Chart Ferox, About us: History

History Details
Cryogenic Milestones

Chart Ferox History Overview
1941-1945	Private company founded by Wilhelm Schmiding
1945-1992	State owned company Cryogenic equipment Air Separations Plants Food industry and agriculture equipment Heat exchangers & other chemical equipment
1992-1998	Majority share holder Air Products and Chemicals Inc., USA (Joint stock company)
1998-1999	Majority held by MVE Inc., USA
April 1999	MVE Inc. including Ferox, a.s. becomes part of Chart Industries Group, USA. Majority of shares owned by Chart Industries, USA
2002	Establishing of Chart Ferox GmbH, Solingen, Germany
April 2008	Acquisition of Flow Instruments & Engineering GmbH. Solingen, Germany

[back to top]

History Details

Chart Ferox, a.s. of Decín, Czech Republic, has a history going back to a year of 1941 when it was founded by Wilhelm Schmiding. After the Second World War in 1958 it was integrated into the Škoda Group, in 1965 transferred into another big industrial group - the KSB Group. Following the reorganization of the Czechoslovakian industry Ferox, a.s. became a member of the Brno based Chepos Group in 1965. In October 1992 Ferox, a.s. became a Joint Stock Company, with a majority ownership of Air Products and Chemicals Inc. of USA.

In Feb. 1998 the ownership of the company changed. Air Products - the majority shareholder sold Ferox, a.s.'s shares to MVE Inc (USA), then the world’s largest designer and manufacturer of vacuum insulated solutions for the storage and distribution of cryogenic gases.

In June 1999 MVE became a member of the Chart Industries Group (USA) - a leading independent global manufacturer of highly engineered equipment used in the production, storage, and end-use of hydrocarbon and industrial gases. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Chart has US operations located in eight states and an international presence in Australia, China, the Czech Republic, Germany and the United Kingdom.

In March 2006 Ferox, a.s. changed its name to Chart Ferox, a.s. in order to emphasize its relationship to the Chart Industries Group.

In April 2008 Chart Ferox, a.s. acquired Flow Instruments & Engineering GmbH based in Solingen, Germany ("Flow"). Flow manufactures cryogenic flow meter systems for industrial gases and liquified petroleum gas, distribution equipment for transport of CO2 and other gases, and provides calibration services.

Chart manufactures a broad line of cryogenic products for the purification, liquefaction, distribution, storage and application of gases such as helium, nitrogen, argon, oxygen, carbon dioxide, natural gas and other hydrocarbons for final use in a multitude of industrial, commercial and scientific applications. These applications serve many selected markets including energy, biomedical, food, entertainment, aerospace, thermal testing, alternative fuels and many other industrial end users.

Chart Ferox is now an engineering and manufacturing company with over 550 employees. It is equipped as a heavy engineering workshop with a wide range of machinery, and a qualified workforce, which can produce standard and custom-made equipment to world industry standards. Chart Ferox is focused on supplying of equipment for storage and transportation of liquefied industrial gases.

[back to top]

Cryogenic Milestones

1950	First Air Separation Plant
1955	First ASU based on own Ferox's design
1960	First tonnage oxygen plant (167 t/day)
1960	First Helium liquefier
1966	Biological container 600 liters
1968	First vacuum insulated vertical storage tank
1971	Cryogenic semi-trailer
1972	First flat bottom tank
1974	1106 t/d oxygen plant
1980	Liquefier 150 t/d LOX/LIN
1985	Superconducted magnetic separator of china-clay
1991	Superinsulated pallet tank 500 liters
1992	First cold box assembled for big gas company
1996	First large cryogenic tank 200 m³
1998	Large cryogenic tanks: 403 m³ horizontal, 366 m³ vertical
1999	Vacuum insulated piping system
2001	Storage tank for LNG 212 m³
2003	LNG satellite station 1 500 000 liter in three vacuum insulated tanks 500 m³
2003	Liquid hydrogen tank 360 000 liters for European space rocket launch center
2003	20’ ISO container for liquefied cryogenic gases
2003	LNG Semitrailer 56 m³
2005	530 000 liter vacuum insulated air gas tank
2006	LNG satellite station with storage capacity of over 3.4 million liters of LNG consisting of five 683,000 liter vacuum insulated tanks.

Major Certificates and Code Approvals of Ferox
Quality Policy

Chart Ferox and its employees are committed to high standards of quality. This approach is governed by documented Quality System certified in accordance with ISO 9001:2000 requirements. In order to make quality an integral part of everyday life the management of Chart Ferox Group proposes, comments and approves the Quality policy and ensure its compliance with the marketing strategy and other business activities and conceptions of Chart Ferox Group to meet the customer expectations and needs.

Chart Ferox´s management reviews periodically the quality system (ISO 9001:2000) and the requirements of the Quality Policy including goals in order to ensure continuous suitability and effectiveness.

The company has established and documented the responsibility, authority and mutual relations for all the staff who control, conduct or verify the activities affecting quality. The company provides this staff with independence and authority for their activities.

All Managers in Chart Ferox are responsible for:

Providing sufficient procedures to cover all activities that affect quality.
Verifying that approved procedures are adopted by respective personnel.
Ensuring that the personnel are adequately qualified to carry out their responsibilities.
Select audit team leaders and schedule the internal audits.

A management representative appointed by the CEO, irrespective of other responsibilities, has authority and responsibility to ensure that all Quality System requirements are implemented and maintained.

Within his authority and responsibility falls:

Coordinate activities related to implementation, maintenance and development of the quality system (QMS) in compliance with EN ISO 9001:2000, PED 97/23/EC and TPED 99/36/EC through defining QMS within the Quality Manual and its continuous improvement
Reporting on the performance of the Quality System to the management Chart Ferox for review as a basic for improvement of the quality system.
Select NB (notified body) when a product is manufactured according to PED or TPED
Liaison with external parties on matters related to the suppliers quality system.
Presentation of the Quality Policy of the Chart Ferox management and making sure that it is understood, implemented and maintained
Check requirements of EN ISO 9001:2000, PED 97/23/EC and TPED99/36/EC standards specified in the Quality management system through internal quality audits

In order to serve its customers globally Chart Ferox has been granted many certificates and code approvals for manufacturing of stationary and transportable pressure vessels for a range of countries around the globe.

In addition to the Quality System and pressure vessel approvals, Chart Ferox has comprehensive in-house quality control, NDE and mechanical testing capabilities performed by fully trained and qualified personnel:

Non Destructive Testing capabilities include Chemical Composition Analysis of materials using an MS-3 Spectrometer and/or RI X-Ray fluorescent analyses.
Mechanical Property test facilities covering Hardness, Tensile and Corrosion testing.
Radiography using X-Ray and/or Gamma Sources.
Magnetic Particle and Dye Penetrate testing.
Ultrasonic Thickness and Flaw detection.
Paint Thickness and Adhesion Testing.
Hydraulic, Pneumatic and Mass Spectrometer Pressure and Leak Detection Facilities.

[back to top]

Major Certificates and Code Approvals of Chart Ferox

ISO 9001:2000 (view certificate)	certified by TÜV CERT – TÜV NORD
PED 97/23/EC Module D	certified by TÜV NORD
PED 97/23/EC Module D	certified by APRAGAZ
PED 97/23/EC Module A1	certified by DNV
TPED 99/36/EC Module D	certified by APRAGAZ
ASME National Board Approval, Code VIII/I Symbol U Authorization (U-Stamp)
German AD2000-Merkblatt HP O	certified by RW TUV
Local country approvals for Russia, Ukraine, Poland

[back to top]

Our Quality Policy supports our organizational strategic goal to remain one of the leading suppliers of cryogenic equipment and to increase our sales within Europe, the Middle East and Africa through innovative products, and systems at a world quality level.

Quality Policy

Chart Ferox is dedicated to achieving 100% customer satisfaction, the only acceptable standard by which we can measure quality success. Chart Ferox will ensure the long-term satisfaction of its customers through the continuous improvement of our processes, products and services. We design and manufacture our products and provide services that are intended to consistently meet or exceed customers´ expectations, and

Hans Lonsain – Chairman & Managing Director
Zdeněk Machala – Vice-Chairman
Tomáš Janata
Miroslav Černý
Martin Čekal

Samuel F. Thomas - Chairman
Thomas M. Carey
Michael F. Biehl
Milan Serbus
Matthew J. Klaben
Jan Dvořák