The employees in our manufacturing plant build our PRISM membrane separators by hand. We don’t have assembly lines or robots, and we don’t produce batches in multiples of 12. Each separator is delicately made by hand with precision and care, which means that our people are by far, our most important assets.

Just before the Fourth of July holiday, our plant employees enjoyed a quick little event that brought out some friendly competition. After enjoying a tasty meal of summer-time grilled favorites, the employees were challenged with a group bridge building competition. Printer paper and standard glue sticks were the only materials permitted to build a bridge capable of withstanding the weight of a toy truck. We saw creative ideas and big smiles which confirmed that taking a quick break from manufacturing membrane separators to laugh and strengthen teamwork was totally worth it!

Take a trip with me as we zoom back to the 1980s – a time when our current Saint Louis PRISM Membranes building was actually an electrical distribution warehouse. In fact, the business unit of “Air Products PRISM Membranes” wasn’t even formed until years later.

It started in Research Triangle Park (North Carolina) as a manufacturing project underneath the parent company of Monsanto. Monsanto, who is now a dominant seed & agricultural development company, was an active player in textile manufacturing in the 1970s. They spun tiny textile fibers from plastic which eventually led to spinning hollow fibers for the purpose of gas separation. But nobody in the gas industry had really heard of using these tube-like membrane separators to generate gases, so customers were hard to come by.

Monsanto made some changes to their textile business in 1984. They closed their big building in North Carolina and moved the gas separation employees to Saint Louis…in a vacant building down the street from their corporate office. The building had vacant space, and that’s about it, nothing fancy. So they built a few walls and hallways and moved the fiber spinning equipment over. After years of development, the business grew and more offices and walls went up in our building. The next time you’re in our facility, take a look at the layout, it makes no sense. But it was the product of a growing business, so walls went up where they were needed. And everyone was always too busy to worry about what the building looked like.

In 1991, Air Products acquired the membrane separation business from Monsanto as part of their desire to sell both gas molecules and gas generating equipment. Encouragingly, Air Products kept the existing membrane employees on board. In a merger or acquisition, that’s not always the case. But membrane manufacturing isn’t something you learn overnight, so I assume they valued the years of experience. Like it says in our corporate governance statement:

“Air Products has built a reputation for quality, integrity and goodwill that is the cornerstone of our success.”

So although it all started in North Carolina, we’ve been true Saint Louisans since
1984. And yes, we eat toasted ravioli and flat pizza with weird cheese.

Our employees are generous pet lovers for sure! A few weeks ago, we collected 120 pounds of kitty litter, 66 pounds of dog food, and an entire SUV full of other toys and treat donations. All of it went to one of the neediest animal rescue centers in St. Louis, Stray Rescue. Not only are our employees great at manufacturing membrane separators, they’re great at sharing love in their community too!

They heard the crackle of the PA system and then a little bell chimed throughout the building. Everyone would stop what they were doing and they’d look up with a big smile. The membrane separator business just made some MONEY!

Back in the 1980s, our business unit operated more like today’s typical startup. A lot of people worked hard to discover new ideas and to develop successful membrane solutions. It was an exciting time. But big sales were few and far between. So when an order for membrane separators did come in, it was worth celebrating.

That’s why our sales team would ring a bell over the building’s PA system. It sparked a little excitement and congratulated the whole organization. Today, our membrane separators are much more mainstream, but our team still feels the appreciation when we review the order book each Tuesday morning.

We don’t ring a bell for every order anymore…that would get annoying. But a lot of us remember the days when we did. And we’re excited by how much our business has changed and grown since then.