Oriol Martínez Huguet: “We define ourselves as creators of solutions, not sellers of products”
Founded in 2009, GasN2 is a Catalan company made up of a team of engineers, chemists, biologists and highly-qualified personnel which has established itself as a benchmark in the industrial gas market. GasN2 is a Platinum Sponsor of the 15th Mediterranean Congress of Chemical Engineering to be held from 30th May to 2nd June as part of Expoquimia, the International Chemistry Event organised by Fira de Barcelona. Having graduated in Chemical Engineering at the IQS, Oriol Martínez Huguet is now the CEO and founding partner of GasN2.
How would you define GasN2 as a company?
Reply: GasN2 is a company that seeks to provide a global response to companies that consume gases, ranging from the design and manufacture of machinery with proprietary technology to marketing and technical services. It does so within an environment involving continuous advice for our customers, with the aim of providing companies with more efficient, reliable and environment-friendly production processes.
What distinguishes GasN2 from other companies in the same area of activity?
At GasN2 we define ourselves as creators of solutions, not sellers of products. In this regard, we work with our customers on global projects that go beyond a specific device or machine. At GasN2 we offer innovative alternatives that improve processes by developing technology and providing flexible solutions suited to our customer’s changing needs. The greatest difference with respect to other companies in the industry lies in the know-how, adaptability and advice that we offer to our customers with a vocation of service and proximity.
GasN2 is characterised by its innovative nature and its commitment to sustainability, the pillars of the Mediterranean Congress of Chemical Engineering. What do you hope to achieve at this event?
GasN2 is about constant innovation. Our business idea wouldn’t work without this driving force. I’m not referring to rudderless innovation, but rather progress geared towards improving production processes by making them simpler, safer, more efficient and, therefore, more sustainable. The Mediterranean Congress of Chemical Engineering thus provides the ideal platform in both senses, to promote the technologies committed to these fundamentals that we develop and, at the same time, to keep track of the state of the art to enable us to keep on innovating.
Which projects is GasN2 working on at the moment?
GasN2 regards innovation as an essential process for companies. We divide our innovation projects into three different categories, depending on whether they cover innovation in the company’s internal processes, innovation in products that already exist in our portfolio or innovation in new technologies.
We currently have more than 60 potential projects for development in highly diverse areas, including the design of our new ERP, the development of new chromatographic packing materials and the redesign of COVID-19 ventilators to turn them into state-of-the-art medical products. Out of all of them, I’d highlight the chromatographic equipment for recovering carbon dioxide from companies’ combustion gases. These devices have exceptional potential, as they’re a solution that simultaneously eliminates companies’ polluting emissions and provides extremely pure gas that’s ready for use in production processes.
In addition to its commitment to innovation, GasN2 demonstrated its altruism during the most difficult moments of the pandemic by contributing to the manufacture of respiratory assist devices. What encouraged you to get involved so directly?
During the first weeks of the pandemic, the shortage of certain products, the vast majority of which are imported as they aren’t manufactured in our country, became apparent. At that time, GasN2’s spirit of innovation and continuous improvement came to the fore. We had the capacity for innovation, the qualified personnel and the resources required to develop an emergency medical product for compassionate use. In short, all the requirements to become a GasN2 project were met! Within a few weeks, we developed durable respiratory assist devices that were certified by AEMPS as healthcare products and the original motive was simple: innovate, improve and help. As a result of this initiative, we were awarded the Industry 4.0 Award and the SME Award in the fight against COVID-19 in 2020.
Finally, how does GasN2 envisage the future?
Our aim in the future is for the company to expand into a global benchmark in the gas consumption industry while maintaining its spirit of innovation and advice and its proximity to its customers.
