Case: City LPG, Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s demand for reliable energy keeps growing, and LPG has become an important part of meeting it. City LPG Ltd., a subsidiary of City Group, stepped into this space with a clear ambition: build a setup that could support stable supply, strong quality, and long-term growth. City LPG partnered with us to design and deliver an integrated solution that brings key parts of the value chain together, from cylinder production to filling operations.
City LPG Ltd. is a subsidiary of City Group, one of
Bangladesh’s leading industrial conglomerates. With the aim of supporting the growing domestic demand for
reliable energy, the Group wished to contribute by investing in a stable energy source: LPG.
This journey began with the City Group establishing City LPG, hereby bringing a new player onto the LPG market
in Bangladesh. Venturing into unknown territory, City LPG turned to us for expertise on designing and delivering LPG solutions all around the world.
Everything under one roof
By starting from scratch, City LPG had a unique opportunity to design every aspect of their operations in alignment with their key purpose: providing reliable energy for Bangladesh. From the beginning, they aimed to build more than just another filling LPG facility. They wanted an efficient, future-ready infrastructure that could support long-term growth and quality.
With this ambition in mind, City LPG chose to invest not only in a modern filling plant but also in their own cylinder manufacturing plant, ensuring full control over both production and distribution. To bring this vision to life together, we set out to create a plant built for reliability, safety, and efficiency from the ground up.
Keeping the ducks in a row
It was evident that with an extensive turnkey project like this one, it would require strong project management and solid teamwork. With a “this is something we have never done before” mindset, we started the process with setting a team consisting of internal competencies from all over the world. Working in a global matrix organisation, it was a natural process to look “inside the box” to set the right team – both onsite in Bangladesh and as support functions across the globe.
Besides the internal competencies, this large-scale project also called for expertise outside our organisation, where external stakeholders also played an invaluable role in making this project succeed.
The star of the show
The main character of this project is the cylinder manufacturing plant, securing City LPG’s position on the LPG market with a comprehensive supply chain – from manufacturing of cylinders to filling them with LPG. The manufacturing plant includes a production line for base and collar rings, equipped with brand new machinery and equipment – all engineered with contemporary technology.
The whole purpose of the LPG cylinder manufacturing plant is to produce cylinders with a consistent design and a finish that holds up in real-world handling. The line supports tight control of the cylinder’s dimensions, so every unit stays within the same fit and performance window from batch to batch.
We also designed the process to handle different steel thicknesses, including both DOT-style cylinders and lower-weight options, so manufacturers can balance robustness, handling, and material use without changing the overall workflow. On top of that, the plant is set up for high-grade corrosion protection, using metallisation as a protective metal layer before finishing, followed by powder painting to give the cylinder a hard-wearing outer surface that looks clean and stays that way through transport, storage, and daily use.
We had the overall responsibility for managing the project and providing the service needed for the suppliers, and when it came to suppliers, we managed to find the right ones to provide state-of-the-art machinery and a great team of professionals to partner with for this comprehensive task.
First the cylinder, then the filling
Alongside the cylinder manufacturing setup, we also established an LPG filling plant. This is a type of facility we have delivered many times, so we could draw on proven layouts and practical experience from day one, while still tailoring the solution to City LPG’s needs.
For domestic cylinders, the plant includes one high-capacity filling line built around a carousel system with 36 posts and 35 filling machines. This line is designed for 5.5 kg and 12 kg cylinders, with a target output of around 1,800 cylinders per hour, based on a minimum flow rate of 300 g/s through the cylinder valve.
For larger cylinders, the plant includes a dedicated filling line for 35 kg and 45 kg industrial cylinders. Here, six inline filling machines with rollers support steady, controlled handling through the line. Depending on operator pace, the line is set up for a filling capacity of up to 108 cylinders per hour, again based on a minimum flow rate of 300 g/s through the cylinder valve.
With both the filling plant and the cylinder manufacturing plant in place, City LPG now has a setup that can handle today’s demand, while leaving room to grow. By bringing cylinder production and filling together in one operation, they can keep a closer eye on capacity, quality checks, and logistics, and make quicker adjustments when needs shift. As with any large turnkey project, there were plenty of moving parts, from coordination across teams to working with specialist suppliers, but the direction stayed clear throughout: create a dependable LPG supply chain for Bangladesh, with the cylinder manufacturing plant sitting right at the heart of it!
MAKEEN has the full expertise from LPG storage, to filling, and cylinder manufacturing. During the technical discussions, I personally felt like they have good core people who can support us, not just selling machines. They will implement and execute the project.
