Airgas' Red-D-Arc Welderentals Becomes Global Distributor For Key Plant Automation Products

Key Plant weld-positioning and automation products to be marketed world-wide

Radnor - Airgas, Inc. recently announced that its Red-D-Arc Welderentals subsidiary has partnered with Key Plant Automation Ltd., Liverpool, UK, to become their exclusive global distributor of Key Plant weld-positioning and automation products. Key Plant has more than 50 years of experience in the design and manufacture of standard and custom-designed weld-positioning and automation equipment in the UK, with sales to a variety of customers throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

"We are confident that with Red-D-Arc as our dedicated distributor, Key Plant can expand our global business opportunities," said Kevin Davies, Managing Director of Key Plant Automation Ltd. "Red-D-Arc's long history and expertise in the sale, lease and rental of both welding and weld-positioning equipment, as well as their global reach, make them an excellent partner."

"Key Plant has long been recognized as a world-class designer and fabricator of automation equipment," said Mitch Imielinski, President of Red-D-Arc, the Airgas company that provides welding and welding-related specialty equipment for rental, lease and sale to Airgas customers on a global basis.

"Our companies share a commitment to growing this business, and we are excited about the new opportunities that this partnership will provide."

Key Plant's full-line includes floor turntables; seam welders; side beams and lathe types; handling equipment; column and booms; girth welders; pipe and valve cladding systems; standard, bench, elevating, and rotilt positioners; headstocks and tailstocks; self-aligning, pipe and scissor, anti-drift, and conventional rotators, as well as welding equipment and supplies.

In partnering with Red-D-Arc, Key Plant brings these essential weld-positioning and automation products to a broad, worldwide customer base. Steel fabrication shops, tank and vessel manufacturers, wind tower manufacturers, shipyards, special-purpose fabricators, welding equipment manufacturers, and pipe fabricating shops, among others, can locate Red-D-Arc's unparalleled network of retail stores and knowledgeable staff on www.red-d-arc.com.

"We're seeing quite a bit of interest in automated solutions as metal fabricators world-wide are looking for ways to become more efficient and more competitive," Imielinski added. "We displayed the Key Plant fixed-automation cladding system at FABTECH 2011 in Chicago and it generated a lot of attention and significant sales."

FABTECH, according to Imielinski, is North America's largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing exposition and conference.

SOURCE: Airgas, Inc.