BAC Corrosion Control A/S is located in Denmark. With business operations worldwide and over 60 years of experience, BAC Corrosion Control is a market leader in cathodic protection, corrosion control and pin bracing. “Cathodic protection is a method used to control the corrosion on a metal surface by making it work as the cathode of an electrochemical cell,” Per Lynge Olsen, CEO of BAC Corrosion Control A/S, describes the technology. “This is achieved by placing the metal which is to be protected in contact with another, less noble metal to act as the anode of the electrochemical cell. This less noble metal will then be sacrificed in favour of the structure being protected.”
Cathodic protection systems are used to protect steel pipelines, storage tanks, steel sheet piles for piers, ships, offshore oil platforms, offshore windmill parks, onshore oil well casings and pumps. BAC Corrosion Control A/S produces and supplies a wide range of high-quality sacrificial anodes for cathodic protection: zinc, aluminium and magnesium alloy anodes as well as low-voltage anodes made of an aluminium/galium alloy for the protection of, for example, stainless steel with high chromium content, also known as ‘super duplex’ steel. Another product is its patented cadmium-free zinc anode, which is used for pumps, for example.
The history of BAC Corrosion Control A/S dates back to the year 1902 when the Danish company Poul Bergsoe & Son A/S was founded. In 1956 Bergsøe Anti Corrosion was formed in Denmark with sister companies in Great Britain and Sweden, specializing in the production of zinc and aluminium anodes for the marine industry. In 1992 BAC Corrosion Control became part of Midroc Europe. In 2002, the Danish BAC Corrosion Control A/S was bought by Christian Thomsen and became an independent entity. In 2004 a French affiliate was established in Paris, and in 2006 the UK foundry Impalloy Ltd. was acquired.
Today, BAC Corrosion Control A/S is one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of sacrificial anodes, providing a full range of products and services in the sector of cathodic protection, from pre-installation designs, survey activities and installation testing to commissioning surveys, maintenance services and inspection programmes. The company is represented in several countries worldwide and serves a broad variety of industrial sectors, including the oil and gas industry, power stations, the marine and offshore sectors as well as diverse industrial customers. The extensive product portfolio comprises hull anodes, tank anodes, shaft anodes, iron anodes, ICCP systems, shaft grounding systems, anti-fouling solutions for water- cooling systems, harbour anodes and monitoring equipment, offshore platform anodes and bracelet anodes, pin bracing equipment and many more advanced cathodic corrosion protection solutions.
BAC Corrosion Control A/S and its subsidiaries employ a total of 90 to 100 people and generate annual revenues of 30 to 35 million EUR. The company is equipped with a modern plant with ample capacity to meet all customer orders at the shortest notice. “We have two of each machine,” says Mr. Olsen. “So if there is a problem with one machine, we can still deliver on time.” BAC Corrosion Control A/S ensures that all sacrificial anodes are made to measure according to the customers’ exact specifications and satisfy the highest quality standards. The company uses sophisticated analysis technology like vacuum emission and atomic absorption spectrometry for quality assurance and has an experienced team of engineers and technicians to provide an expert answer to any corrosion problem. The product portfolio includes anodes from a mere 15 g to 500 kg for larger applications such as offshore platforms, windmill farms or pipeline structures.
“We are also able to deliver our patented cadmium- free zinc anode, a ‘green’ anode which is more environment-friendly than conventional zinc anodes,” explains Mr. Olsen. All products designed and manufactured by BAC Corrosion Control A/S have the same goal: to protect metal objects against corrosion and thus ensure their trouble-free lifetime operation – be it a ship or a construction. “We make nearly everything ourselves,” states Mr. Olsen. “We buy the raw material from all over the world at the London Metal Exchange. After it arrives at our foundry, we mix the raw materials in the way specified by the customer application to achieve a perfect result.”
From Denmark, BAC Corrosion Control A/S ships 80% of its high-quality corrosion protection systems abroad. The company’s main export market is Europe. “We have a strong reputation in the whole of Europe for high-quality products and reliable, on-time deliveries,” says Mr. Olsen. BAC Corrosion Control A/S is also represented in the European Union committee for the standardization of cathodic protection. In Denmark and other European countries, the industry is benefiting from a largescale retrofit initiative as many companies need to replace the anodes of all constructions built in the 1960s and 1970s.
“This will give us a significant push in the European cathodic protection market and help us further grow our leading position in advanced corrosion protection,” concludes Mr. Olsen. Another important development in the cathodic protection industry is the CE marking process, which has been mandatory since 1 July 2014 and requires that all welded parts be produced according to this standard and be fully traceable. “We now have that certification and are thus able to supply all major producers,” explains Mr. Olsen.
