What are the most important considerations when selling specialty gas equipment products?

Harris Products Group

Specify the Real Thing. Low Cost Substitutions Can—And Do—Result in Problems Down the Road.

A seasoned veteran in the specialty gases industry once said, “A specialty gas can be defined as any gas that has a value-added element.” I have always thought that definition true, because the compressed gas industry caters to extremely diverse and wide-ranging applications on a global scale.

To limit specialty gas applications to only those that require high purity gases performs a gross disservice to our industry. With that said, here are some important issues that the Harris Products Group considers when discussing specialty gas applications with end-users.

What is the customer going to do with the gas and why?

This could be overstating the obvious, but if there is no clear understanding of the application, how is it possible to make recommendations for equipment options? If the application is not clearly defined up front by the customer, it should be one of the first questions asked by any sales or technical service personnel. Understanding the application will also produce a clearer picture of what ancillary equipment may need to be addressed.

What equipment will satisfy the customer’s expectations?

This sounds easy on the outside, but minor details that may be overlooked can create a major miscommunication between manufacturer, distributor, and end-user. Additionally, the customer’s expectations and the supplier’s assumptions will often differ.

What grade of equipment should be used?

Obviously, UHP equipment should be used with UHP gas, but what if the application is food service? Laser fabrication? Medical? Having a clear understanding of what grade of equipment is appropriate or required is very important. This evaluation should also include a review of any gas pressure and flow control equipment recommendations for downstream equipment.

Purging. Specialty gas systems should be designed to ensure that gas purity is maintained throughout cylinder change-out. The most reliable method of accomplishing this is through the use of purge devices. Purging to maintain system purity should be conducted with the source gas and the appropriate purge devices as part of the regulation and supply equipment. Inert gas purging can also be performed to maintain system integrity and increase the life of equipment. The user should contact the gas supplier or equipment manufacturer for recommendations on the purge devices needed.

What degree of maintenance/service will be required after the sale?

When specified, installed, used, and maintained per the manufacturer’s instructions, specialty gas equipment has a relatively high degree of reliability and should last well beyond the product’s warranty period. Equipment suppliers should choose products that minimize the amount of maintenance/service required after the sale. Distributors can discuss this with the manufacturer to determine what set-up and accessory items will fulfill this goal.

Avoid selling equipment for specialty gases based on price.

It might be a tempting alternative to substitute a lower cost industrial grade regulator in a laser fabrication system. This decision will come back to haunt you when the resonator optics are damaged and your customer decides to charge you for the repair because you did not supply the proper regulator.

Many other examples of poor judgements of this type can be cited, any one of which can also result in damaged or contaminated downstream equipment. Always keep in mind that specialty gas pressure and flow control equipment has unique features that are designed specifically to handle high purity and specialty gases. Low cost substitutions often result in problems down the road as you watch a competitor stepping over your former customer’s doorstep.

David W. Gailey is Manager, Special Products Group, The Harris Products Group, Gainesville, Ga. He can be reached by email at: david_gailey@lincolnelectric.com

 

Rexarc

Whether It’s Your first Call Or An Existing Relationship With an End User, Do Your Homework

Solution-based sales strategies for selling any product are worthless without an in-depth knowledge of the application to which they will be applied. While strategies are important, knowing the players involved also plays a vital role in making the sale.

Many times, knowing and understanding the players involved is all that it takes to increase sales from your existing end-user, and getting in the door of a new sales prospect.

Just as a welding supply salesperson needs to understand the basics of the welding process, a specialty gas salesperson must understand the basics of his market. In short, do your homework before you walk through the end-user’s door.

Whether you are making a first call or you have an existing relationship with the end-user, do your homework. You do not need to be an engineer, chemist, or analytical technician to sell specialty gas products. But you certainly do need to know a little about the applications in which specialty gases are employed.

Most specialty gas suppliers publish a good deal of information in their respective catalogs—an excellent source for gases and gas distribution applications. The internet is another excellent source of information. (Rexarc International is releasing a web-based training program this fall, covering the fundamentals of specialty gases and our specialty gas distribution equipment.)

The most effective way to improve your sales is to practice your skills. Every sales call you make is a learning experience and should be viewed as an opportunity to review an application. Most customers are eager to talk about their applications and to help you learn what it is they do, as well as what they need and what they expect of your product. The more you understand their processes, the better prepared you will be to provide them with the best solution possible.

Just like you, they choose to be in the specialty gases industry and enjoy sharing their knowledge.

The Most Important Issue

So, what is the most important issue to consider when selling to an end-user? My answer is: know the applications involved and how your equipment can provide technically and financially sound solutions.

Be a student of your industry. Share with your customers what you have learned about the products you carry.

There are as many opinions on the question of what is most important in selling—about as many as there are pieces of equipment and systems in the marketplace. However, I believe the essence of any selling opportunity is in understanding the application and how your equipment can provide a technically and economically sound solution to the customer’s needs.

Case in Point

I was recently making sales calls with a distributor representative. The calls were being made on both existing and prospective industrial end-users. Some were cold calls.

One of our scheduled stops was at an existing end-user’s plant where we were prepared to discuss the application of an industrial manifold for a planned weld station. We decided before the visit to promote our new Light Industrial (LI Series) Automatic Changeover Manifold, which we felt fit his application very nicely. This new manifold is compact, yet combines fully automatic switch-over capability with final line regulation in an economical, wall-mount ready package.

The presentation went well and the end-user was receptive to the features and performance of our new manifold. Being aware of the high purity needs of the weld station, we also discussed our high purity M51 Series automatic changeover manifold. This manifold provides similar features to our Light Industrial manifold in a fully assembled and helium leak-tested package designed for 5.0 level purity gas service. We left the product literature for both manifold systems with the end-user.

Good News, Good Call ... And It Got Better

On our way out, we noticed several boxes in one of the small rooms adjacent to the main office. Obviously a recent purchase, the boxes were clearly marked with a major instrument manufacturer’s logo. We asked about the new instrument, and were told that it was a new ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer).

Knowing that ICP technology involved both high purity gas and high purity equipment, we again brought out the specialty gas literature we had shared earlier, during our discussion of the M51 automatic manifold. (The Rexarc Specialty Gas Control Systems catalog includes all the items needed for this application.)

We discussed the gas involved—“ICP” grade argon—and agreed that a Rexarc L5, 0-90 psig delivery regulator, which includes a CGA580 inlet connection, would be ideal for his application. Ultimately, the end-user made the complete part identification using our features and options numbering format with no coaching from us.

The story came to a highly satisfactory conclusion for our distributor. They received an order for the specialty gases, as well as for an M51 automatic manifold for the weld station and an L5 regulator for the ICP-MS.

It was quite clear that the end-user’s confidence in his distributor and his comfort level during our joint call discussion played a key role in securing the sale.

Bob Dobbs is Western Regional Sales Mgr. for Rexarc. He has been active for more than 34 years in the industrial and specialty gas business, in which he has developed his expertise in sales and sales management for bulk, industrial, and specialty gases. He has also continuously up-graded his expertise by participating regularly in gas application schools and other training programs. He can be reached at BDobbs@rexarc.com.

Genstar

You Can Sell Your Customer The Most Expensive Solution Only So Many Times

Whether you are selling specialty gas products or yard tools at the local hardware store, the most important move to closing a sale is to establish what your customer really needs—right from the start. If you know your product and the industry you serve, you can help your customer arrive at an informed and correct decision; i.e., the best product or service that will satisfy his needs.

Customers quite often mistake wants for needs, which often results in the selection of a product that really does not suit the purpose intended, and may even be detrimental.

Whatever his wants, it is your job to guide your customer to the right choice by making it evident that you have a good idea of what is required to achieve an optimum end result. This means that you have considered not only the physical solution, but also the cost effectiveness— that the cost of the product you have recommended is reasonable as compared to other acceptable solutions.

For example, a stainless steel regulator may easily accomplish the desired end result in your customer’s application, but that application may just as well be satisfied with a nickel-plated brass body regulator.

Specialty gas equipment, such as a regulator with a nickel-plated brass body, can be found in the catalog of any specialty gas distributor. Brass bodied regulators are less expensive and work well in many applications. This is particularly true when used in systems that handle inert gases, flammable gases, or mildly reactive gases, such as carbon dioxide.

Compatibility Easily Found

The compatibility of materials that come in contact with the gas can be determined easily by using the material selection guide published by the gas or equipment manufacturer whose product is being sold. A compatibility chart provides information on all wetted surfaces (all components that may come in contact with the gas or media reviewed), such as bodies, diaphragms, seats, gauges, and relief valves. This is especially true for all non-metal surfaces, such as the seat, and possibly the diaphragm. The compatibility chart should include information on all manifolds, pigtails, piping, and tubing that may become wetted surfaces.

Few suppliers can offer everything—manifold systems, pigtails, regulators (brass and stainless), valves (check, needle, ball, and diaphragm), and fittings (tube and weld), with a choice of internal surface finishes. This makes it extremely important to review and match compatibility of all system components. Choosing suppliers with the most complete offerings makes this task easier.

Applications that involve the use of toxic, corrosive, and poisonous gases require additional care when choosing and recommending equipment. Not only should you consider the compatibility of wetted surfaces, but also the safety of the surrounding environment, which can be enhanced by recommending a system that is most capable of preventing any unplanned releases of the gas. Also, dangerous gas installations may require the addition of special venting and/or the use of special equipment, such as scrubbers.

Victor Palzes is Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Genstar Technologies Co, Inc. He can be reached at 909.606.2726 or at victor@genstartech.com.

 

Ceodeux

New Technologies and Material Compatibility Play Huge Role in Product Development

When a new product is being developed by a manufacturer in the specialty gases business, one of the foremost considerations is safety—that whatever goes out the door must be as safe as possible in its assigned application. Safety is a major concern today more than ever. Also, a new product being developed must meet the criteria for performance in its assigned application. How new technologies are adopted and the care with which materials are selected play a major role in achieving these goals.

That sums up the focus of Ceodeux engineers, and constitutes their driving passion when developing a gas specific product.

It is very important to understand the balance between performance and safety. In many industries, these two terms often appear to be almost mutually exclusive. The greater good, however, for both producer and end-user, is to maintain an awareness of the evolving needs of the specialty and semiconductor gas industry.

Maintaining an Awareness Of Customer Needs

In an altruistic, ethical world, a conscientious employer makes certain that all workers are guaranteed a safe work environment.

At a more utilitarian level, safety is imperative because accidents cost money, result in downtime (which also bears a cost), and reflect on the image of a company. Consequently, offering a safer product is a vital (and practical) goal.

Also, the producers of specialty and semiconductor gas products need to stay attuned to the continuous demands for improved product performance. The standards of a few days past are already distant memories.

Impurities of parts per billion that were hailed as the norm have now been displaced by specifications that cry for purities in parts per trillion. Impurities as minute as a molecule can result in down time as products end up on the scrap heap. These quantifiable losses can easily annihilate a company’s ability to sustain operations.

Engineers at Ceodeux-Puretec (valves and systems for high purity gases) draw on their many years of experience to create products that lead many industries in quality, performance, and safety, including cylinder valves, line valves, and regulators. Ongoing improvements in new product make it possible to upgrade the performance of systems that handle sensitive and dangerous gases, such as fluorine, silane, and nitrogen trifluoride.

New materials of construction that maintain their ultra-clean status and lower the incidence of particle generation have also contributed to lowering the risk of hazardous incidents, such as fires.

Fluorinated gas service, for example, demands two essential features—a high auto-ignition temperature and low oxidation potential. Materials such as nickel and Monel can burst into flames at significantly lower temperatures than Hastelloy and 316L stainless steel. These materials are incorporated into many products—diaphragms, bellows, seals, spindles, and even entire valve or regulator bodies.

Gas Velocity Creates New Demands and New Design

High velocity gases create two conditions that influence the design of valves and regulators.

(Condition 1) When a gas flows through a valve or regulator, it generates heat from friction as it passes through. High velocity is also a factor in adiabatic compression of the gas, which if severe enough, can promote combustion.

To compensate for this condition, Ceodeux incorporated technology in valves and equipment that increases flow rate, thus reducing pressure and adiabatic compression. They also incorporate a special sealing technology that reduces the exposure of polymers to the gas during flow. The result is a safer gas delivery system—from cylinder to point of use—that results in more efficient use of product and process.

(Condition 2) Gases such as silane and diborane present their own set of special concerns. These gases are apt to generate layers and particles on the internal surfaces of valves and other equipment.

Through a carefully selected combination of design features and materials, Ceodeux has been able to produce a valve that is ideal for the handling of these gases.

It is critical for these valves and regulators to be able to increase the sealing force so they can compensate for any particles generated or layers built up. The risk involved with silane is fire, since silane is pyrophoric. Fewer particles results in a gas stream that maintains its high level of purity and reduces the risk of fire.

What Ceodeux has also achieved is the ability to take the improvements that have been made in valves, regulators, and other products, and to incorporate them into lines of products for specific gases or types of gases. By using these cylinder valves, line valves, regulators, and fittings in tandem, the improvements in each product reinforce each other, resulting in a safer, more efficient, higher performing system.

It is important for Ceodeux to continue its commitment to achieving higher standards and building on it philosophies, driven by safety and performance. These primary goals continue to set the standards for new research and development.

The authors are all on the staff of Ceodeux, Inc., Rotarex Group: Robert Newton is Product Manager, Specialty & Electronic Cylinder Valves; Paul Kremer is Director of Engineering; and William Hald is Technical Sales/Key Account Manager, Marketing Coordinator. They can be reached at www.rotarex.com

 

Advanced Specialty Gas Equipment

Equipment that is Properly Selected Ensures Gas Purity At the Point of Use

As the specialty gas industry grows, so does the confusion about what equipment to use for different applications. There are many factors to consider, but the most important one is selecting the right equipment based on the purity of the gas being used.

Most specialty gas is used in some type of analytical application, and many times the analytical device represents a large capital investment. If an instrument or control element fails because the gas purity does not meet specifications, it does not generate value to the end-user. The end-user pays the price for the resulting downtime incurred, as well as for the costly delays in delivering, testing, or analysis. All of this leads to an unhappy customer and forces the distributor to make up the customer’s loss with extra service to correct the problem and regain the customer’s good will.

The right equipment should be selected to protect the purity of the service gas. As an example, regulators with stainless steel diaphragms are recommended for high purity applications because they tend to be more “diffusion-resistant” than those with elastomeric diaphragms. For low particulate applications, consideration should be given to selecting regulators with machine welded VCR connections. Optional helium leak tests also help to ensure the integrity of regulator purchases. Materials used to construct regulators must be compatible with the gas—especially those materials (wetted parts) in contact with the gas. There are a wide variety of regulators with various materials of construction to help ensure that the correct regulator is used for each application.

Many suppliers can help you select the right equipment based on your end-user’s specific application. It is important to obtain all of the application information before you choose the product to fit the needs of the application. ASGE has developed an application worksheet to assist our distributors in this process (see attached). Sometimes, the end-user may not be able to provide you all of the information required, so it may be necessary to speak with several people within the end-user’s organization. Obtaining the right information up-front will help you specify the right product, avoid problems down the road, and secure additional sales.

The importance of selecting the right equipment is critical to ensuring that the purity of the specialty gas delivered is not altered (or compromised). The initial price often influences the selection of equipment, yet this can lead to problems with gas purity and the accuracy of the analysis being performed. Selecting the right equipment ensures a long and accurate life, and provides end-users with the gas purity they need.

Glenn Haun is the VP/GM of Advanced Specialty Gas Equipment. He has managed several companies in the natural gas and specialty gas industry for the past 15 years. He can be contacted at 888-999-2743 or via asgecs@asgemail.com or on the web at www.asge-online.com.

Specialty Gas Report THIRD QUARTER 2007 //