As he approaches his first anniversary as plant manager of Air Liquide’s Bayport, Texas, Complex, Dale Fritsche has a significant accomplishment he’s looking to achieve for the facility — to make it Air Liquide’s top location on the planet. “My goal is to make the Bayport site the best site for Air Liquide worldwide,” Fritsche said. “I have a dedicated staff that supports me, and we want to be the leaders for new programs, initiatives, etc. When I leave, I would like to have someone train to continue the legacy we started.”
Fritsche grew up in the Greater Houston Area, graduating from Klein High School before earning a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Houston. He started his career with Air Liquide as the plant manager of an air separation unit (ASU) and cogeneration facility in Geismar, Louisiana, but later accepted an assignment as a project engineer. Before taking over as the plant manager of the Bayport Complex, Fritsche completed a three-year assignment in South Africa. In his current position, Fritsche manages two air separation units, four cogeneration plants, an industrial water facility and a demineralization facility. Additionally, he also serves as the plant manager for Air Liquide’s Channelview and La Porte ASU facilities.
As a world leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and health, Air Liquide is present in 80 countries with more than 50,000 employees and serves more than 2 million customers and patients. Air Liquide’s ambition is to be the leader in its industry, delivering long-term performance and acting responsibly. Its history in the U.S. dates back to 1916 and the company presently employs more than 5,000 people in the U.S. in over 200 locations. The company offers industrial and medical gases, technologies and related services to customers in energy, industrial, electronics and health care markets.
Since acquiring the Bayport Complex in 1986, Air Liquide has improved and expanded it in order to efficiently meet the growing demands of industry in the region. The complex is now Air Liquide’s largest production and distribution facility in North America, covering 88 acres of land and employing approximately 65 workers. It produces oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, electricity, steam, and industrial and demineralized water to customers in a wide range of industries.
“The first production unit on this site — an air separation module that produced oxygen, nitrogen and steam — was commissioned in 1968 by Big Three Industries, a company acquired by Air Liquide in 1968,” Fritsche explained. “The long-range plan was to build multiple air separation plants as new customers came online.”
The Bayport Complex is central to Air Liquide’s extensive Gulf Coast Pipeline System, which encompasses nearly 2,000 miles of pipeline that runs along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana and serves large industrial customers in chemicals, petrochemicals, refining and steel. The facility is also home to one of Air Liquide’s major bulk distribution depots.
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Fritsche said working well with both supervisors and supervisees is an important skill for someone in a position such as his.
“A supportive upper management and executive staff with a clear vision is a must,” Fritsche said. “Also a diverse skill set when working with different processes is important.”
The only issue Fritsche has faced so far during his tenure at the Bayport Complex has been earning the trust of his employees.
“As the new guy on the block, you must prove yourself to your staff,” Fritsche explained. “This is always a challenge and there is no set of rules — the only rule is to keep trying. I am fortunate to have such an experienced staff.”
Safety as a core value
Fritsche explained safety is Air Liquide’s core value, and the Bayport Complex has been living up to that ideal.
“Overall, the safety record is great,” Fritsche said. “Our safety culture is based on the belief that remaining vigilant while working safely and smartly is a responsibility of each and every one of us. We have several safety programs in place that assist in our overall company vision of safety.”
To keep up on the latest practices and tips available for maintaining their safety record, as well as all the latest news in the industry, Fritsche reads BIC Magazine every month.
Being a good neighbor to the community
Fritsche and his staff at the Bayport Complex take part in a number of community service projects throughout the year.
“We’re involved in the Bay Area Park Trash Bash to help clean up the environment,” Fritsche said. “We’re also involved with Boys and Girls Harbor to provide Christmas gifts for the organization’s children, and an annual golf tournament to support several local charities.”
Additionally, Fritsche is involved in the Local Citizen Advisory Council (LCAC) for La Porte and Bayport, Responsible Care®, the East Harris County Manufacturers Association (EHCMA) and the Texas Chemical Council (TCC).
“It’s important to be part of LCAC because it addresses the concerns of the community, presents information to the community and demonstrates ‘good neighbor’ responsibility,” he explained. “EHCMA is an association that addresses environmental concerns, does community outreach, provides the Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER) line, etc. Working with Responsible Care and TCC demonstrates we meet the industry standards for safety, environmental compliance, community outreach, etc.”
Investing in the future
Air Liquide recently broke ground on its Bayport Redevelopment Initiative, a $230 million investment that will see upgrades to the facility’s state-of-the-art, energy-efficient cogeneration unit to increase production capacity and extend its life by more than 20 years.
“The project includes upgrades to four cogeneration units and the installation of three new auxiliary boilers to expand production of electricity and steam,” Fritsche explained. “The facility will have a full capacity of 300 megawatts of electricity and more than 1,300 tonnes of steam per hour. The project also includes site upgrades to an air separation unit on site to extend its life and expand its capacity.”
The initiative will also include upgrading additional infrastructure. The major investment will help enable Air Liquide to meet the growing needs of customers throughout the Texas regional basin and supply high-quality products to its customers in a safe, reliable and efficient way.
Fritsche said the Bayport Redevelopment Initiative is the biggest thing currently going on at his facility and feels it is an investment that will help the industry to continue in the positive direction he sees ahead for it.
“As for the future of the industry, I see continued growth across the board,” Fritsche said.
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Bayport Complex
Air Liquide
11400 Bay Area Boulevard
Pasadena, Texas 77507
(281) 474-8300
www.us.airliquide.com
Products: Liquid oxygen, liquid nitrogen, liquid argon, gaseous oxygen, gaseous nitrogen, steam, electricity, industrial water and demineralized water
Employees: 65
Acres: 88
