Month: September 2019

Welcome to the world of an entrepreneur. The concept that failure can be okay can be so difficult to absorb. Do we really need to experience failure to learn and succeed? Maybe not, but tried and true success does come with bumps and bruises and lessons learned from the experience of failure. What is the “entrepreneurial mindset?” According to a common misconception, an entrepreneur is a bold, risk-taking, rules-breaking individual with the reputation of a riverboat gambler. Why would you want that in your company culture? But, in reality, an entrepreneur is confident and decisive, understands risk clearly and knows…

In the previous issue of Welding & Gases Today, I looked at the remarkable ability of text messaging (SMS) to drive immediate sales. No other direct marketing tool comes close. Because of its phenomenal message open and response rates, text has unparalleled access to your customer’s attention. And yet, in the business-to-business landscape for distributors, SMS is a technology that is just beginning to make it into the distributor’s marketing toolkit. In this article, I’d like to highlight an additional seven use cases for text messaging that bring additional value to your relationship with your customers. Understanding this wide array…

I hate shopping! Fortunately, my wife, Sandy, enjoys it and is willing to put in the time to make the right purchase at the right price. Whenever I need shirts or pants, she will bring home several selections so I can choose what looks best on me. This personal shopping system works well for casual attire, but I find that buying a suit requires a more concerted effort on my part. Early in my career, I was promoted from sales engineer to sales manager. At that time, the company’s vice president advised me to buy a suit, noting that people…

“Cylinders that are 100 years old will be good for another 100 years if they are properly taken care of and maintained,” says Hydrostat Inc. Owner and CEO Stacy Schraut. “The beauty of the packaged gas industry is that we have assets that are 100 years old that can continue to generate revenue. How many other industries can say that?” Compressed Gas Cylinders are over-engineered, due to the critical nature of their purpose, according to Airgenics, Inc. COO Jonathan Balbi. When properly maintained, these cylinders should last for hundreds of years. The key to this is proper maintenance coupled with…

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has two new rules set to go into effect in early 2020.  One establishes an online clearinghouse for information on drug and alcohol testing information for commercial motor vehicle drivers, and the other imposes requirements for classroom and behind the wheel training for drivers before they may obtain a new Commercial Driver License or upgrade a CDL from Class B to Class A. The FMCSA has uploaded to its website (fmcsa.dot.gov) an expanded list of Frequently Asked Questions and other information on the agency’s drug and alcohol testing clearinghouse rule. The new rule…

Over the years, I have written several articles and Traffic Bulletins about training and with good reason. It consistently ranks as the number one inquiry from members and continues to be one of the most cited issues by DOT inspectors who visit our members. I want to touch on the high points of the main training topics required by the DOT: function specific, hazmat, driver, and drug and alcohol training. Hazmat Training (172.704) A hazmat employer must train, test and certify every hazmat employee who has any function that directly impacts hazardous materials transportation safety. Function-Specific Training Requirements (172.704) Each…

In recent years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has increasingly observed violations involving data integrity during audits. Data integrity issues have been observed in traditional pharmaceutical firms as well as in medical gas firms. Solid, accurate and reliable data is an important component to ensure compliance with FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations. The integrity of drug (and food/beverage/device) manufacturing data is also critical for your own business success. What is “data integrity”? Data integrity refers to the completeness, consistency and accuracy of data. The data integrity term ALCOA stands for Attributable, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original and Accurate. What…

Al Earlbeck had a passion for the technical side of welding and it began when he was just a teen working for the T.A. Canty Company, in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Canty established a welding equipment and repair shop in 1919. By the time he was ready to retire, Al was a seasoned employee. He and a partner bought the company in 1949 and, after purchasing his partner’s shares in 1954, it became Earlbeck Welding Supplies. Today, Jim Earlbeck, Al’s son, serves as president of Earlbeck Gases &Technologies. In the 100 years since T.A. Canty was started, the company, since rebranded,…

Keen Compressed Gas of Wilmington, Delaware, is proudly celebrating 100 years of service to its customers. Stanley Keen established the business in 1919 with the goal to be a company whose associates work hard to achieve total customer satisfaction in the delivery of its products and services. “Delivering on that promise,” says Bryan Keen, the company’s third-generation president, “is how we have achieved a century of success.” In the Beginning One hundred years ago, the welding and gases business as we know it today barely existed and the industries from which it emerged were just getting started. Having served his…

GAWDA members celebrate milestone anniversaries and share lessons learned during their years of service to the industry by Steve Guglielmo GAWDA has marked 2019 “The Year of Service.” For this issue, Welding & Gases Today interviewed those GAWDA members who were celebrating milestone anniversaries about their history of service to the gases and welding industry. Learn about how these members have helped shape our industry and how they will apply the lessons learned from the past to continue to serve the industry in the future. 220 Years PFERD, Inc. 115 Years ESAB Welding & Cutting Read More Federated Insurance Read…