A-Gas was founded in 1993 in Bristol, UK, by founder and pioneer John Rutley, and co-founder John Cooper. Together, they saw opportunities to build a new business that could support the HVACR industry with the transition away from Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Today, as A-Gas celebrates its 30th anniversary, a leading supplier of refrigerants to the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration industries, has evolved to become a world leader in lifecycle refrigerant management, spanning 7 continents and 14 countries.

A-Gas’ first-class recovery, reclamation, and repurposing processes capture refrigerant gases for future re-use or safe destruction, preventing their harmful release into the atmosphere. A-Gas’ site in Bristol is the largest refrigerant reclamation facility in Europe. In addition to this, A-Gas has deployed many of its innovative solutions across other regions, from the Netherlands to Australia, the USA and more.

To support the company’s growth and ensure the safe handling of the substantial number of gas cylinders it moves daily at its UK site, A-Gas contacted supplier and manufacturer of forklift truck attachments, B&B Attachments.

B&B Attachments then designed and manufactured a unique forklift truck attachment, allowing A-Gas to safely move, transport and rotate its full and empty gas cylinders and avoid manual handling.

The GBH2000R Rotating Gas Bottle Handler attachment has dual slider arms, which are activated by hydraulic rams located within the arms of the attachment.

The end arm securely attaches to the lip of the cylinders, preventing slippage and damage whilst moving these heavy and sometimes awkwardly shaped items. The arms are held in position with a hydraulic check valve. This easy-to-install clamp can handle various cylinder lengths. It is fork-mounted and can be used with the existing forks of any appropriate forklift or tele-handler. This attachment was also commissioned as a rotating version, allowing A-Gas to turn its cylinders 90 degrees for further ease of handling and loading.

Farzam Pourjahedi, European Procurement Manager at A-Gas, comments, “If you’re handling, storing or moving gas cylinders as part of your operations, there are important safety considerations to keep in mind. Safe and compliant drum and cylinder handling is vital when adhering to the relevant codes of practice and standards. The forklift attachments provided by B&B Attachments ensures that our on-site handling is the safest it can be. The attachment reduces damage to cylinders and provides us with an efficient, convenient way to transport and move our products. The success of these attachments to our UK facility has led to further orders to our sites located in Italy and The Netherlands.”