The Ingersoll Rand company has said it is looking to combine production at its Sunderland headquarters and its facility in Rouen, France to double its manufacturing capacity by 2024, offering an output of more than 30 stations per year.
Over the course of 2022 Haskel said it doubled the number of stations being tested in 2022. This year (2023) the company plans to rapidly scale operations, targeting an increase in capacity allowing it test up to 12 stations in 2024, which it says would reflect a 200% increase compared to 2022 levels.
In addition to its testing and delivery plans, Haskel had scaled its headcount over the past 12 months, with 42 new hires, almost doubling its workforce in the past year, which it says have been driven by increased demand in markets such as Europe, New Zealand and Australia.
“Since 2017 we have invested close to £2m ($2.4m) in both expanding operational capacity and upgrading equipment,” said David Muckle, General Manager at Haskel Europe Ltd. “Our 1500 sq. metre site, capable of testing four 40ft refuelling stations at a time, has been developed with a central purpose in mind, to help fuel the decarbonisation of global transport fleets, and put Sunderland on the map as a hub for hydrogen innovation.”
Haskel says, market research it commissioned found that the Asia Pacific market size for hydrogen refuelling is set to more than triple in value between 2021 and 2029, forecasted to reach $1.05bn by 2029.
Stewart Anderson, APAC Hydrogen Business Development Manager at Haskel, commented, “Amid debate about how to grow the use of hydrogen in the UK to reach Net Zero, I’m mindful of how countries such as Australia and New Zealand are taking giant leaps in this arena.”
Anderson said clear government strategy in the region had unlocked investment in infrastructure, offering a roadmap to build a network of hydrogen refuelling stations capable of removing emissions from transport, adding, “I hope to see the UK adopt a similar approach, and unlock the expertise on its doorstep.”
A part of its plans to scale its reach, Haskel in 2021 announced a partnership with Hiringa Energy to supply its hydrogen compressor systems for refuelling station projects in New Zealand.
Read more: Haskel and Hiringa on ‘kickstartin’ New Zealand’s hydrogen transport industry
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