From Cylinders to Bulk: Building a Better Gas Supply System For Ritner Steel

In a busy shop, running out of gas isn’t just a minor inconvenience. Industry estimates suggest that swapping an empty cylinder can take approximately 25 minutes each time, during which production may be interrupted.

At Ritner Steel in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, shielding and cutting gases are essential to daily structural steel production. As production demands increased, individual high-pressure gas cylinders consumed more time, labor, and valuable floor space.

Ritner needed a gas supply that could keep pace without adding to employees’ workload. So the Earlbeck team designed and installed a bulk gas system to reduce cylinder management and keep production moving.

Ritner Steel utilized individual high-pressure cylinders to supply gases for welding and cutting operations. With multiple cylinder changeouts each day, interruptions could quickly add up to hours of lost production time and employee labor spent managing gas instead of keeping fabrication moving.

Ritner needed a gas supply capable of keeping pace with production without creating more work for employees.

What we wanted to deliver was a gas delivery system designed around how their shop actually operates. Freeing up valuable floorspace, removing unnecessary risk to employees and turning daily work tasks into invisible infrastructure that quietly does its job in the background without need for employee intervention.

Earlbeck designed and installed a comprehensive bulk gas supply system with bulk liquid argon and CO₂ for their welding needs, and bulk liquid nitrogen and oxygen for their cutting needs. 

But installing larger tanks was only part of the solution. These bulk gases are connected to centralized distribution piping that runs directly to the production areas, maintaining a continuous and dependable gas supply for welding and cutting operations. 

This centralized system uses internet-based monitoring technology to track their gas supply. When replenishment is needed, an order can be placed automatically. Employees no longer need to continually check gas levels, remember when it’s time to reorder, or wait for a last min emergency cylinder delivery.

All of those changes add up to a cleaner workflow and a safer production environment where employees can spend more time focused on fabrication!

The RESULTS & BENEFITS

• Fewer Production Interruptions
  Routine cylinder changeouts no longer interrupt welding and cutting operations, allowing employees to stay focused on productive fabrication work. Wireless telemetry monitoring triggers reorder before supply runs low, helping prevent unexpected gas shortages that could disrupt work.
• Less Time Spent Managing Gas
  Monitoring inventory, placing orders, and managing routine gas replenishment are removed from the team’s daily to-do list, reducing the time employees spend on gas supply management.
• Safer Employees
  With fewer individual cylinders to move, replace, and store, employees face less exposure to the hazards associated with handling high-pressure cylinders such as dropped or falling tanks.
• More Usable Floor Space
  ​In busy fabrication shops where every square foot matters, space previously dedicated to cylinder storage and staging can be returned to productive use.

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READY TO DITCH THE CYLINDERS?

If cylinder changeouts, gas inventory and ordering, and storage are becoming part of your production headaches, it may be time to rethink how gas moves through your facility.

Your operations shouldn't have to struggle because the current gas supply no longer matches production needs. Talk to the Earlbeck team about your current gas setup and find out where your operation could save time, space, and unnecessary handling.

With our complimentary Gas Application Analysis, we can evaluate your gas usage and production requirements to determine whether a bulk or centralized gas delivery system makes sense for your facility, FOR FREE!

REQUEST YOUR FREE GAS APPLICATION ANALYSIS!