5 reasons IPP is your best choice for plant decommissioning

IPP’s plant decommissioning experts oversee every step of the shutdown process, ensuring safety, compliance and maximum asset recovery for global manufacturers.

How IPP turns complex shutdowns into opportunity

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J. — For global manufacturers looking to shut down or repurpose an industrial facility, few decisions carry more weight than how to decommission it. Do it right, and companies can recover capital, mitigate risk and move forward safely and quickly. Do it wrong, and face years of potential environmental, financial and reputational consequences.

That’s why many companies turn to International Process Plants, which has grown over the past 47 years into one of the world’s largest buyers and sellers of used process plants and equipment.

How valuable of a partner has IPP proven to be? The company has partnered with some of the world’s most respected manufacturers — including BASF, Shell, Eli Lilly, Dow, Air Products and Lonza — to purchase and decommission plants, purchase surplus assets and extend the useful life of high-quality equipment across the global supply chain.

With more than 15,000 pieces of equipment and 20 plant sites available for sale around the world, IPP doesn’t just buy assets — it takes entire sites off a company’s books, then handles the complicated work of shutting them down safely.

Here are five reasons companies say they choose IPP:

1. IPP is certified and compliant

One of the biggest risks in a decommission project is noncompliance, and IPP says it’s built a reputation on getting that part right.

The company is ISN RAVS Plus verified, a distinction that underscores IPP’s commitment to high safety and documentation standards. IPP works closely with corporate EHS teams to manage permit closure, emissions compliance and utility shutoffs, etc.

“Certification and communication are some of the most overlooked parts of decommissioning — and the most important,” said Ron Gale, IPP’s president. “Our team has the experience in place so our clients don’t have to worry about a thing.”

2. IPP buys the whole site

Unlike consultants or scrap companies, IPP doesn’t just help with teardown logistics. It often buys the entire facility. This approach means the client signs one contract, gets paid and can immediately focus on the next steps of growing their own business.

“When we take over a facility, it’s turnkey,” Gale said. “Our clients want to walk away from the site, and we give them a way to do that with confidence while still recapturing value.”

IPP’s model simplifies accounting and reduces the legal complexity of breaking up the asset value piecemeal. Companies often can also turn cash reserves that have been set aside for decommissioning into positive financial events.

3. The company moves fast

With crews and partners in more than a dozen countries, IPP can mobilize quickly. In recent years, it has completed full-scale decommissions in Ohio, Alabama and Louisiana in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany — including high-profile sites such as the former Novartis Pharmaceutical facility in Grimsby, England.

IPP’s Grimsby redevelopment project is helping transition a shuttered site into a viable future asset with minimal disruption and strong community support.

“We understand that downtime is expensive,” said Ross Gale, vice president at IPP. “When we say we’ll get it done, we mean it. Our reputation depends on it.”

4. IPP helps recover asset value

IPP operates one of the world’s largest used process equipment inventories, so it doesn’t just haul away idle assets. It resells or redeploys them.

“If something can be reused or recycled, we’re going to find a way to make that happen,” Ron Gale said. “That’s part of how we help companies turn a shutdown into a smart business move.”

IPP’s value recovery capabilities are recognized by and featured in Chemical Engineering, highlighting how companies are reducing capital expenses and accessing proven equipment without waiting on long lead times.

5. IPP prepares sites for what’s next

A proper decommission isn’t just about dismantling what’s there. It’s about preparing the site for the future. That might mean returning it to the owner in ready-to-use condition, or coordinating with a new buyer or development partner.

In Minnesota (USA), IPP helped enable the transfer of a shuttered biobased chemicals plant to Nuol Green Chemistry, a project that created new life for an idle facility. The deal was highlighted by SOCMA as an example of industrial transformation in support of green chemistry innovation.

“We don’t just walk away when the last pipe rack is gone,” Ross Gale said. “We work with communities and companies to make sure there’s a future for the land and infrastructure.”

Looking ahead

As sustainability becomes a bigger factor in capital planning, IPP believes its approach to decommissioning and site reuse will continue to resonate. For companies trying to balance bottom-line goals with social and environmental responsibilities, a seamless transition matters.

“This is a business about trust,” Ron Gale said. “When you’re shutting down a facility, there’s pressure, emotion, risk. We take that weight off your shoulders.

“When IPP is the buyer of a site that is planning to close, we can work with the owner to put forth a closure program that works well for everyone including the municipality. When we buy a plant, IPP’s only intention is to perform the decommission properly and bring back another type of manufacturer to the site, return employment and prosperity to the region.”

To learn more or discuss a facility, visit IPP’s contact page.

With decades of experience in plant decommissioning, IPP transforms idle industrial sites into new opportunities for manufacturing and community growth.