superbrand
Howden manufactures a range of compressors, including oil-injected and oil-free screw, reciprocating and centrifugal compressors. In recognition of its marketleading manufacturing and mar keting efforts, Howden was recently awarded Superbrand status in the UK by Superbrands – the world’s largest arbiter of branding. This acknowledgement highlights Howden’s ability to provide exceptional customer sup port and product quality as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).
“As an OEM, our in-depth expertise and quality standards give us strong product presence which has led to brand recognition and loyalty from our customers. This Superbrand status is recognition of our hard work,” said Douglas. “Especially the efforts we
made over the past few years to evolve our business model. It’s not just about the products we manufacture and sell, but also who we are in the marketplace, our digital offerings, service models and the long-term service agreements we have with our customers.
“This Superbrand status brings together our ability to differentiate our products and services from competitors, whilst continuing to build brand recognition and customer loyalty, through the consistent delivery and longevity of our products.”
When it comes to the next generation of screw compressor products, the company abides by three main pillars: be smart, bespoke, and be sustainable. “Our smart compression solutions enable flexibility, reliability and performance through Howden Uptime,” Douglas said: “Our customers have full lifecycle support, backed by our team of experts and integrated services, which ultimately future-proof their operations.”
When it comes to configurability, this was a big step-change in the business, according to Douglas: “Our real-time Howden Select platform gives customers
the control to shape solutions around their budget and technical requirements.
“We aim to provide bespoke screw compressors that suit the individual needs of customers and their specific application. Our customers can configure designs, materials and control mechanisms, ultimately empowering them to make their own product selections in a matter of minutes.
“Revolutionising our sales process through digital software has provided customers with peace of mind in the knowledge that we will match our most efficient and economical screw compressor to their requirements, whilst providing valuable specialist advice and one-to-one guidance remotely.”
Forming the future
The Howden oil-injected compressors have evolved over time: the WRV range uses shell-type journal bearings which are built with double-wall construction for high pressure applications. More than 25,000 have been used in various process applications and they can be built to match API 619 specifications. The WRV has seven
frame sizes from 6.42 to 22.83in (163 to 580mm) rotor diameter with several rotor length-to-diameter ratios.
With the long-standing success of the Howden WRV oil-injected screw compressor product line, the company has recently released the next generation of these machines. “The upgraded W Platform range is available in all frame sizes and combines the experience and heritage of the existing WRVs, but offers our customers a lighter weight machine with improved performance,” explained Douglas. “Our latest screw compressors, deliver energy savings of up to seven per cent and performance efficiency increased by five per cent.
“We’ve also made the compressor easier to package and maintain, with up to 30 per cent weight reduction. This brought several crucial performance improvements, successfully reducing CO2 output by an impressive 20 per cent. We eagerly planned this product launch, and we are
overwhelmed with the positive response from the marketplace.”
Explaining the term ‘platform’, Douglas added: “All the screw compressor model sizes are an upscale or downscale version of each other, that’s the reason why we have adopted a platformisation approach. This means our customers are essentially buying the same machine design no matter what size or output (from specification to stock holding, operation and understanding maintenance)
“Many decades ago, when our screw compressors were created, they were designed without the technology we have today. By using modern techniques and a parametric design, we can rapidly introduce to the market new products developed from our proven base design. Ultimately, this platform approach will further increase our ability to serve customers faster, stay competitive, reduce costs, improve quality and achieve long-term growth and sustainability.”
Since there are still many situations where oil-free technology presents the best approach, Howden continues offering oil-free screw compressors. The company has plenty of experience with platforms, having previously released the next generation of oil-free compressors. The oil-free compressor line extends to seven models with vertically split casings having rotor diameters from 5.03 to 20.08in (127 to 510mm) and discharge pressure ratings up to 653 psi (45 bar). In addition, larger 20.08 to 32.13in (510 to 816mm) rotor machines with horizontally split casings rated at 130 psi (9 bar) extend the maximum flow capacity to 54,150cfm (92,000m3/h). Howden typically supplied oil-free screw compressors as complete packaged systems for critical process applications. After spending five years redesigning and developing these products in partnership with City University of London, Howden’s latest oil-free screw compressors have been available since 2020. “The oil-free options have a higher specification,”
Douglas said. “We successfully released a full range of almost 20 of these across multiple compressor sizes, material types and operating philosophies, serving a wider market than before.”
Sustainable solutions
Sustainability is a top priority for most players in the market, and Howden is no different. “In 2020, our carbon footprint was just under 28,000 tonnes,” Douglas said. “We are committed to halving this by 2030 and to become carbon net zero by 2035. We will achieve these targets by switching to carbon-free energy, focusing on energy conservation and the continual development of more energy recovery initiatives.”
This commitment has also been incorporated into the fundaments of the machine designs, plus a focus on diversifying into new and more sustainable markets, according to Douglas: “Our approach to smart compression brings together engineering, innovation and performance efficiency for a more
sustainable screw compressor product and a future with zero emissions.”
The company is assessing the energy output of all its factories and, for example, is evaluating the practicality of solar panel and heat pump installations. However, Howden feels the most effective step is to keep advancing the efficiency of its machines, which has a positive impact on both customers’ and Howden’s environmental goals.
Bright Futures at Howden
Through the launch of the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy in 2021, the business has championed diversity, fairness and equality of opportunity within the workplace.
“We are determined to build a positive and enduring legacy in the communities where we live and work,” said Douglas.
“The success of our employees and our local communities are what ultimately strengthens our business and advances a more sustainable world for all.”
In 2022, Howden established the Bright Futures programme – a global community volunteering scheme. “Through Bright
Futures, we help disadvantaged and under-represented people in our communities realise their full potential through education and skills development,” Douglas explained.
With only 16% of engineers being women, Howden recognises the need to support more programmes to drive gender parity. In the hopes of improving female representation within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Howden runs engineering workshops for girls in local schools.
“Research shows the earlier you engage with people, the better,” said Douglas. “So, we run workshops focused on younger students. We’ve been running this project for quite a while, and we encourage gender diverse hiring. We hope to reach a point where we have an equal staff gender ratio. We currently have five women on our apprenticeship programme in Scotland, and we are hoping this number will increase.”
After encouraging workers to volunteer through the Bright Futures programme, Howden’s hardworking employees logged an impressive 45,000 hours of volunteer work globally, on various Bright Futures
Projects and activities with a potential reach of over 100,000 people.
“In Scotland, we have supported homeless charities and run Christmas toy appeals,” Douglas said. “We have also helped a lot of local schools and communities – particularly in deprived areas. We run educational site tours, museum trips and we deliver engineering programmes to bring our work to life for the younger generation. We encourage our employees to partake in volunteer work and are aiming for at least a quarter of our workforce to actively volunteer through our Bright Futures programme.”
Going forward, the company plans to continue growing. “We’ve been on an upward trajectory over the past few years, gaining market share, across a broad range of markets. We are much more diversely spread than we were six years ago, which makes for an exciting time for our business,” Douglas concluded. “Our
growth agenda is certainly not going anywhere and will only strengthen as we drive forward with our sustainability ambitions – making sure we create products that help customers improve their carbon footprint.
“Our product objective is clear – as markets evolve, so do we. We see change as an opportunity and use our passion for solving complex problems to create innovative solutions. With Chart’s acquisition of Howden, we continue diversifying our product range to offer the maximum value partnership to customers, whilst staying true to our fundamental company values and enabling our customers’ successes.”
