	November 2010
You might look at gas cylinders as an evil necessity – they’re heavy, hard to move, can be expensive, and if you run out just when you need the gas - it’s a big problem. On the other hand, gases are a necessity to run your facility. We think customers should look at gas cylinders from five different angles: quantity on-hand, rental cost, volume usage, storage, and acquisition cost. For each of these there is a cost, but also an opportunity for us to find a way to save you money. Here are some typical problems and their solutions: Problem #1 – Too many cylinders! Cylinders have a tendency to get out of control – they pile up in corners, get buried behind other things, and are taken off-site. Sometimes special gases are ordered for a one-time project and then forgotten about. Solution: Using our unique Advanced Cylinder Management tracking system, we can determine how many you have on hand of each size and type, the date each cylinder was delivered, how long its been there, who ordered it and who signed for the delivery. With this information, we can help you track your turnover rate, and make an educated decision about your true inventory needs. This will reduce your overall costs, free up cash, and make valuable space available for more productive uses. Problem #2 – Our gas costs are too high! The cost to buy some gases can be cut by 1/3 of their current cost by changing from high pressure cylinders to liquid gas supply. Over the years, we have saved customers tens of thousands of dollars by analyzing their cylinder gas usage and converting them to more economical supply methods that reduce waste and unnecessary cost. Solution: Call us and ask for a gas consumption and economic payback analysis. If you are not already a customer of ours, we’ll need to know the type of gas you use the most, the cylinder size, the cylinder volume, how many you buy in a month, and an approximation of the cost per cylinder. From here we’ll suggest the most economical mode of supply based on your total cost of acquisition and prove it to you with a financial spreadsheet showing how much we estimate you’ll save every month. Problem #3 – We’ve run out of gas and yet we keep getting gas and rental invoices! Larger facilities that use a lot of gas tend to have cylinders spread out over a large production area, so the responsibility for monitoring and re-ordering inventory can get out of control. Frequent small rental invoices can be difficult to understand and cost a lot of money to track and pay. Solution: If your facility uses at least 12 high pressure cylinders per month, you may be a candidate for the perfect solution to this common complaint – microbulk gas supply with satellite telemetry. Imagine a system where the gases are stored outside your building in a single tank, which is connected via the internet to our dispatch control, and where you never have to check cylinders or re-order gases again – its all done automatically. You’ll get fewer invoices to pay, and you’ll use less gas overall. This technology is available now, exclusively from Welders Supplies. Call us to find out more. Don't miss out on the new Powermax 65 and 85! Check out our Hypertherm Plasma Blitz on all handheld and mechanized plasma systems for cutting and gouging metal.	A 'Welding Tip of the Day" is brought to you from our Technical Representatives ... ‘Stickout’ means the distance from the mig welding tip (contact tip) to the arc. Not the distance from the gas nozzle to the arc! Too long a stickout will soften the arc and make the weld pile up. When welding, the tip should be recessed 1/8” from the gas nozzle and keep the stickout no more than 3/8” to ½” to the work piece. See all Welding Tips Advanced Cylinder Management is our new and improved system of controlling cylinder inventory. Digital bar coding allows us to track the movement of every cylinder. We’ll be able to tell you when your cylinders were delivered, how long you’ve had them, who received them, and when it was returned. Better inventory means less hassle for you. Click here for more information on this unique service – only at Welders Supplies! Our Service Division provides a number of services for your equipment including, calibration and regularly scheduled servicing to keep your equipment up-to-date with ISO and production standards, and to prevent untimely breakdowns. We are the only authorized service provider in Manitoba for Lincoln Electric, and the exclusive Manitoba sales and warranty provider for Lincoln Electric, Hypertherm, ESAB, and Miller.