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BOC’s growth continued during the 1920s, with expansion and diversification including the building of new production plants, acquisitions and new products.
In the early 1930s, the Heylandt system was developed for producing, storing and transporting oxygen in liquid form. This meant that large users could receive bulk supplies quickly and cheaply in special tankers rather than in heavy metal cylinders, and the liquid could be stored and then evaporated into gas by units installed at the users' sites. |
BOC also expanded internationally during the 1930s, reducing its dependency on Germany for supplies of calcium carbide to make acetylene, and developing production in Australia, India and South Africa.
With the creation of a separate medical division in 1935, BOC introduced a number of new ideas, such as providing oxygen on tap to hospital wards and operating theatres. |