Do you know where your gas cylinders are?
All of us, as either distributors or consumers, know how problematic and confusing dealing with rental statements for gas cylinders can be. How many times have we asked one or all of the following questions?
- How many cylinders do I have?
- How long have the cylinders been there?
- Where are all the cylinders from my PO# XYZ?
- Where is each cylinder located now?
There are many software programs available to gas users that can help answer these questions. These programs are able to track cylinders and assets in a way that can provide considerable savings and transparency to where your cylinders reside, time they’ve resided in different departments or locations, as well as the turns on each cylinder. Although you may keep an inventory of cylinders that come in and out of your locations, cylinders can easily be overlooked when you have multiple in use and at different locations. Understanding the safe and proper techniques of cylinder storage and handling will better enhance the accuracy of cylinder transportation and inventory.
If you're already a WestAir customer, you can find answers to many of these questions in your eCommerce account. Not an eCommerce user yet? Make sure to contact your account manager or sign up here today.
Cylinder Management
Accurate Cylinder Management (ACM) utilizes cylinder barcode scanning technology to track cylinders in real time. This type of management results in a “smarter inventory”, reduced errors, and allows you to produce precise reports of your cylinder balances. The programs allow you to easily identify slow moving cylinders as well as surplus stock, again saving you money on your monthly cylinder rent. Managing the transition of cylinders effectively will take the guess work out of your cylinder management.
Contractors find this tool invaluable with the multiple locations the cylinders can reside and the efficiencies the tracking system provides. Often, subcontractors are used in the process of cylinder exchanges and cylinders can easily be taken, but once scanned the cylinders will be traced back to the original consumer. The ability to monitor the movement of your cylinders will develop accuracies that save you time and money by providing you with a smart inventory of your cylinders.
Track Online
WestAir customers have utilized ACM through the eCommerce customer portal and found cylinder discrepancies within their own facility and were able to track the time spent at that location. Customers have access to vital information online including delivery confirmation, current cylinder balances, as well as cylinder balances allocated by department. Tracking, ordering and paying online enables your company to save time.
Next Steps
We asked in the beginning, “Do you know where your cylinders are?”, if you don’t, you may want to look into Dynamic Cylinder Tracking programs such as ACM offered by companies, like WestAir, to get your inventory in order and start saving on your cylinder rental budget soon. Access our Customer Registration Portal and start tracking today!