1/30/2020 CASE: YPFB, Bolivia

Published 2019.02.25

First of its kind and still going strong

YPFB, Bolivia
The customer's challenge
With its 30-year-old equipment, YPFB's filling plant in El Alto was not sufficient to meet the
region's demand for LPG.

Our solution
A complete revamping of the filling plant took place in 2014, including the world's first
Flexspeed for side-entry valves. 

The outcome
The filling plant became the heart of the region's LPG supply and filled around 1/3 of all
cylinders in the country. Diligent service and maintenance has kept the filling plant
healthy and efficient in the years after installation.

www.makeenenergy.com/home/cases/kc-ypfb-bolivia/ 1/4
1/30/2020 CASE: YPFB, Bolivia

High in the mountains of Bolivia, YPFB's Senkata filling plant is a vital part of the
region's LPG supply. In 2014, Kosan Crisplant turned this plant into a world first, and to
this day it continues to impress - despite a few hurdles.

4,200 metres above sea level - that is the height at which you will find the biggest LPG
filling plant in western Bolivia. It is located in the fittingly named city of El Alto ("The
Heights" in Spanish), and aside from its standard 36-post filling carrousel, it features a
Flexspeed for cylinders with side-entry valves - the first in the world when it was
inaugurated in March 2014.

"Designing a Flexspeed for side-entry valves is a little more challenging compared to

centre valves, because the cylinders have to be rotated to a very exact position when
they enter the carrousel. That's handled by machinery. But aside from that, you need one
or two operators to connect the filling heads, and they have to be able to keep up. But
we have been able to make it work very well."
Renato Neves, Project Manager, MAKEEN Energy

Years later, this plant has experienced a few ups and downs, but through close
partnership and cooperation between Kosan Crisplant and YPFB, all challenges have
been overcome. Today, this location is an absolutely crucial part of the LPG supply in the
area around El Alto and La Paz - and a testament to the value of careful service and
never leaving anyone behind.

Constant attention prevents accidents

Even though we handed over the plant several years ago, we have never truly left it.
Kosan Crisplant technicians regularly visit the site, even if no issues have been reported,
just to check in and see how things are going. Not only is this a great way to maintain
business relations; it also sometimes results in the discovery of a problem that can then
be remedied before it gets out of hand.

www.makeenenergy.com/home/cases/kc-ypfb-bolivia/ 2/4
1/30/2020 CASE: YPFB, Bolivia

For example, during a visit, one of our technicians discovered that filling heads on the
Flexspeed carrousel were leaking gas. Although it was known by the staff, it had not been
reported, and it posed a considerable health and safety risk. The technician quickly sent
word to our filling head department in Denmark, who immediately began to identify the
issue. The carrousel received new filling heads, the leakage was stopped, and we
honoured our commitment to always be there for our customer.

Spare parts save time

Another bump on the road for this plant came when YPFB reported that their carrousels
had unexpectedly ceased to function. Upon hearing the description of the problem over
the phone, KC's contact person immediately realised its source: the clutch had been
over-tightened.

Luckily, we had three technicians in the country at the time and were able to respond
quickly. One of them took a look at the clutch and was able to repair it on the spot. He
also made it clear to YPFB that it would be a good idea to purchase a spare, since it
would take a significantly longer time to get a new one from Denmark in case it had to
be replaced. YPFB immediately ordered a spare clutch as a result.

Don't leave anybody behind

Our history with YPFB goes all the way back to 1985, and we continue to have a strong
relationship. It is not just a fruitful series of transactions - our people know each other
and are eager to share details and provide assistance. We do our utmost to repay our
customers' trust by always making sure that the solutions and equipment we have
provided are still performing as they should. It is normal for equipment to experience
some technical issues from time to time, but it is proper maintenance and good
communication with the customer that keeps a filling plant like Senkata running
smoothly for years and years.

"We are thankful for our good relationship with Kosan Crisplant and MAKEEN Energy.
Whenever we have a technical issue, they respond quickly and with genuine concern.
And even if we haven't experienced an issue, they still come by to shake hands and
www.makeenenergy.com/home/cases/kc-ypfb-bolivia/ 3/4
1/30/2020 CASE: YPFB, Bolivia

check up on the equipment. It makes our job easier to know we can count on them."
Ing. Jorge Clavijo, District Manager, Operation and Maintenance, YPFB  

www.makeenenergy.com/home/cases/kc-ypfb-bolivia/ 4/4