Service and Quality Writ Large at Filltech

Erik Walther GmbH engages Filltech GmbH to develop, produce and commission an efficient CO2 filling station for the food sector.

Warburg, 1 May 2011. For several generations, the "Erik Walther" family business has been supplying wholesale and retail customers with fuels, lubricants, heating oil and gas, as well as operating a large network of independent fuel-filling stations. For some time, the company has been endeavouring to expand its liquefied gas division, with the expansion of the food gas sub-division assuming a special status in terms of product diversification. By independently filling CO₂ cylinders, the company now also aims to supply beverage retailers and restaurants that require such cylinders to carbonate beverages. In order not to be dependent any longer on external service providers with regard to CO₂ filling and to be able to respond in a more flexible and customer-focused manner, the family business decided, after relevant planning, to acquire its own CO2 filling plant. Its search for the right filling solution led it to choose UniFill Complete, a compact and flexible filling plant manufactured by Filltech GmbH.

"What mattered to us was to find a high-quality plant that is particularly flexible and low on maintenance. In the end, positive experiences and feedback led us to opt for a Filltech filling station, which proved to be exactly the right decision", said Werner Motz, head of the liquefied gas division at "Erik Walther".

The company decided on Filltech GmbH's "comprehensive no-hassle package", which includes development, production, setup, installation and handover, thereby enabling filling to begin immediately after handover and induction.

Filltech produced and connected the station in a very short space of time, enabling the first CO₂ cylinder to be filled still within 2010, only 10 weeks after the start of planning.

"What we particularly liked is that everything comes from a single source, there are no waiting times caused by long delivery periods, and a direct contact person, who can be reached at any time, is available to answer any questions that you may have", Werner Motz explained.

Ready-to-use filling stations: "UniFill Complete"

Filltech's new ready-to-use filling stations now also make it possible for medium-sized companies to use first-class filling technology. The standardized filling stations provide a mobile and compact solution for virtually any cylinder, as, depending on size, they can be adapted to a wide variety of gas cylinders.

"Erik Walther", for example, uses the flexible filling station to fill cylinders of between 6 and 20kg. UniFill Complete is a particularly flexible and compact filling station with a fill range of between 4 and 50 kg.The filling system includes pressure gauge, safety valveand connecting hoses and its integrated pump assembly means that it can be started up immediately.

Filltech has experience and quality on its side

"We ensure that every project and every order meets the highest standards in terms of quality, efficiency, reliability, precision and safety", says Michael Peine, Managing Director of Filltech GmbH. Particularly in the food gas sector, quality and safety are crucially important criteria when it comes to choosing the right filling plant.

Filltech designs its gas filling systems in close collaboration with leading companies in the food industry, which uses gases that are non-hazardous to health. The result is filling plants that have exceptionally low total costs, while retaining consistently high quality. Certification according to ISO 22000 demonstrates our rigorous focus on the requirements of the food industry.

Furthermore, we guarantee the utmost safety by adhering to the following standards in all our processes: EIGA Code of Practice, IGV Code of Practice, DIN ISO 9001:2008, DIN ISO 22000:2005, HACCP.

A highly qualified, motivated team is available to offer you advice and assistance at every turn, from conception to design through to development and implementation.

About Filltech GmbH

Filltech GmbH is a German mechanical engineering company specializing in the development and construction of efficient gas filling stations for handling industrial, chemical, medical and food gases.

Guaranteeing the safety and effectiveness of our gas filling plants, irrespective of the market being developed, is our highest priority. Nowadays, Filltech gas filling stations are used in all filling operations of all large, and many medium-sized, gas producers and bottlers.

A filling station is the main component of any gas filling plant. It transports the mixture of different gases from individual tanks to smaller standard cylinders for direct dispatch to the end customer. What makes Filltech filling stations stand out is their effectiveness. This enables high productivity to be achieved at the same time as maximum safety.

In addition to the standardized filling units and components, Filltech has, for over 15 years, been developingcustom-built filling systems for companies in the medical, industrial and food sectors, as well as for companies that sell special gases. Filltech has its headquarters in Warburg, Germany, is present in 15 other countries and currently has a workforce of 55 employees.   

About Erik Walther

The fuel-filling station in Gera with a single fuel pump was to grow, over the course of time, into the medium-sized family enterprise by the name of "Erik Walther", with more than 160 employees. For generations, the company has been supplying its customers with petrol, heating oil, gas and other energy carriers, operating today one of the largest networks of independent fuel-filling stations in Bavaria, Hesse, Thuringia and Baden-Württemberg. Furthermore, "Erik Walther" is a wholesale trader of mineral oils, motor fuels and gases, with its own fleet of ships and its own fuel depots.

The company uses its own tankers to supply refineries in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, storing the goods in two high-bay depots in Schweinfurt and Aschaffenburg, which have a total capacity of around 80 million litres. The company has its own railway siding in Schweinfurt, enabling it to unload liquefied gas, as well as petrol, diesel and heating oil, which also makes a significant contribution to security of supply.

Customers as well as its own fuel-filling stations are supplied by a large and modern fleet of vehicles,which is serviced and maintained in the company's own workshop. In the ever-growing fuel-filling station network, "Erik Walther" sets great store not only by price consciousness, quality and service, but also, and particularly, by close customer relations. That is why the company is available for you in large parts of Bavaria, as well as in southern Thuringia, Hesse and Baden-Württemberg:
You can tank up at 60 Walther fuel-filling stations and 2 motorway fuel-filling stations, which are affiliated to the "Bundesverband Freier Tankstellen (Federal Association of Independent Fuel-Filling Stations - bft)", and sell Walther fuels under the "bft" brand, to your heart's content.

"Erik Walther" has been trading in liquefied gas for more than 30 years and, today, has two large liquefied gas tankers, a modern filling plant and its own railway tank wagons. 

"In everything we do, we always aim to offer our customers good quality, outstanding service and particularly favourable prices", says Erik Linsner, Managing Partner at "Erik Walther".