Tate & Lyle is a global supplier of ingredients to food and beverage markets. When constructing its plant in McIntosh, Ala., the company required custom-designed distillation columns, pressure vessels and heat exchangers. Because of high operating temperatures and pressure, specialized solutions were required for performance and durability. Moreover, the company needed equipment that could run 24/7 with only two shutdowns a year.

These vessels must endure high temperatures and high pressure over decades of grueling use. They are critical pieces of operating equipment that often function as the central processing units of an entire manufacturing facility. As a result, any equipment downtime can be extremely costly to the operator.