WHA International, Inc is pleased to partner with David Birch to support European clients.  David’s involvement with WHA provides easier access to our specialized failure analysis, testing, and consulting services for European clients and partners.

David has been a leading expert for several decades in industrial gas and valve technologies for two “Tier One” Industrial Gas Companies: BOC Group and Linde Group. He is currently the leading UK cylinder valve technology expert for the British Standards Institute (BSI), for ISO, and CEN standards committees. David has been awarded 6 patents for cylinder valve devices and was instrumental in facilitating recent changes made to the European ADR regulations in 2015 to permit a 15-year cylinder test and requalification period.

David recently led the design and construction of the first new acetylene plant in the UK for more than 20 years. It is designed to be as safe as technology will allow and fills cylinders with extremely high accuracy.

In 2015 David was recognized for his work on cylinder and cylinder valve standards committees by the International Oxygen Manufacturers Association (IOMA) and was presented with their award for Harmonization across the Global industrial gases business. This annual award is given to a single person and is recognized as a very great honor.

David is WHA’s consulting expert contact in Europe for:

• Prompt incident response within Europe
• Cylinder filling plant consultation
• Valve design and testing consultation

More information about David’s expertise and his contact information can be found at cylvabirch.com. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn.