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With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, BOC again found itself at the forefront of the war effort in Britain. The company’s expansion included building an electrolytic hydrogen plant in the UK to supplement supplies of hydrogen used for barrage balloons, and opening an electrode factory in Sydney, Australia to support the war effort. |
The 1950s was a decade of solid economic recovery, overshadowed by the tensions of the Cold War. The steel industry embraced the use of oxygen to increase productivity and the demand for oxygen soared to meet the increased demand for steel for cars and consumer durables.
To meet the vastly increased demand for oxygen at steelworks, plants dedicated to the production of oxygen were installed on site at steelworks, and hundreds of tonnes of gas provided daily by pipeline.
The 1950s witnessed the birth of large-volume nitrogen demand. Two plants producing nitrogen and oxygen were installed at the Pilkington Glass plant located in St Helens, UK, to meet the huge demands of the innovative float glass process.
Towards the end of the decade, BOC became involved in rocket testing, supplying gases for Thor missiles. |