Fornovo Gas acquisition broadens Burckhardt Compression’s reach

A Fornovo Gas worker. Burckhardt Compression said its acquisition of Italy’s Fornovo Gas is intended to do more than expand the Swiss compressor manufacturer’s geographic reach. (Image: Fornovo Gas)

Burckhardt Compression’s acquisition of Fornovo Gas is intended to do more than expand the Swiss compressor manufacturer’s geographic reach. The transaction also fills a gap in its product portfolio by adding smaller, modular and application-ready compression systems aimed at biomethane, compressed natural gas and other decentralized gas applications.

In written responses to questions from COMPRESSORTech2, Burckhardt Compression said Fornovo Gas brings a portfolio of compact, modular and plug-and-play compression systems, including mobile units designed for lower-power applications where footprint, installation time and flexibility are important considerations.

Those products complement Burckhardt Compression’s traditional strength in larger, highly engineered reciprocating compressor systems used in process-critical applications.

“The acquisition therefore fills an important product-capability gap by combining Burckhardt Compression’s expertise in larger and highly engineered compression systems with Fornovo Gas’s proven know-how in flexible, standardized and application-ready solutions,” the company said.

The expanded portfolio gives Burckhardt Compression access to a broader portion of the biomethane value chain, including gas upgrading, grid injection, transport, refueling and decentralized energy infrastructure.

Complementary operating ranges

Although both companies are active in reciprocating compression, Burckhardt Compression said their product ranges have relatively limited overlap.

Burckhardt Compression has extensive experience with larger, higher-power machines and engineered systems for demanding industrial processes. Fornovo Gas, by comparison, specializes in lower- and medium-power compressor packages, including compact, mobile and modular systems.

The combination allows the companies to cover applications ranging from relatively standardized packages to complex, project-specific compression systems.

Burckhardt Compression also expects its engineering and service resources to help Fornovo Gas move into applications that historically have been more difficult for the Italian company to address.

Fornovo Gas, meanwhile, brings experience in biomethane, CNG and related gas infrastructure, together with an ability to modify compressor configurations and packaged systems relatively quickly for specific projects.

That combination could become increasingly important as compression requirements diversify across renewable-gas and distributed-energy projects.

Biomethane a key opportunity

Biogas, biomethane and CO₂ recovery represent some of the strongest near-term opportunities for the combined business, Burckhardt Compression said.

In biomethane applications, the companies expect to support projects ranging from relatively small gas-upgrading and grid-injection systems to larger reverse-flow installations.

Reverse-flow systems can become necessary when biomethane production on a local distribution network exceeds demand. Compression equipment can move gas from lower-pressure distribution infrastructure into higher-pressure transmission networks, allowing more renewable gas to be accommodated without curtailing production.

The acquisition also broadens Burckhardt Compression’s ability to participate in CNG and so-called Virtual Pipeline projects, where compressed gas is transported by road or other means to locations without conventional pipeline access.

The company said the combined portfolio can cover compressors used at mother stations, gas transportation systems, daughter stations and vehicle-refueling facilities.

That could allow Burckhardt Compression and Fornovo Gas to pursue projects as integrated gas-infrastructure packages rather than supplying individual compressors.

Beyond biomethane and CNG, the companies see opportunities in hydrogen, oxygen, marine and sustainable aviation fuel applications.

Different gases, different challenges

The range of gases targeted by the combined company presents significantly different compression requirements.

Biogas and biomethane systems must account for changing gas composition and contaminants. CO₂ compression requires close attention to temperature and phase behavior, while hydrogen places greater demands on sealing systems, material selection and leakage control.

Burckhardt Compression characterized hydrogen as a significant longer-term opportunity, while describing biogas, biomethane and CO₂ recovery as nearer-term markets.

Those differences increase the value of application-specific compressor engineering rather than relying on a common package across multiple gases.

Fornovo Gas has developed particular expertise in no-lube and oil-free compression systems, which can be important where gas purity and contamination control are critical.

Its packages are also designed around a high degree of integration, with auxiliaries, instrumentation and control equipment assembled into compact systems intended to reduce field installation requirements.

Containerized configurations can further reduce installation time and plant footprint.

Integration capabilities

Fornovo Gas also brings system-integration capabilities that extend beyond the compressor itself.

The company has experience incorporating auxiliaries, instrumentation and controls into complete packaged systems, along with gas-analysis and gas-treatment capabilities used to address contaminants and select appropriate materials and separation equipment.

Its engineering work includes hazard and operability studies and development of safety instrumented functions for specific applications.

Automation and control software can similarly be adapted to individual plant requirements.

According to Burckhardt Compression, those capabilities allow Fornovo Gas to develop packages for applications including biomethane, wet gas, CO₂ and hydrogen rather than functioning primarily as a compressor-unit supplier.

That systems capability aligns with a broader industry shift toward packaged compression installations that minimize field engineering and reduce the interfaces customers must manage during project execution.

Technology sharing

Burckhardt Compression sees opportunities to introduce some of its compressor-component and monitoring technologies into Fornovo Gas equipment.

Burckhardt’s portfolio includes compressor valves, sealing systems and monitoring and diagnostic technologies that could eventually be applied to Fornovo Gas machines.

Product-development work is already underway within Fornovo Gas.

One program involves optimizing the company’s DA500 cylinders to improve efficiency while reducing manufacturing costs.

Fornovo Gas is also developing a two-compartment distance piece for its DA300 compressor, one of the company’s principal products.

The change is intended to extend the compressor’s suitability for hazardous or toxic gases, including hydrogen and sour gas, by providing greater separation between the compression cylinder and crankcase.

Burckhardt Compression said additional areas for technology development and product synergies have already been identified by engineering teams from the two companies.

Building a wider service footprint

The acquisition also changes the support available to Fornovo Gas customers.

Burckhardt Compression operates a global sales, engineering and service organization that will give Fornovo customers greater access to local aftermarket support, particularly outside Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The companies do not intend to impose a single service model across every market. Instead, Burckhardt Compression said the structure will be determined according to region, application and customer requirements.

That approach is intended to preserve Fornovo Gas’s application expertise while adding Burckhardt Compression’s broader service infrastructure.

For existing Fornovo Gas customers, the company said the combination should eventually provide expanded local support and a broader aftermarket offering.

More broadly, the acquisition gives Burckhardt Compression a way to extend its reciprocating compressor portfolio downward into applications that favor standardized, compact and rapidly deployable equipment, while retaining its existing position in larger engineered compression systems.

That expanded operating range could prove particularly useful as biomethane, renewable-gas and distributed-gas projects develop alongside the large process and pipeline applications that have traditionally formed the core of Burckhardt Compression’s business.

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Fornovo

A Fornovo Gas worker. Burckhardt Compression said its acquisition of Italy’s Fornovo Gas is intended to do more than expand the Swiss compressor manufacturer’s geographic reach. (Image: Fornovo Gas)