Welding & Gases Today | Q2 2021

The Official Publication of the Gases and Welding Distributors Association

EYES UPin Spring Management Conference provides an opportunity for GAWDA members to reconvene safely and effectively

FEATURE

SMC Safety Best Practices

Second Quarter 2021

MEMBER PROFILE

Delille Oxygen Company

GAWDA CONSULTANTS

Regulatory Proposals and Expectations

COVID-19

CGA’s Efforts on Vaccines

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contents Second Quarter • Spring 2021 • Volume 20, No. 2

DEPARTMENTS

06

10 12

COVER STORIES

PRESIDENT’S VIEW 10 Things We Business Kids Should Be Telling Our Parents But Are Scared To

BY ABYDEE BUTLER MOORE

DIRECTOR’S DESK Staying Safe and Informed

BY JOHN OSPINA

EDITOR’S NOTE Gases and Welding Industry Provides a Shot in the Arm

BY STEVE GUGLIELMO

GAWDA CONSULTANTS

14

Regulatory Proposals and Expectations

BY TOM BADSTUBNER, MARILYN DEMPSEY, MICHAEL DODD, RICK SCHWEITZER, AND STEVE GUGLIELMO

20

DOT Filing System

22

Machine Guarding

EYES UPin

BY MICHAEL DODD

24

BY MARILYN DEMPSEY

GA Offers Medical C Oxygen Resources to Help Keep Health Care Workers Safe During COVID-19 Pandemic

74

BY RICHARD GOTTWALD

I TR SECOND-QUARTER OUTLOOK Recovery, Politics, and Inflation: What You Need to Know

SMC Preview

36

Know Before You Go

40

Tackling a Trade Show

BY BRIAN BEAULIEU

MEMBER PROFILE

44

28

eLille Oxygen Company D Professionalism, Productiveness, and Safety

BY STEVE GUGLIELMO

2 • Spring 2021

Safety Guidelines for SMC

The Distributor Experience

BY GAWDA MEDIA

42

Best in Show

Time-Tested Trade Show Tips from Exhibit Experts

BY GAWDA MEDIA

contents Second Quarter • Spring 2021 • Volume 20, No. 2

THE TEAM EXECUTIVE EDITOR

John Ospina jospina@gawda.org

FEATURES

50

GAWDA Regional Meetings to Resume in 2021

66

BY J.R. (BUZZ) CAMPBELL,

BY STEVE GUGLIELMO PUBLISHER

Bill Brod billb@gawdamedia.com

52

Compressed Gas Association Lobbies for Essential Industry Workers to be Vaccinated

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Steve Guglielmo steveg@gawdamedia.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Natasha Alexis nalexis@gawda.org

BY RICHARD GOTTWALD AND STEVE GUGLIELMO

56

Andrea Levy alevy@gawda.org CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Tim Hudson timh@gawdamedia.com RELATIONSHIP MANAGERS

Hannah Gray hannahg@gawdamedia.com

MAURA GARVEY AND KEN THOMPSON

72

58

on’t Open That!

D Keeping Your Computer Safe

BY DEANNA PELLIGRINO

60

aming Google: G 4 Tips and a Gift

86

earch Engine Trends S for the Gases and Welding Industry

hould We Carry S Safety Products?

BY PAUL BERNIER AND DAVID O’GUIN

88

he Importance of T Early-Stage Pipeline Management

BY JAY SPIELVOGEL

90

Sales Change is in the Air

94

hree Distribution T Trends to Take Advantage of in 2021

BY BRIAN BLUFF

64

o Be or Not to Be? T B2B E-Commerce

BY FRANK KASNICK

BY PAUL BANUSKI

Robin Barnes robinb@gawdamedia.com VICE PRESIDENT, SALES

Mental Health and the Workplace How to Assist Struggling Employees

021 Outlook for Industrial 2 Gases and Hardgoods

BY ART WASKEY

BY MIKE MARKS AND DAN HORAN

96

he Five Things T Customers Want

BY RANDY MACLEAN

Lesli Mitchell leslim@gawdamedia.com

NEWS ROUNDUP

Anne DeSantis anned@gawdamedia.com

98

GAWDA MEMBER GETA-MEMBER PROGRAM

MERGERS & 112

STAY CONNECTED

100

NEW MEMBERS

114

NEW OFFERINGS

102

INDUSTRY NEWS

119

ADVERTISERS INDEX

109

IN MEMORIAM

120

THE LAST WORD

ACQUISITIONS

GAWDAMEDIA.COM Welding & Gases Today (USPS 22-975) is published quarterly: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, with additional publications in Spring and Summer. • Non-member subscription rate is $195 per year. • GAWDA members (key contacts and branch locations) receive the magazine as part of their dues. • GAWDA members can order additional yearly subscriptions (4 issues) for $40. • Welding & Gases Today is published by Data Key Holdings, LLC. on behalf of the Gases and Welding Distributors Association. • Periodicals postage paid at Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and at additional mailing offices (ISSN 1558-5344). • Editorial correspondence should be sent to Editors c/o editorial@gawdamedia.com • Advertising correspondence and materials should be sent to William Brod, Data Key Holdings, LLC., 1415 W. Genesee St., Syracuse, NY 13204; telephone (315) 445-2347, fax (315) 422-1721. • Postmaster: Send address changes to Welding & Gases Today, Gases and Welding Distributors Association, One Oakwood Blvd, Suite 195, Hollywood, FL 33020 • Welding & Gases Today is the official journal of the Gases and Welding Distributors Association (GAWDA) and carries news and announcements concerning GAWDA. • It is not responsible for contents or opinions other than association activities. • Contents are copyright ©2021 Data Key Holdings, LLC. • All rights reserved. • Nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher. • Questions and comments can be sent via e-mail to Editors, c/o editorial@gawdamedia.com. • Data Key Holdings, LLC. reserves the right to print portions of all or any correspondence mailed to the editors without liability on its part and no such correspondence will be returned. • Visit Welding & Gases Today Online at www.gawdamedia.com.

4 • Spring 2021

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PRESIDENT’S VIEW

10 Things We Business Kids Should Be Telling Our Parents But Are Scared To

BY ABYDEE BUTLER MOORE

A Abydee Butler Moore is GAWDA’s 2020-2021 president, as well as President and COO of Butler Gas Products Company. She can be reached at 412771-7660 ext. 316 or abutlermoore@ butlergas.com.

n overwhelming majority of GAWDA distributors are multi-generation, family-owned businesses. Likely one of the reasons I love this industry, this dense population of family and succession makes for an M&A field day. Eat or be eaten. Grow or die.

The ship is not going down on my watch. These rallying cries of survival make business fun. Family business has purpose and divine stewardship. It also provides the joy of spending time creating something bigger than yourself with the people you love. But it’s not without its complexities.

We DOBs and SOBs (daughters of boss/sons of boss) are born into great opportunity. Literally, we simply got lucky with who our parents are. Being part of a family business is the most rewarding and most challenging dynamic possible. Families rip businesses apart, businesses rip families apart, and if you’re able to avoid either of those fates at all costs, you accept a life of blurred lines with Thanksgiving table Board meetings. “It’s not personal, it’s business” is a statement that has always made me chuckle. Whoever coined this cliché did not work with their family.

From my experience in family business, most problems, big and small, arise from not having a conversation early into an issue. Nothing explodes more violently than festering feelings with the

accelerant of financial implications. Have the tough talks and have them soon.

For my fellow DOBs and SOBs out there, and for our parents, here is my list of 10 Things We Business Kids Should Be Telling Our Parents But Are Scared To:

1. D on’t gift us the business; help us buy it.

Milestones mean more when they are earned.

You also value things more when you pay for them. Stock gifts and trusts make sense in many estate plans, but the true gift, if you want to give one, is helping us get some skin in the game.

2. T each us what has worked. And what has not worked.

Sure, we may be better at technology and marketing, but you’re better at everything else.

While possible that raw talent skips a generation, and we missed it, more likely than not, this far superior competency is due to your experience.

Building a business for decades has given you Rain Man math skills with Wolf of Wall Street financial prowess. We are in awe. Share your secrets with us every chance you get. continued on next page

6 • Spring 2021

Committed To Being Here.

Committed To You. We understand the meaning of essential. Businesses and industries count on you, just like you count on us. In these challenging times, we’ve continued to do what we do best: build a better world by developing welding products and solutions to keep you moving forward. Our commitment is to being here.

Our commitment is to you.

AR20-20 | ©2020 Lincoln Global, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

P RESIDENT’S VIEW 3. Where do you want to be in 5 years?

10 years?

8. F ire us if we are incompetent or passionless.

Grownups ask these questions of kids, but kids in family businesses need to ask these questions of grownups. Knowing your predecessor’s exit strategy helps manage expectations.

Even better, write out your own 5- and 10-year plan upon asking your parents for theirs. Sit down and compare notes.

You tolerating our lackluster effort or bad attitude will destroy the business’s morale. You endorse what you tolerate. If we do not get it, want it, or have the capacity to do it, cut off the arm to save the body. There are plentiful success models like professional management as opposed to pretending like we have what it takes if we do not. Our parent/ child relationship will be stronger if we acknowledge early on that running a business is not for us, versus a drawn-out demise of false hope.

4. Don’t saddle us with a mess.

You are going to die. So are we. Life is event driven. Please don’t wait for the event to realize it is prudent to put documents in place, like shareholders’ agreements and buy-sells. What is in your will? Who do we consult regarding business matters in your absence? Businesses need preventative maintenance.

5. We are terrified that we will never be half the businessperson you are.

Walking in your footsteps leaves some big shoes to fill. Be open about what keeps you up at night. Don’t treat us like a clerk with only tactical work assignments. We need to learn the big strategic things. We know we are under a microscope with immense pressure to succeed. Give us frequent and direct feedback.

6. Let us fail. But let us win, too.

One of the things that made me want to come into our family business was that I always felt I owned the place. My dad made it fun and inclusive from a very young age. He would not bring my Girl Scout cookie sale form into the office to pass it around; he had me come into the office and pitch cookies to a sales meeting (a hilariously embarrassing story for another day).

7. Beware what you say and do, as we will listen, and, likely, implement or repeat it literally.

Next-Gens in business are like sponges. We will listen, learn, and connect dots. Due to our lack of experience, we will take direction literally. We will also emulate you, including those not-so-great traits. We play monkey see, monkey do with those as well.

9. I ntroduce us to your network, and turn us loose to build our own.

This is a relationship industry. We must get out, meet people, and engage in our industry associations. Push us to volunteer and sign us up for every industry training opportunity you can find. It is amazing what is learned through osmosis. If you want to be a great businessperson, you have to hang out with great businesspeople.

10. D oes the business exist to support the family, or does the family exist to support the business?

Neither is right or wrong, they are just different values.

Strategically, the generations in a business need to be on the same page regarding this topic, or it will always be at the root of every conflict.

Joining the Spring Management Conference Education Track lineup, alongside HR, Technology, Sales, and Safety is a fifth track on Family Business. Robert Anders (Holston Gases) kicks off the track with Outside In – Running a Family Business When You’re not in the Family. Second, Jack Butler (Butler Gas) presents Protecting the Golden Goose from Slaughter. Third, Nicole Kissler (Norco) shares Future Planning – Employee Ownership and Shifting Generations.

All Education Track presentations welcome open dialogue and Q&A. We look forward to continuing the family business conversation in Nashville!

Let’s get

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8 • Spring 2021

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/GAWDAMEDIA

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DIRECTOR’S DESK

Staying Safe and Informed

BY JOHN OSPINA

A John Ospina is GAWDA’s executive director.

He can be reached at GAWDA Headquarters in Hollywood, FL, via telephone at 844-2513219 or via email at jospina@gawda.org.

10 • Spring 2021

s life gets back to normal, we have begun to feel more comfortable meeting face-to-face at customer locations, industry events and personal events.

There seems to be no slowdown in the amount of change and information we must contend with on a daily basis. As business ramps up, so does everything else. Regulatory agencies continue to implement policy changes and increase inspections. Washington continues to move forward with infrastructure spending proposals and tax changes.

So, how do we help keep you informed?

GAWDA continues to provide monthly webinars, like our consultant’s roundtable and the monthly ITR economic updates. We partner with sister associations to bring you additional webinars on timely subjects, as needed, to keep you informed.

We also record and save many of these webinars in the GAWDA members-only site to ensure that the information is available when you have the time to listen to them. With the introduction of GAWDA TV, it is now easier to provide more industry news and information. All GAWDA TV episodes are available on YouTube. Whether you take the time to listen in your car, while you exercise, while you get ready for work, or during your workday, they’re available whenever you are.

So, we hope more of you make this your daily go-to place for industry news and information. For a sneak peek at upcoming consultant roundtable discussions, look at the article starting on page 14, where our consultants discuss their perspectives on how regulatory changes will likely affect our industry in the coming months.

Members continue to show strong support for this years’ SMC. Attendee registration numbers are well over 400 delegates at the time this article was written. With President Biden’s goal of getting every adult access to vaccines by May, many members have already gotten vaccinated. For those who have not yet gotten their vaccinations, or have only gotten the first of their two shots, be assured that we will still have safety protocols in place. You can read about the current list of protocols titled “Know Before You Go” on page 36. We will continue to monitor the situation up until the opening day of the SMC and will make adjustments as needed.

You can find complete information on the SMC agenda, reception and Contact Booth program beginning on page 28. It includes many special features including the reunion of “In a GAWDA da vida” - the GAWDA Band at the welcome reception. During our first networking breakfast, we will have a special presentation of “Since We Last Met,” to honor the industry friends we’ve lost this past year and a half, followed by some welcome comments. Learn more about all our educational programs and be sure to let us know which ones you plan on attending. You will notice that the Contact Booth program layout not only has all booths separated, but the aisles have traffic flowing in one direction. This again is set up to keep everyone safe.

We are all looking forward to a productive and memorable reunion at this year’s SMC. As always thank you for your continued support of our association and industry.

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FROM THE EDITOR

Gases and Welding Industry Provides a Shot in the Arm

BY STEVE GUGLIELMO

I Steve Guglielmo is GAWDA Media’s Editor-in-Chief. He has more than a decade of experience working with industrial associations.

He can be reached at steveg@gawdamedia.com.

12 • Spring 2021

n my First Quarter 2021 Editor’s Note, I talked about my fervent hope and expectation that 2021 would provide a “Clean Slate” after a year that will forever be remembered for the impact COVID-19 had on our lives. I talked about the idea that we would “Get back to normal” and resume things like in-person meetings, starting with the Spring Management Conference.

It’s one thing to talk about those ideas in the abstract, as ideals to strive for. It’s quite another to actually achieve them. After all, my First Quarter 2020 Editor’s Note was entitled “It’s Going to be a Great Year!” My prognostication has certainly missed the mark in the past. And this pandemic ground the entire economy (not to mention our lives, in many cases) to a complete stand still.

Therefore, it was with guarded optimism that I looked out ahead to 2021, with the promise of multiple vaccines on the horizon and dared to hope that we might return to some normalcy.

But now, as I write this at the beginning of April, it really is starting to come true. We have reached a point where all adults who want to get the vaccine are now able to. Barring some unforeseen catastrophe (I’m knocking on wood), the SMC will take place as planned in May, as will the Annual Convention in October. This year even marks the return of Regional Meetings. What seemed like a lifetime away in March 2020 is now starting to come true. And the gases and welding industry, and GAWDA members specifically, have led the way from the start.

The GAWDA Spring Management Conference will, for many GAWDA members, be the first in-person industry event since the pandemic began. And GAWDA’s staff has worked tirelessly to ensure that the event will as educational and

valuable to attend as ever, while being held in a safe and responsible manner. See page 28 to see the full SMC Preview and page 36 to see the safety precautions that have been put in place for this year’s event.

But it should not be lost on anyone that this return to “normalcy” didn’t just happen. Scientists worked at a heretofore unheard-of speed to develop, test and ultimately produce a vaccine to combat COVID. And GAWDA members were able to help in the coordination of the distribution of the vaccine to make sure that it could be distributed quickly and effectively.

At the same time, as an essential industry, our businesses remained open. We provided products not only to hospitals but also to the food supply chain and many other areas of our day-to-day lives that, before COVID, we all took for granted. Gases and welding companies really kept the wheels of the economy turning. And GAWDA, as well as other industry associations like CGA, provided indispensable resources to help members navigate this tumultuous business climate.

Now, as many of us are getting literal shots in the arm, I want to take a step back and give thanks to all of the members who gave us all the shot in the arm that we needed to continue to grow and thrive even during this impossible crisis. I can’t wait to see everybody in person in Nashville and continue to travel this path back to normal with you all. Eyes Up!

CONSULTANTS ROUNDTABLE

CONSULTANT ROUNDTABLE

Regulatory Proposals and Expectations How the new administration’s policy proposals may impact GAWDA members

BY TOM BADSTUBNER, MARILYN DEMPSEY, MICHAEL DODD, RICK SCHWEITZER AND STEVE GUGLIELMO

I

n the First Quarter 2021 issue of Welding & Gases Today¸ GAWDA’s consultants discussed how the incoming Biden administration may differ from the outgoing Trump administration. Now that the new Congress and White House have assumed power and cabinet secretaries continue to be confirmed and policy proposals start to take shape, the consultants revisited the topic of how a new ruling party could impact the day-to-day business of GAWDA members.

Thank you to Tom Badstubner, GAWDA’s FDA and Medical Gases Consultant, Marilyn Dempsey, DHS, EPS and OSHA Consultant, Michael Dodd, DOT Consultant, and Rick Schweitzer, Government Affairs and Human Resources Consultant, for lending their time and expertise to discuss these important topics. The following is a lightly edited transcript of that conversation.

WELDING & GASES TODAY: When we spoke last time, it was after the election but before the inauguration.

Now that we’re well into the Biden Administration, I’d like to talk about some of the changes and potential changes that we’re seeing in the regulatory agencies.

Whether that’s new philosophies or new regulations or potential regulations. What are you seeing?

MARILYN DEMPSEY: OSHA is considering a COVID-19 standard. Currently, Virginia is the only state with an emergency COVID standard, so I would expect to see a similar standard come through OSHA this year.

14 • Spring 2021

RICK SCHWEITZER: What is a COVID-19 standard?

What does that mean?

MARILYN: It means that there will be rules for how to deal with people who are ill, how long employees must be out of work after a COVID exposure and criteria for PPE. In addition to the potential emergency standard from OSHA, the CDC has stated on their update calls that they’re all expecting the current recommendations to be in place for at least the next two years.

RICK: I just read a report from another expert today that said we’re already down 77% in the reported cases and that we’re going to have herd immunity by April.

MARILYN: That’s interesting. There’s a new variant coming out of South Africa and England and it has that S-protein that I was concerned about. They’re saying it’s much more infective and much more dangerous. Similar to the original variant that was out. But we’ll see. I think we’re all waiting to see.

WGT: Marilyn, when you say, “new standards,” are you talking about best practices or would these be mandated things, like the two-mask practice that you mentioned, that you have to abide by?

MARILYN: The standard will be mandated. I don’t know exactly what is going to be in the standard, but I do know that they’re taking a hard look at Virginia.

With the rumors of an OSHA emergency standard and the fact that OSHA seeks to hire more inspectors, they will, in all likelihood, take bigger, more stringent look at COVID inspec-

CONSULTANTS ROUNDTABLE

tions and worker illnesses. During the Trump administration, inspections were held back a little bit. Now I believe we will see a significant increase in inspection and enforcement from OSHA. I’ll let Rick speak to the administration part of this, but OSHA is also taking a good, long look at the Hazard Communication standard, which is the backbone of our training and what members depend on us for guidance. OSHA’S proposing greater harmonization to conform to the latest revisions to the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. These revisions include changes to the classifications for chemicals, including the physical and health hazards, label changes and SDS changes. These changes would require some SDS and labels to change and GAWDA members would then have to change out labels and send the amended SDS to all affected customers and retrain employees on the changes.

TOM BADSTUBNER: Label text revisions are a huge expense, too.

RICK: And for minimal, if any, safety benefit, quite frankly.

MARILYN: They’re saying that it will have significant safety benefits. We’ll see.

WGT: And this is theoretical at this point, but your gut feeling is that is where the winds are blowing?

MARILYN: Yes. Rick can speak to this a little bit more, but for me that’s mainly from the leadership that is being put in place.

MIKE DODD: Just to clarify, these are things that they’re thinking about doing, there haven’t been proposals or anything?

MARILYN: Correct. They are proposing to review the Haz Com standard. In that, they are going to look at the chemical classifications for both health and physical hazards, which may also address label changes and SDS changes. And we will keep members updated as any changes occur, if any do occur.

RICK: That’s right. OSHA published this proposal on February 16. It’s a 400-plus page proposal and it does propose revisions to SDS contents and labeling for certain products.

So, it’s certainly something we’ll be monitoring.

WGT: Tom, from an FDA perspective, is there anything you’re keeping your eye on?

TOM: There are two things I’d like to bring up. The first is with regards to new regulations. We’ve been working with

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CONSULTANTS ROUNDTABLE

GAWDA CONSULTANTS FDA and Medical Gases THOMAS BADSTUBNER AsterRisk, LLC P.O Box 292547 Lewisville, TX 75029-2547 508-883-0927 (office) 443-255-8984 (cell) tom@asteriskllc.com

DOT & Safety MICHAEL DODD MLD Safety Associates, LLC P.O. Box 93 Poplar Bluff, MO 63902 573-718-2887 MLDSafety@hotmail.com

Government Affairs and Human Resources RICHARD P. SCHWEITZER, PLLC 1717 K St. NW, Suite 900 Washington, D.C. 20006-2333 202-223-3040 rpschweitzer@rpslegal.com

DHS, EPA, and OSHA MARILYN R. DEMPSEY Safety Dragons Workplace Consultants, LLC 940-999-8466 marilyn@safetydragons.com

16 • Spring 2021

the FDA since 2007 about having regulations that are appropriate for medical gases. And we think we’re very close. The FDA, in their last communication, last summer, said that new regulations would be proposed in August 2021. We are eagerly awaiting their proposed regulations.

There are some sections of the present regulations that are clearly inappropriate for medical gases (e.g., theoretical yield, expiration dates and certain label elements). Based on conversations in public meetings, we expect the FDA to modernize these Good Manufacturing Practices.

The other thing is that the General Accounting Office did an accounting of the FDA and their inspections and between March and September, the FDA did 52 domestic inspections and 3 foreign inspections. That compares with 400 domestic inspections in the previous year and 600 foreign inspections. So, they went from 600 foreign inspections down to 3 foreign inspections. That’s a huge decrease in inspection activity, mostly due to COVID. And so, the FDA is now using alternate inspection techniques. For example, in some cases, the agency has started using a questionnaire process called Form 4003. Typically, the questions on the FDA Form 4003 are not appropriate for medical gas companies. In response, we wrote a white paper that explains to members, “If you get this question, here is an answer to consider.” Due to COVID, I think we will see more of those initiatives from the FDA to do inspections remotely. And I also think there will be more and more on-site inspections as the year goes on. Keep in mind, that our industry is recognized by the FDA as being very low risk. And so, we will probably have fewer inspections than a traditional pharmaceutical company would have.

WGT: Where is that white paper available to members?

TOM: If members call me, I can send the appropriate sample responses to them.

WGT: How about from DOT? RICK: Let’s talk first about the highway and infrastructure legislation that we’re going to have this year. The current highway bill is going to expire September 30. So, Congress has to do something to reauthorize the program by then. We expect that bills are going to be introduced in the House and the Senate probably in April or May. And they will probably be finished with them by August, maybe September. That’s assuming that all goes well. But there are going to be several themes in those bills besides increasing some sort of tax to pay for increased investment in highways and bridges. You’re going to see a great deal of emphasis on promoting electric vehicles, perhaps even to the extent of a federal mandate to

prohibit the purchase of fossil-fueled vehicles after a certain date. California and Massachusetts have already prohibited the purchase of fossil-fueled vehicles after 2035. And you can already see in TV ads that the industry is headed this way. Ford Motor Companies are doing ads saying that they’re going to have all electric vehicles in their fleet by 2030 or 2035. The trucking industry is doing the same thing. So, there will be a great deal of emphasis on promoting electric vehicles, including the funding of charging stations nationwide at truck stops, rest stops and other public places.

They’re going to have to try to figure out some mechanism for generating a great deal of additional revenue to fund investments in highways and infrastructure. The fuel tax is one way to do it. Nobody seems interested in increasing gasoline or diesel taxes. They haven’t been increased since 1993. There is a study underway, and I’m on an advisory committee, talking to a number of states, about whether or not or how they would implement a vehicle miles traveled tax. So, we’re trying to figure out how to fund this.

In his confirmation hearing, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said that everything, including a fuel tax increase was on the table. And then the White House very quickly walked back those remarks. But if they don’t do that, then they’re going to have to come up with, essentially, hundreds of billions of dollars over five years or so, from some other revenue source.

It is possible that, they will continue to deficit spend and call it an investment in infrastructure. It’s also possible that, over the next several years, they will develop a vehicle miles traveled tax that will replace gasoline and diesel fuel taxes and perhaps other taxes and excise fees at both the federal and state levels.

I do expect that DOT is going to look at the changes that were recently made in the driver hours of service regulations, particularly the short haul exemption for 14 hours and 150 air miles for CDL drivers. This exempts those drivers from electronic logging devices and from the 30-minute rest break.

My guess is that DOT will at least look at that and see whether or not it has generated any additional fatigue related accidents.

I do think that DOT is also going to implement a rulemaking to increase the minimum levels of liability insurance for motor vehicle carriers. These have not changed since 1985. A study that was done by DOT back in 2013 indicated that, just on a straight inflation basis, those minimum amounts, which, for most HAZMAT haulers within GAWDA is $1 million, would have to go up two to three times to keep pace with inflation, not to mention medical inflation. My guess is that there will be a proposed rulemaking on that probably within the next year, to substantially increase the minimum financial responsibility requirements. I’m not saying it will necessarily

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CONSULTANTS ROUNDTABLE

be two to three times what we have now, but I do expect it will be a significant increase.

I can also see changes on things like sleep apnea. A proposed rule, perhaps, to establish new standards for drivers who have sleep disorders and to take some of the discretion away from the medical examiners and to have more specific requirements for that. That might not be a bad thing, frankly, to have more black and white regulations that everyone can predict, rather than just putting it in the hands of the medical examiners.

And then, finally, I think this is not particularly a DOT matter, although it does have implications for drivers, but either the legalization or decriminalization of marijuana at a federal level. I do expect this to happen sometime in the Biden administration. It’s going to have a great deal of implications for employers generally. For drivers, perhaps less so, because they will still be subject to drug and alcohol testing, which will include testing for marijuana. My expectation is that marijuana will still be a prohibited substance. The problem is that the test we have now is not an impairment test, it’s simply a test for the presence of marijuana in the system. So, the argument from defense lawyers is that, yes, the driver might have used marijuana sometime in the last month, but was not necessarily impaired when he or she tested positive or on the job. That’s going to be the difficulty here. Recreational or medical use of marijuana off the job may still show up in a test, but it won’t necessarily indicate than an employee was impaired at the time of the test or at the time the employee was at work. So, we’re going to have to figure out how to come to terms with that.

We’ve done that, to a certain extent, with alcohol and drivers.

But the alcohol test is an impairment test. The marijuana test is not. So, it’s going to be a difficult situation for drivers and non-drivers, as well. And for employers to figure out the sweet spot in prohibiting use of what will be a largely legal product.

MIKE: One thing I wanted to talk about is the fact that we have seen a lot of changes in distributor personnel, recently.

In the Consultant Webinars that we have been running this year, we’ve noticed a lot of new compliance people. I would say we’ve seen more in the last year than ever before. That’s good. It’s like a new stream of people coming on. A new age.

With that in mind, I just wanted to remind them that the consultants are here to help. That’s our job. We enjoy doing that. So, we just want to make sure that they know that we’re here. Don’t be shy. There are lots of ways to find our contact information on the GAWDA website, in the things we mail out, even in this article. We just want to encourage them to use us. Ask us questions. We have tons of information to send from all these years of experience.

18 • Spring 2021

And then, on the members-only section on the GAWDA website, we’ve got all kinds of things archived. That’s one of the reasons that I prefer emails over phone calls. I’ll take either one, but email is so nice because I usually send them back lots of attachments that will help them see some of the things that we talked about and they can digest it better. I just want to make sure that they know that those resources are out there.

Here’s the scary part, if you add up the years of experience on this phone call, that’s a big number. I’ve got 47.

MARILYN: 32.

RICK: 33 for me.

TOM: 47 for me.

MIKE: That’s 159 years of experience for the members to call on.

WGT: That’s a good point, I think it’s important to take a step back and discuss why the consultant program is such a great resource. So, on that topic, is there anything anybody wants to add?

TOM: I think this is a time for members to take a look at the basics of training, calibration and maintenance. Just get ourselves prepared with our personnel and our equipment.

RICK: I would also suggest that they look at their employee and human resources policies just to make sure if they have written employee handbooks, which I suggest they should have, that they are up to date and that they have responded to the challenges of the last year. As Marilyn said, with OSHA considering coming out with a COVID standard in the workplace, a lot of that will implicate HR standards and how you deal with employees.

Number one, protecting them in the workplace, but number two, not penalizing them either for refusing to work or for trying to protect themselves and their families. There is going to be a great deal of litigation spawned by that, particularly encouraged by this Department of Labor. I think companies need to make sure that they have the best information available to them and that their policies are defensible.

MARILYN: I think we hit on it. We talked about changes that may be coming up, but as Tom pointed out, it’s back to the basics.

Do you have the programs and policies that you need in order to have the culture to survive and thrive? All of our members are such strong people that we get questions from. They really care and they want to succeed. We want to give them the tools.

RICK: Hopefully once the virus goes away and things return to normal, business is going to come back with a vengeance. Those companies that are well positioned are going to do very, very well.

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DOT Filing System

BY MICHAEL DODD, GAWDA DOT CONSULTANT

The following is an excerpt from the GAWDA Safety Organizer, a monthly bulletin sent to GAWDA members. For more information on the GAWDA Safety Organizer, or to read past issues, visit the GAWDA.org Members-Only Section.

GAWDA DOT & Safety Consultant Michael Dodd is president of MLD Safety Associates in Poplar Bluff, MO. Members can reach him at 573-718-2887 and at MLDSafety@hotmail. com.

20 • Spring 2021

Here are what the bullets stand for: • = Hanging File Folders (retention period) ` = Manila File Folders (retention period) Here are the files and the suggested tab titles: • DOT Filing System Table of Contents (place this sheet in the file) • MCS-150 (current information) • MCS-90 (current) • Hazmat Registration (3 years) • Unified Carrier Registration (only if CMVs in interstate commerce) (3 years) • List of Drivers (current) • List of Commercial Motor Vehicles (current) • Accident Register ` Accident Register (3-year retention) ` Accident Register and Accident Report Forms (blank forms) • DOT Accidents ` (place actual DOT accidents into separate manila folders) • Company Policy regarding Alcohol & Controlled Substances (current version) • Annual Summaries of Drug & Alcohol testing (5 years of summaries) • Driver Supervisor D&A Substance Abuse Recognition training (current)

•

•

• •

•

•

• •

Documentation of Brake Inspector / Adjusting training (retained by the motor carrier for the period during which that individual is performing annual motor vehicle inspections for the motor carrier, and for one year thereafter) Documentation of Annual Inspector qualifications (retained by the motor carrier for the period during which that individual is performing annual motor vehicle inspections for the motor carrier, and for one year thereafter) S c h e d u l e o f C o m m e r c i a l Ve h i c l e Maintenance (current) Vehicle Maintenance Files (The records shall be retained where the vehicle is either housed or maintained for a period of 1 year and for 6 months after the motor vehicle leaves the motor carrier’s control.)

Leased Vehicles (maintenance lease only) (copies of the lease agreement; Schedule A) (current) Roadside Inspection Reports (copy of the inspection and any repair bill kept for 1 year) (suggest 2 yrs. because of the SMS program) Previous DOT audits (either State or Federal) Driver Qualification Files (kept for 3 years after leaving or ceasing driver functions) ` DQ file folder ` Driver Drug & Alcohol File folder

CONSULTANTS

DOT & SAFETY

• • •

• • •

• •

Hazmat Training (training required every 3 years) (keep for 3 years) Security Awareness Training (training required every 3 years) (keep for 3 years) DOT Security Program (these three items only if you are required thave a security plan) ` Vulnerability Assessment (used for the security plan) (current) ` Security Plan (current) ` In-Depth Training on Security Plan (training required every 3 years) (keep for 3 years) ` Post Trip Month 1 (only required when something is found defective) (3 months) Post Trip Month 2 Post Trip Month 3 Post Trip Month you are currently working on ` Special Permits (copies of the permits and training on the permits for anyone that handles the special permitted package) (3 years) Shipping Papers / Manifests (keep for 2 years) CargTanks (U1A forms) (permanent) (Periodic testing

except for 173.20 exceptions (25.3 psig and under)) (current) Many people don’t have their employees doing their own brake adjustments or annual DOT vehicle inspections, as they would not need the above 2 files documenting the training certifications (Documentation of Brake Inspector / Adjusting training, Documentation of Annual Inspector qualifications).

Many people don’t have a maintenance lease set up for their vehicles, as they will not need the file titled “Leased Vehicles.”

Having these files set up and together in a filing system will really help you keep organized and look very good during a DOT audit.

If there are any questions regarding this Bulletin, please contact: Michael Dodd GAWDA DOT Consultant MLD Safety Associates, LLC P.O. Box 93 Poplar Bluff, MO 63902 (573) 718-2887 Email: MLDSafety@hotmail.com

Spring 2021 • 21

CONSULTANTS SAFETY

Machine Guarding

BY MARILYN R. DEMPSEY, SAFETY DRAGONS WORKPLACE CONSULTANTS, LLC

The following is an excerpt from the GAWDA Safety Organizer, a monthly bulletin sent to GAWDA members. For more information on the GAWDA Safety Organizer, or to read past issues, visit the GAWDA.org Members-Only Section

Marilyn R. Dempsey Safety Dragons Workplace Consultants, LLC 940-999-8466 marilyn@safetydragons. com.

M

achine guarding isn’t confined to machine presses and rollers. Within our own facilities, we have equipment that must be guarded. Some examples of equipment that should be guarded include: exhaust fans, safety stops for blasting machine doors, belt drives and grinding equipment.

Guards must: • Protect against contact.

• Be secured to the machine.

• Ensure that no object can fall into the moving parts.

• Guards should not create additional hazards or interfere with machine performance.

In addition to mechanical guarding, grounding electrical equipment is one of the most important safety measures. Grounding should be applied to the entire system and each individual piece of electrical equipment.

RESPONSIBILITY Department Managers and Supervisors must: • Ensure operators do not remove or operate machine without machine safeguards.

• Ensure operators implement all safety program requirements.

22 • Spring 2021

Provide machine/process specific hands-on training to all operators.

Every employee who operates machinery must: • Be trained on and apply the use of machine safeguards.

• Inspect the machines and safeguards prior to each use.

• Always use safeguards as required.

• Alert Owner or Department Management when machines and/or safeguards need repair/replacement.

• Assess work to determine if machine safeguards cannot be used and work with the supervisor to provide Administrative controls for safety.

Spring is a great time to check your machine guards and equipment grounding!

•

TRAINING REMINDER The GAWDA Safety committee has published a Sample Safety Practice for Cylinder Loading Dock Safety which contains loading dock inspection and operational safety measures.

This document may be used as a safety training and can be located on the GAWDA website/Members only page/Sample Safety Practice/Cylinder Loading Dock Safety.

If you have any questions on the subjects presented here or other questions related to DHS, EPA or OSHA, please contact me.

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CGA Offers Medical Oxygen Resources to Help Keep Health Care Workers Safe During COVID-19 Pandemic

BY RICH GOTTWALD, CGA PRESIDENT & CEO

A Richard Gottwald is President and CEO of the Compressed Gas Association (CGA). He can be reached at 703-7882748 or rgottwald@ cganet.com.

s GAWDA members know, medical oxygen has played an essential role in delivering patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some therapies require large quantities of oxygen or its use in areas of health care facilities not designed for oxygen use, which can create oxygen-enriched atmospheres containing greater than 23.5% oxygen. Although oxygen itself does not burn, in oxygen-enriched atmospheres, materials can be easily ignited by ignition sources such as friction, open flames, heated surgical equipment, or electrical equipment.

To avoid incidents involving oxygen and oxygen-enriched atmospheres, it is important that health care personnel handling and using these gases and associated equipment understand the associated risks and mitigation practices.

To this end, the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) is offering a number of safety resources for health care professionals, to help keep personnel, patients, and communities safe. We ask that members of the GAWDA community help us spread the word about these resources by sharing them widely with your customers and other stakeholders.

CGA PUBLISHES NEW POSTER ON HEALTH CARE FACILITY OXYGEN FIRE SAFETY The poster, Health Care Facility Oxygen Fire Safety, published recently by the Compressed 24 • Spring 2021

Gas Association, provides basic safety information for health care environments where medical oxygen is in use. It includes critical steps that health care facilities can take to reduce the risk of medical oxygen fires, including the following safety messages:

MEDICAL OXYGEN FIRE SAFETY REMINDERS Provide Oxygen Safety Training • Personnel using oxygen and oxygen-enriched gases shall be adequately trained and knowledgeable in oxygen safety.

• Personnel using oxygen equipment shall be adequately trained in its operation.

Remove Potential Ignition Sources • Do not allow smoking, flames, sparks, or other sources of ignition in the vicinity of oxygen use.

• Inform patients of the hazards and “Do’s and Don’ts” of oxygen use.

• Use Oxygen-Safe Equipment • Use only equipment suitable for medical oxygen use.

• Ensure that connections to tubing, regulators, and other equipment are tight to prevent leakage.

• Keep hoses, cannulas, and masks in good condition.

• Check equipment prior to use for proper function.

MEMBER BENEFIT DO NOT USE OIL AND GREASE WITH OXYGEN EQUIPMENT

In addition, oxygen is widely used to treat symptoms of COVID-19.

While oxygen is not flammable itself, it supports and accelerates combustion.

Materials that normally do not burn in air, such as the metal in oxygen regulators, plastic tubing used to supply oxygen, or fire-resistant drapes and gowns, can burn in an oxygen-enriched atmosphere, as can clothing and bed linens.

Materials that can be ignited in air require less energy to ignite in the presence of an oxygen-rich gas or oxygen-rich atmosphere. Many of these materials can be ignited by different sources of ignition such as friction or expansion when oxygen at high pressure is rapidly introduced into a system that is initially at low pressure. For equipment containing or using liquid oxygen there needs

Body oils, lip balms, hand lotions, face creams, hair products, sprays, and other items containing oil and grease can easily burn.

• Keep hands free of oil and grease when handling oxygen equipment.

• Keep oil and grease away from area where oxygen is in use.

As with all CGA safety posters, this poster is provided as a scalable PDF file, enabling users to print the size they need. The posters are also designed for easy co-branding: GAWDA members can add their company information to the “Supplier Information” box at the bottom of the poster, before sharing this valuable safety resource.

For more information and to download this free safety poster, see: bit.ly/ MedicalOxygenSafety.

•

to be an additional awareness of its low temperature properties, to prevent against accidents involving frostbite and cold burns.

The Compressed Gas Association is providing safety publication CGA M-24 free of charge for all those who may need it, to help ensure that all health care facilities and their employees have access to the necessary information to facilitate a safe response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This publication may be downloaded at: bit.ly/CGAPubM-24Info.

ENGAGING DIRECTLY WITH HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS Where feasible and appropriate, CGA has also engaged directly with health care organizations and facilities, providing resources and technical knowledge, in

CGA OFFERS COMPLIMENTARY ACCESS TO PUBLICATION FOR MITIGATING OXYGEN HAZARDS IN HEALTH CARE ENVIRONMENTS

®

As medical oxygen has become the most important treatment for COVID-19 over the past year, it has become critically important for health care personnel to understand and learn to mitigate the risks of working with this compressed medical gas. Safety publication, CGA M-24, Standard for Mitigating Oxygen Hazards in the Health Care Environment (Formerly SB-31), provides general requirements for personnel handling and using oxygen and oxygen-rich gases and associated equipment in health care environments.

For many applications in the medical field, gaseous and liquid oxygen are used or administered in equipment such as liquid oxygen base and portable units, oxygen concentrators, oxygen tents, incubators, and hyperbaric chambers.

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Spring 2021 • 25

MEMBER BENEFIT

26 • Spring 2021

MEMBER BENEFIT an effort to help these organizations and their personnel safely battle COVID. For example, Compressed Gas Association staff learned from a January 29, 2021 Los Angeles Times article that a state task force was building oxygen supply depots in an effort to alleviate oxygen supply and distribution issues in California. The article noted that depots, staffed by personnel from the California Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA), were using oxygen concentrators to fill cylinders for hospitals.

On February 11, 2021, Rich Craig, CGA’s Vice President, Technical & Regulatory Affairs, sent a message to Dr. Dave Duncan, EMSA’s Director, offering a set of medical oxygen safety resources and safe practices, to aid EMSA in the safe rollout of its oxygen supply depots.

These resources included the following publications from CGA’s safety library, provided to EMSA on a complimentary basis: • CGA C-6, Standard for Visual Inspection of Steel Compressed Gas Cylinders; • CGA C-6.1, Standard for Visual Inspection of High-Pressure Aluminum Alloy Compressed Gas Cylinders; • CGA C-6.2, Standard for Visual Inspection and Requalification of Fiber Reinforced High Pressure Cylinders; • CGA G-4, Oxygen; • CGA P-15, Standard for the Filling of Industrial and Medical Nonflammable Compressed Gas Cylinders;

CGA P-83, Guidelines for Cleaning Externally Contaminated Medical Gas Containers; and • C G A S A - 2 4 , S a f e t y A l e r t , Emergency Medical Services Filling Oxygen or Air for Human Respiration.

To help ensure the safety of recovering COVID-19 patients sent home from hospitals with medical oxygen cylinders, we also highlighted the availability of our Home Oxygen Safety poster, which is available for free download from our website at: https://www.cganet.com/ home-oxygen-safety/.

Dr. Duncan promptly replied to Rich Craig’s message, indicating that CGA’s information about the safe use of medical oxygen “will be incorporated into our operations and safety documentation.”

•

Spring 2021 • 27

EYES UPin

Spring Management Conference Monday, May 24, 2021 – Wednesday, May 26, 2021

HELD AT THE

Gaylord Opryland Resort 2800 Opryland Drive Nashville, TN 37214 Phone: 615-889-1000

28 • Spring 2021

Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center

GETTING THERE GETTING THERE

ADDED VALUE

The beautiful Gaylord Opryland Resort is a 10-minute

On Tuesday, May 25th, GAWDA will host 15

drive from Nashville International Airport. Guests

engaging educational sessions with 21 different

have access to airport and hotel shuttles plus

presenters. These sessions will address relevant

sedan service.

and timely topics in Family Business, Safety and

HOTEL

Operations, HR and Leadership, Technology and

On the banks of the Cumberland River, this landmark Nashville hotel is a short drive or riverboat cruise from downtown Nashville. Underneath the climatecontrolled signature glass atriums, there are nine acres of indoor gardens, cascading waterfalls and indoor river with the hotel’s very own Delta flatboat.

Sales and Marketing. Members will have the opportunity to attend up to three of the sessions.

This interactive educational format replaces our traditional business session that morning. See the full schedule for these educational tracks on page 34.

ATTIRE The average daily high temperatures are mostly in the high 70s and the lows are mostly in the upper 50s. Attire for the Spring Management Conference

SAFETY IS OUR TOP PRIORITY

is business casual with a light sweater or jacket.

At this year’s SMC, safety is our top priority.

REGISTRATION & BADGE PICKUP

GAWDA has worked in conjunction with the Gaylord

Ryman Hall Foyer – All times local * To promote social distancing, we will mail registration and

Opryland Hotel to ensure that this event abides by all CDC standards. For more information

badges ahead of time to all who registered during Early

about the specific safety protocols that have

Bird Registration.

been put in place, from registration all the way

Sunday, May 23

12:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

through meals and receptions and everything in

Monday, May 24

7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

between, please read the Safety article located

Tuesday, May 25

7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

on page 36 or visit http://bit.ly/SMCsafetyfirst

Wednesday, May 26 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

for more information.

Spring 2021 • 29

EXPERIENCE NASHVILLE EXPLORE THE MANY THINGS TO DO IN NASHVILLE

GRAND OLE OPRY The show that made country music famous

Known as the Music City, Nashville provides a huge

continues with star-packed performances featuring

variety of restaurants and museums, mostly to

a wide array of chart-toppers, newcomers and

commemorate its country music history and future.

living legends. Opry shows are every Friday and

Nashville is also home to the NFL’s Tennessee

Saturday night, with extra performances on

Titans and the NHL’s Nashville Predators.

Tuesday from March through December.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

WILDHORSE SALOON

This city is the capital of the state of Tennessee.

Nashville has country music venues such as the Grand Ole Opry House and the Country Music Hall of Fame, which celebrate the history of this genre.

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center invites you to experience a host of Nashville-style entertainment and fun during your stay at our hotel.

Marvel at our gorgeous gardens, sparkling waterways and cascading waterfalls. Located on the banks of

Home to Nashville’s largest dance floor! More than 1.5 million music fans have stampeded to the Wildhorse to have a great meal, catch the hottest concerts and learn the newest dance steps. Cover charge is waived for guests of Gaylord Opryland Resort (excludes special events). This year’s President’s Welcome Reception and Dinner will be hosted at the Wildhorse Saloon.

COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME

the Cumberland River, our hotel is conveniently near

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum,

legendary Nashville attractions, including the Grand

located in downtown Nashville, has been called

Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium, Wildhorse Saloon and

the “Smithsonian of country music,” celebrated

the General Jackson Showboat. In addition to the

for its broad cultural impact, educational mission,

water park at our hotel, some of Nashville’s most

and unrivaled collection of historically important

popular water parks are nearby.

artifacts.

30 • Spring 2021

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS TIME

MEETING

TIME

MEETING

SUNDAY, MAY 23

TUESDAY, MAY 25

12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

6:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Exhibitor Booth Set Up

MONDAY, MAY 24

7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Conference Registration

7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Conference Registration

7:00 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.

Breakfast and Welcome

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Executive Committee Meeting

7:30 a.m. – 7:50 a.m.

President Welcome Message

9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Board Meeting 1

8:00 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.

Educational Sessions

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Strategic Plan Rollout Working Lunch with Committee Chairs

11:20 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Group Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Exhibitor Booth Set Up

12:00 p.m. – 12:20 p.m.

GAWDA Executive Committee Welcome and Presentation

1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Committee Meetings

12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Contact Booth Program

2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Board Meeting 2

4:30 p.m.

Industry Hospitalities

4:30 p.m.

Shuttle Pickup for Receptions and Dinners

Early Badge Pick Up

3-TWO-1 Reception

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26

Location: One Fourteen at The Wildhorse Saloon

7:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Conference Registration

If this is your first GAWDA meeting, or if you or your business are new to our Association or industry within the past three years, please join the GAWDA Board, Past Presidents, Committee Chairs, and Headquarters Team for this special New Attendee Reception. Mix and mingle with established GAWDA members in an intimate setting prior to the President’s Welcome Reception.

7:00 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.

Networking Breakfast

7:30 a.m. – 7:50 a.m.

Executive Committee Presentation General Business Session Part 1

8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

• Ben Glazer, Praxair Distribution Inc. (PDI), Global Helium & Rare Gases and Latin America

WEMCO Reception

See the next page for details

10:00 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.

President’s Welcome Reception & Dinner

6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

32 • Spring 2021

Break

General Business Session Part 2

Location: The Wildhorse Saloon GAWDA President Abydee Butler Moore welcomes attendees of the Spring Management Conference to Nashville, TN! Join us for a legendary evening at the Wildhorse Saloon as we connect with industry friends. Drinks, dinner and entertainment will be provided. See GAWDA.org for Safety and Wellness precautions.

• Anthony Iannarino, The Sales Blog

10:20 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

David Marquet, United States Navy Captain and Bestselling Author of Turn the Ship Around and Leadership is Language

*Please note, agenda subject to change. Make sure to check gawda.org/spring-management-conference/ for the most up-to-date information

WEMCO Reception WEMCO – an Association of Welding Manufacturers and Industry Partner of AWS – is formally inviting GAWDA SMC attendees with an interest in welding manufacturing for some early evening networking during the 3-TWO-1 Reception on May 24th from 5:00 – 6:00 P.M. Hear from AWS Executive Director & CEO Gary Konarska and mingle with manufacturers during this hour-long reception inside the Wildhorse Saloon.

Visit aws.org/wemco to learn more about WEMCO.

MEET THE SPEAKERS Wednesday, May 26

Anthony Iannarino International speaker, author, and sales leader. He posts daily sales tips and insights to The Sales Blog.

David Marquet United States Navy Captain and bestselling author of Turn the Ship Around and Leadership is Language.

Ben Glazer President, Praxair Distribution Inc. (PDI), Global Helium & Rare Gases and Latin America

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Spring 2021 • 33

EDUCATIONAL TRACKS Tuesday, May 25

8:00 a.m.

– 8:50 a.m.

FAMILY BUSINESS

SAFETY & OPERATIONS

HR & LEADERSHIP

Outside In – Running a Family Business When You’re Not in the Family

The True Cost of an Accident

Winning the Talent War

Presented by Marilyn Dempsey, Safety Dragons

Presented by Bill Proctor, nexAir

TECHNOLOGY Doing More with Less: Automating Administrative Functions Presented by Will Roberts, Roberts Oxygen

Presented by Robert Anders, Holston Gases

SALES & MARKETING We Now Get CRM! Presented by Colleen Kohler, Noble Gas Solutions

8:50 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Break Protecting the Golden Goose from Slaughter 9:15 a.m.

– 10:05 a.m.

Presented by Jack Butler, Butler Gas

Ask Us Anything Roundtable Presented by Mike Dodd, Tom Badstubner, Rich Schweitzer and Marilyn Dempsey.

Moderated by Gary Halter, Indiana Oxygen

Our Story, Your Lesson: A COVID Employment Nightmare Presented by Britt Lovin, Andy Oxy Co.

Implementing Ecommerce: From Inception to Launch and the Roadmap to Get There Presented by Glenn Bliss and Amy Dardis, General Distributing Company

Building a Professional Sales Organization Presented by Ryan Diekow and Tracy McLellan, Oxygen Service Company

10:05 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Break

10:30 a.m.

– 11:20 a.m.

Future Planning – Employee Ownership and Shifting Generations Presented by Nicole Kissler, Norco

Keeping Score in Distribution Presented by Craig Harris, RedBall Oxygen

Getting Employees to Give a Damn Presented by Ryan Craven, General Air

Changing Your ERP Without Taking Years Off Your Life

The Sales Playbook: Developing and Training

Presented by Dave Healzer, Cee Kay

Presented by Allison Earlbeck, Earlbeck Gases and Technologies

DON’T FORGET TO DOWNLOAD THE SMC APP Download the GAWDA 2021 Spring Management Conference App for a full list of events and attendees, direct attendee messaging and social media access, maps and much more!

34 • Spring 2021

CONTACT BOOTH PROGRAM Tuesday, May 25, 2021 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

RYMAN HALL C2 The Contact Booth Program is one of the best networking opportunities in the entire gases and welding industry. Distributors, make sure to walk the floor and meet with all of the more than 80 suppliers exhibiting this year. See the latest and greatest products and services that the industry has to offer and form invaluable relationships that could benefit your business in the future.

GAWDA Consultants are available in the GAWDA Booth to answer questions: Marilyn Dempsey (DHS, EPA and OSHA), Mike Dodd (DOT and Security), Tom Badstubner (FDA, Medical and Specialty Gases), Rick Schweitzer, Esq. (Government Affairs and Human Resources) and Brian McLaughlin (Group Life Insurance).

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Spring 2021 • 35

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Meeting Again Safely – Putting Your Safety First FLYING INTO NASHVILLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (BNA) AND GETTING TO THE HOTEL • Mask or Face Coverings are required at Nashville International Airport and all Uber rides around the city.

• Enhanced cleaning and safety measures have been implemented at BNA. • The CDC has published guidelines for traveling, please check the CDC Traveling Guidelines for more information.

STAYING AT THE GAYLORD OPRYLAND RESORT • Mask or Face Coverings are required at The Gaylord Opryland Resort and must be worn at all times, during all GAWDA functions. A sponsored safety packet, which includes masks, sanitizer and wipes will be available at registration.

• Marriott hotels have enhanced cleaning and safety measures.

• All hotel staff are screened daily (temperature checks, symptom free, exposure questionnaire).

• All hotel staff wear masks and other PPE’s for your safety.

• Plexiglass barrier between you and hotel staff at check in.

BADGE PICK UP • Badges mailed directly to you 21 days before the event.

• Program Book PDF emailed before the event • Plexiglass barrier between you and staff (for corrections and registration less than 21 days from the event).

• 6’ social distanced lines.

• Hand sanitizer at line.

• Self-pick-up sponsored safety and wellness package (mask, personal hand sanitizer bottles and wipes).

• Additional signs posted for safe traffic flow.

COMMITTEE MEETINGS • 6’ distanced seating.

• Hand sanitizer on table.

• Call in lines for committee members that can’t attend in person.

CONTACT BOOTH PROGRAM • Booths manned by no more than 3 people at any given time.

• Booths separated from each other. Additional safety equipment available for purchase from GES. • Additional signs posted for one-way traffic aisles.

• No hotel staff will enter your room during your stay (cleaning by request only).

• Large foyer for safe networking.

• No room drops from sponsors allowed for your safety.

• Hand sanitizers throughout the event space.

36 • Spring 2021

• Safe networking lounge area available. continued on page 38

American Welding Society® FOUNDATION

2020-2021 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS In 2020, the American Welding Society Foundation awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarships. Thanks to the generous support of GAWDA members, the following students received scholarships of $1,000 or more to continue their education and become the next generation of leaders in the welding industry.

AIR PRODUCTS WOMEN IN GASES AND WELDING SCHOLARSHIP

KEEN COMPRESSED GAS SCHOLARSHIP

STEPHEN E. HARRISON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP (WELSCO)

Abby Frisk

Ian Salisbury-Timmons

Hannah Rawlings

Fox Valley Technical College

Delaware Technical and Community College

Arkansas Elite Welding Academy

ARC3 GASES SCHOLARSHIP

MOBILE SECTION - WESCO AND MILLER ELECTRIC SCHOLARSHIP

WELDERS SUPPLY CO. SCHOLARSHIP

Sawyer Smith

Jensen Brahier

Darby Moffatt

York Technical College

University of Central Florida

Blackhawk Technical College

ATLAS WELDING SUPPLY SCHOLARSHIP

nexAIR LLC - GARY ENDERS SCHOLARSHIP

WOMEN OF GASES AND WELDING - DISTRICT 7 SCHOLARSHIP

Modesty Parker

Bennett Sutton

Allina Molinaro

Jefferson State Community College

Missouri Welding Institute

Ohio State University

BRANT FAMILY/INDIANA OXYGEN SCHOLARSHIP

O.E. MEYER - RODNEY S. BELDEN SCHOLARSHIP

WOMEN OF GASES AND WELDING - DISTRICT 8 SCHOLARSHIP

Roger Hood

Jesse Porter

Luna Bagley

Hobart Welding Institute of Technology

Ferris State University

Tennessee College of Applied Technology

JIMMY WALKER SR./SAF-T-CART SCHOLARSHIP

SKY CYLINDER TESTING SCHOLARSHIP

WOMEN OF GASES AND WELDING - DISTRICT 20 SCHOLARSHIP

Abigail Weaver

Noah Hief

Emerald Gower

East Mississippi Community College

Ivy Tech Community College

Southern Utah University

Contact Executive Director Monica Pfarr at 800-443-9353 Ext. 461 or mpfarr@aws.org if you are interested in establishing a scholarship or grant endowment. All donations to scholarships and grants are matched 100% by the AWS Foundation.

Learn more about the AWS Foundation’s efforts to support education and careers in welding at aws.org/foundation.

Membership | Certification | Education | Training | Standards | Publications | Events | Foundation | Bookstore FDN_1014

aws.org

• Passed drinks to avoid large gatherings at the bars.

• Hand sanitizers throughout the event space.

• Know Before You Go Exhibitor Guide will be available at gawda.org.

• Social distanced line dancing available.

SHUTTLES TO/FROM RECEPTIONS

GROUP MEALS

• Additional signs posted for safe traffic flow.

• Buses at half capacity.

• Round tables at half capacity for social distancing.

• Hand sanitizer prior to boarding.

• Load in from back to front.

• Plexiglass barrier with 6’ social distanced lines at food service.

• Load out from front to back.

• Food served by Hotel Staff only.

• Shuttles run constantly throughout the night to avoid large gatherings (every 20 minutes).

• Designated networking areas available.

• Additional signs posted for safe traffic flow.

• Hotel assisted safe seating and traffic flow.

RECEPTIONS

• Additional signs posted for safe traffic flow.

• Hand sanitizers throughout the event space.

• Large space, 3 floors available for social distancing.

EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS

• Designated quiet networking area to promote safe distancing.

• Social distanced seating.

• Passed drinks to avoid large gatherings at the bars.

• Additional signs posted for safe traffic flow.

• Hand sanitizers throughout the event space.

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38 • Spring 2021

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TACKLING A TRADE SHOW

The Distributor Experience

BY GAWDA MEDIA

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the Fourth Quarter 2018 Issue of Welding & Gases Today. With the 2021 Spring Management Conference being our first opportunity to gather in-person in over a year, we thought it would be a good time to revisit this article for tips and tricks to make sure that attendees get the most out of the SMC experience. Please note that quotes appear as they did in 2018.

M

any people think of trade shows as mostly fun for the customers, who are likely to be wined, dined and wooed by suppliers. But when you consider the cost of attendance and the importance of careful and economical purchases, both sides have an equal stake in making the most of a trade show experience. According to the Association of Event Organizers, 87% of business directors agree that it is easier to communicate face-to-face rather than on the phone or via email. GAWDA’s Contact Booth Program offers members a unique opportunity to connect with both sides of the welding and gas distribution business.

“It’s a great opportunity to meet new vendors, see the new technologies and check out the competition,” said Eric Terwilliger, vice president at Airweld, Inc. “This industry is unusual in that everyone works together.” Here are some tips for tackling a trade show from the distributor point of view.

40 • Spring 2021

REGISTER EARLY This saves money in several ways: early bird discounts on attendance tickets, cheaper airfare and getting in before the discounted hotel room block sells out are three of the biggest advantages. In addition, you will be in the loop for the all the news ahead of the show or conference, including special events, lists of suppliers and networking opportunities. You may also have an opportunity to schedule one-on-one meetings with your must-see suppliers.

REVIEW THE EXHIBITOR LIST BEFORE YOU GO Trade shows can be enormous, and you want to make sure not to miss out on any new tools, equipment, services or promotions. Most shows will provide an exhibitor map and/or a list of exhibitors a week or more ahead of time, so be sure to plan your route or at least make a short list of your must-see’s.

You will undoubtedly run into colleagues and friends during the show, but be aware that side conversations can easily eat away precious time, so make plans to meet up afterwards and focus on the suppliers you have traveled to see.

BE OPEN TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES You may have come to the show with specific suppliers in mind, but the wonderful thing about trade shows is that they present one of the best opportunities for learning about

industry-specific innovations. If something looks interesting — even if you are pressed for time — at least grab a pamphlet and hang onto it so it will trigger you to look it up later.

Also, don’t be afraid to visit new companies when shopping around for products and services. Small companies and startups have a greater incentive to attract customers and often provide exceptional customer service and special pricing to win your business.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NETWORKING EVENTS Get out there and introduce yourself and your company.

Make the best use of networking opportunities and events in the evenings — GAWDA members are always glad to share information, ideas and solutions to shared challenges. You never know where you might pick up an idea for a new product or service, or even meet your next customer.

STAY IN TOUCH Afterwards, stay in touch with the contacts you have made via phone, email or social media. GAWDA members have a unique understanding of your needs and challenges and can

be great sources of information and ideas.

David McMurtry, owner of Volunteer Welding Supply, described GAWDA’s Contact Booth Program this way: “This event puts us in touch with people we might otherwise only see once a year. With everyone in a single location, we can accomplish months’ worth of networking in just a few days.”

PUT THE INFORMATION TO USE Nearly everyone who visits a trade show is very excited and energized by the dazzling displays of new products and information and walks away with a bag full of freebies and product data to show for it. Don’t waste it! In that free bag of goodies, you have a compilation of all the industry’s latest offerings.

One great use of a long plane ride home is going through the stack of pamphlets you picked up at a show. While it is still fresh in your mind, write notes on each pamphlet about what caught your eye about the product and the supplier. Then when you get home, instead of just tossing the pile aside where it is likely to be forgotten, you will be prepared to immediately make use of it to select the products and services that will best help to grow your business.

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BEST IN SHOW: THE SUPPLIER SIDE

Time-Tested Trade Show Tips from Exhibit Experts

BY GAWDA MEDIA Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the Fourth Quarter 2018 Issue of Welding & Gases Today. With the 2021 Spring Management Conference being our first opportunity to gather in-person in over a year, we thought it would be a good time to revisit this article for tips and tricks to make sure that attendees get the most out of the SMC experience. Please note that quotes appear as they did in 2018.

Y

our company has decided to rent a booth at an upcoming trade show. Before you make reservations and pack your bags, here are some tips from trade show experts on what you will need on the show floor and how to maximize your time in the booth, land solid sales leads and create your follow-up strategy.

BEFORE YOU GO After you’ve chosen the right show based on who is expected to be there — customers/prospects, vendors and competitors — pre-show communications, whether electronic or snail mail, will ensure others know you will be there and what you will be showcasing. You may also choose to get the word out via social media.

Tim Patterson, whose company TradeshowGuy Exhibits helps businesses create trade show marketing and exhibiting strategies, suggests that social media can be used most effectively to build buzz seven to Tim Patterson 42 • Spring 2021

10 days before the show. You may use Twitter or Instagram, for example, to let potential show attendees know what products you will have on hand, if there will be demos or even to show the venue itself or interesting nearby attractions. Be sure to use the show’s official hashtag so that your posts and tweets will be picked up in show-related searches.

Typically, you send sales and/or marketing staff to represent your company at the show.

Will they simply plant themselves at the booth and wait for potential leads to walk up? That’s not an effective plan, according to Ruth Stevens of eMarketing Strategy. “I Ruth Stevens urge people to book appointments in advance, because every minute you are at the show, whether it’s on the show floor or walking around or going to parties at night, that’s an opportunity to have a conversation with a customer or prospect,” she said.

Stevens, a customer acquisition and retention consultant for business-to-business clients, also advises that your sales and marketing people agree ahead of time on what constitutes a sales qualified lead (SQL). “On the account level, it might be ‘Does this guy come from an account that we’ve been trying to get a hold of or that we’d love to do business with? Are they on our target list? Are they large enough to be a prospective customer?’”

Communicating with the show organizer is also key. What is the range of booth sizes? Does the organizer provide tables, signage, wi-fi, digital show badge technology? Is there other equipment for rent, or should you bring your own? Who, demographically speaking, does the show usually draw? When packing for the show, remember to bring extra business cards and copies of all the show paperwork (booth number, contract, set-up instructions and so on). If the show has a prize program, bring a plastic fishbowl or other container for business cards.

So, what about those business cards? Are they too archaic and low tech for today’s trade show lead collection? Not necessarily, said Patterson. At a recent show, he collected 160 business cards. “On probably 10 of them, I made notes that they’re potential leads for projects. It’s a good way to keep a quick little note about whoever I met.”

“Is it low-tech? Yes. Is it still worth it? Yes,” said Windows Matter CEO Amy Meadows, a professional designer, marketing consultant and event planner. “The branding, logo recognition and more on that small card serve to advance business connections further and faster than an isolated email or badge scan.”

“Giveaways are important, but I think that they really need to be appropriate,” Patterson said. When planning to keep your brand in your customers’ minds, determine if the item is useful.

Is it something they will see regularly to remind them of your company? Whether you plan on offering branded coffee mugs, flash drives or tote bags, consider ahead of time what swag your team will pack.

“Tech products are currently some of the hottest items,” said Lisette Brod, owner of Spinnaker Custom Products. These include power banks, Bluetooth speakers and phone wallets with RFID protection. “Consider lead times when selecting giveaways,” she advised. “Waiting until the last minute will not only add to the product cost, but also the price of shipping.”

AT THE SHOW How you set up your space can make a real difference in your interactions with attendees. If you’ve rented or brought a table, think about where you will place it. “I always suggest that you put it on the side of the booth and have the booth open, so that people can walk into the space and talk to you,” Patterson advised.

Never underestimate the attraction of food, drinks and candy. For example, at the 2018 GAWDA AC, vendors brought treats ranging from donuts to 50-year-old scotch for sampling to an actual coffee shop, including a trained barista! Needless to say, these were very popular suppliers at the Contact Booth Program.

Once you have attracted your customers, the booth conversations, experts agreed, are the single most important reason for going to the show in the first place. “The value of a trade show is the chance to have a face-to-face conversation with actual, real people, and to kick off a business relationship and to probe about their needs and their issues,” Stevens emphasized.

Making those chats easier means configuring your space to be open and inviting.

Patterson warns exhibitors against certain booth behaviors that are turn-offs. Body language is one important factor in making a potential client feel comfortable. “You know, if you’ve got your arms closed, you’re basically saying to people ‘I’m not interested.’” He suggests that booth staffers make eye contact, smile and keep their phones out of sight. “Being on the phone, of course, means that whoever you’re on the phone with is more important than being there.” He also discourages exhibitors from eating in the booth.

AFTER THE SHOW As soon as possible after the show, scoop those business cards from the bottom of your briefcase and input the data into a spreadsheet. You don’t have to use complicated database software, according to Patterson. He uses Excel spreadsheets because he says the program is straightforward and easily searchable.

With each entry, include information that will provide anyone reading it with a profile of the person you spoke with at the show that can be used to qualify what type of sales lead she/he may be, now or in the future.

Stevens advocates following up as soon as possible after the show. “I would say if you do follow up in 24 hours or within a few days, you’re going to be killing your competition,” she advised.

Meadows’ timeline for follow-up is one week after the show, after an initial post-show email. Patterson’s idea for follow-up communications is dependent on the trade show face-to-face. “I think that the follow-up needs to be based on what the conversation with the prospect is,” he said.

“I think the challenge that a lot of companies have is that they don’t have that conversation to that extent. They find an interest and they say, great, I’ll call you, and then they leave it at that. They don’t identify what the call’s about, they don’t identify when [the follow-up] is and how it’s going to take place.”

Above all, he suggests that whoever attends the trade show communicate clearly to the sales team the specifics of what was discussed and when the agreed-upon follow-up call or email or mailed materials should happen.

Spring 2021 • 43

MEMBER PROFILE

Professionalism, Productiveness, and Safety How DeLille Oxygen’s three-tiered system has allowed the distributor to thrive for nearly a century.

BY STEVE GUGLIELMO

D

eLille Oxygen Company was founded in 1924 by W.C. DeLille. Originally, DeLille supplied coal and ice. However, shortly after its founding, DeLille shifted its focus to the welding supply industry, becoming a supplier of gases and hardgoods to the industry the company still serves nearly a century later.

As the company found success in the gases and welding industry, W.C. DeLille continued to grow the company’s footprint. He added multiple locations throughout Ohio and continued to service 44 • Spring 2021

different areas of the industry. In 1950, DeLille built its first Oxygen plant to begin to fill its own cylinders, marking it as a truly independent distributor, which it continues to operate as today.

At that time, high-pressure cylinder filling was rare for independents. In what would become a hallmark of the company, DeLille saw the opportunity to react quickly to customer demands and seized it.

Eventually, W.C. DeLille sold the business to the Smith family, who continued to grow the welding supply business,

eschewing the coal and ice business completely. Finally, in 1963, the business was sold to J.R. Smith (no relation to the previous owners), whose family still owns the business today. J.R.’s son, Tom Smith serves as CEO, with Josh Weinmann serving as President.

GROWING INTO A TURNKEY DISTRIBUTOR The same year that J.R. purchased the business, DeLille made one of the most consequential decisions in the history of the company. The company had a

MEMBER PROFILE Rexarc Acetylene generating plant built that produced Acetylene from Carbide.

“That was when the entire idea of gas manufacturing and generation really took effect within DeLille,” says Weinmann.

“That started us on the path of making our own gases and that has really pushed our growth through all of the years. We were one of the first independents that started doing specialty gases.”

While gas manufacturing would be the primary growth driver for DeLille, the company continued to operate as a true turnkey distributor, servicing both gas and hardgoods customers. In 1987, the company started its own equipment repair division. At that same time, DeLille started an equipment rental division in an effort to provide welding and cutting machines to its customers.

These divisions continue to thrive today, expanding from being a certified repair facility not only for Lincoln and Miller, but also for ESAB, Hypertherm, and many other equipment manufacturers.

Then, in 1990, DeLille started its own Specialty Gas division.

“Manufacturing acetylene has been one of our main drivers,” says Weinmann.

“In the early 90s, when most independents weren’t doing spec gas, we had our own specialty gas lab. We’ve grown that part of the business. Then, obviously, we started an electrolysis plant, making our own high purity hydrogen and oxygen.

And then, finally, we got into bulk. That has been our big growth driver for the last 15-20 years.”

The company got into the bulk business in 2010, purchasing microbulk trucks to serve its bulk customers to its customer service standards.

“Our growth in bulk was definitely customer-driven,” says Weinmann.

“Customers wanted to make sure that if they were buying from us, it was our trucks and our people making the deliveries. They didn’t want to go bulk

with us if we weren’t the actual ones who were managing their bulk tanks or telemetry.”

In 2017, the company expanded beyond microbulk and into bulk when they purchased bulk tankers to be capable of delivering to bulk customers in the best way possible. The company’s aim is to supply any capacity a customer would ever need and the bulk division, alongside the cylinder division, ensures that.

In 2014, DeLille started manufacturing high purity oxygen and hydrogen at its Columbus location. The company has continued to produce these high grades of ultra-high purity oxygen and scientific grade hydrogen as customer

needs expand. The company is able to offer them in bulk, as well.

The company is also in the process of building two carbon monoxide plants to continue its growth in specialty gas.

“A customer needed some carbon monoxide, and we had that background in gas manufacturing, particularly electrolysis, so it was something we were comfortable with doing,” says Weinmann.

“It was very customer-driven, and we do see some industry void, especially in our area, for carbon monoxide.”

ACQUISITION OF NYECO Since its inception, DeLille has made its bones in identifying areas of need in Spring 2021 • 45

MEMBER PROFILE

the industry and growing organically to fill them. However, in 2016, the company made its first ever acquisition, acquiring Nyeco Gas in order to expand its service footprint into the northern Ohio region.

“That was the first acquisition we had ever done and we’re really happy with how it has been going,” says Weinmann.

“It’s really been successful for growth. It did have its challenges, blending their culture into ours and vice versa, but we’re at a point now where it’s really going great and we’re really happy with the way it turned out. It really taught us that acquisitions can be a good thing and may be something we would consider again moving forward.”

COMPANY CULTURE While DeLille has built itself into a true one-stop-shop for both the hardgoods and gas industry, it wouldn’t have been able to grow to the heights it has achieved without a staff in place that fully buys into the culture and the vision.

The company is built on three fundamental tenets for growth. Professionalism, Productiveness and Safety. The company strives to make every single interaction 46 • Spring 2021

with customers and employees the best experience possible, something it attributes to the three-tiered environment it has built.

“We evaluate everything we do, both internally and externally, to verify it is the best practice in order to achieve those three environments,” says Weinmann.

“It’s something we demand of every employee at DeLille. And it really creates a great working environment and particularly a great learning environment for our employees.”

From the time they are hired, every DeLille employee is taught different positions and facets of the company.

“They’re taught constantly,” Weinmann says. “We can back each other up. That really helps our customers. Our trained and skilled employees can go out and see our customers every day. It’s a benefit to the employees because it helps them grow within the company. They’re taught by other employees and management and we’re all held to the same standard of being productive, professional, and, all the while, remaining safe while we do everything that we do.”

He continues, “We have a threetiered system. And if one of those tiers is missing, it won’t work. They must work together, in unison, to be successful. It’s something we preach constantly at all levels of the company.”

Like all GAWDA members, recruiting is one of the biggest challenges facing DeLille. Finding skilled employees who

will buy all the way into the company’s culture is something that the company takes very seriously.

“It’s difficult. It’s probably one of the biggest challenges that we have faced is recruiting and getting good talent,” says Weinmann. “When we successfully find a person, we give them that broad training to acclimate them to every area of the company. And we keep them involved.

We don’t just send them off to a certain plant or position. We let them know that their input is important. We welcome it on every project that we’re doing. Even if it doesn’t really fit their job title. It keeps them involved and intrigued with what we’re doing. We let them participate in everything we do. We’ve found that when an employee is hired, if they are still with us after three months, they tend to be here forever.”

Today, the company has 82 employees across its 10 branches.

SAFETY As one of the three pillars of DeLille’s culture, safety has always played an integral role in the company’s growth. In 2020, however, it proved more important than ever. Having a culture that is so safety-focused allowed DeLille to spring into action at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and put a plan in place to keep its employees and customers as safe as possible. Its culture of professionalism and productiveness ensured that employees could work remotely without

MEMBER PROFILE the need for micromanagement or fear of a lack of productivity.

“We implemented policies and guidelines very quickly,” Weinmann says. “They were all based on the guidance of the state of Ohio and the CDC. Obviously, we mandated the use of face masks and installed safety dividers for counters. We limited work areas as best we could. Did temperature checks. We even started, initially, steaming cylinders because nobody really knew how long COVID stayed on surfaces. We didn’t want to use any harsh chemicals on the cylinders that could get back into the tanks. So, we used steam. We did all of those right out of the gate to help protect our employees and customers.”

One of the biggest things the pandemic brought to light was just how face-to-face oriented the company was.

“We had always been a face-to-face business,” says Weinmann. “So, it was really a step back when we really couldn’t do that anymore. And we still can’t do that all that well. So, we had to learn how to use online meetings and digital platforms. And it has really helped us grow our company, in a way.”

For a business as geared toward in-person interaction as DeLille was, this could have been a jarring and disruptive change.

But because of the culture it has built over 95+ years, employees were able to take it in stride and even become more efficient.

“We had a lot of people working remotely,” says Weinmann. “And we really didn’t see any issues. Everybody stayed productive. They were available whenever we needed them. I credit that, a lot, to our people. We didn’t have to do audits or anything like that to make sure peo-

ple were working. They just were. And it certainly became a benefit to those employees, and they learned quickly that a lot of them wanted to continue to work remotely, even after the pandemic.

It has actually made us more productive.

We can achieve a lot more a lot faster by doing online meetings and stuff like that instead of trying to get everybody in one meeting. So, we get a lot more done.”

TURNING 100 DeLille will mark its 100th anniversary in 2024, a milestone that the company is excited about, but certainly not one that will cause it to be complacent.

“To us, you’re only as good as your last interaction with a customer,” Weinmann says. “What has made us successful has been our ability to provide solutions to our customers and be innovative. We

WHY BTIC AMERICA? Superior quality Competitive pricing First-class service Spring 2021 • 47

can’t rest on our laurels and be satisfied with the fact that we’ve been doing this for 100 years. We have to keep progressing and transforming and become even better for the next 100 years.”

As its experiences with COVID taught the company, one area that will be of paramount importance as it begins its journey to 200 will be its web presence. Weinmann joined the business 23 years ago and has had a front row seat to see how the growth of the Internet has impacted both DeLille and the industry as a whole.

“I remember, when I first got into sales, I had a customer that demanded email. And it was almost taboo that I was emailing a customer back and forth. Emails were just considered to be impersonal. Now, everybody emails,” Weinmann says. “It’s just something that has taken off. And now it’s something that is translating into other areas of the business.

Ecommerce and online stores, things like that. We’re starting to go down that path. And it’s just so important to keep your website updated and relevant because the customer base has changed so much.”

He continues, “Before a customer even walks into your store, they have already checked you out online. If your website is not updated, if it’s not mobile friendly, if it’s not easy to navigate or doesn’t give enough information or context, you’ve lost that customer before you even had a chance to speak with them. Having a strong online presence is vital to the new customer base. We always like doing business face-to-face but a lot of our customers don’t want that anymore. You have to communicate with them the way they want to be communicated with.”

As the company prepares to turn 100, it does so as an innovative, turnkey independent distributor, perfectly positioned to make the next 100 even better than the first.

48 • Spring 2021

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NEWS FROM GAWDA

GAWDA Regional Meetings to Resume in 2021 2021 will see the return of two Regional Meetings after all were postponed in 2020.

T

he 2021 Spring Management Conference and Annual Convention will not be the only opportunities for GAWDA members to network and learn in-person in 2021. After all the 2020 Regional Meetings were postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19, this year will see the return of the Northwest Regional Meeting in Sunriver, Oregon, from July 21-23, and the Seven Springs Regional Meeting in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, from August 24-26.

Previously scheduled Regional Meetings in League City, Texas (Southwest Region), Galloway, New Jersey (Northeast Region), and Oregon, Ohio (Central Region) have decided to postpone to 2022. Like the SMC, this year’s Regional Meetings will operate under strict safety protocols to ensure that attendees can get all the benefits of the Regionals in a safe, healthy environment.

To preview this year’s two Regional Meetings, we spoke with Northwest Regional Meeting Co-Chair Eric Bliss of General Distributing Company, and Seven Springs Regional Meeting Chair Abydee Butler Moore, of Butler Gas Products Co. about what to expect at this year’s meetings.

For the most up-to-date information, including registration information when it is available, visit gawda.org/activities/ regional-meetings.

NORTHWEST REGIONAL MEETING When is this year’s Northwest Regional Meeting set to take place?

ERIC BLISS: The event is going to take place in Sunriver, Oregon, from July 21-23, 2021.

After in-person events were canceled last year, what are you most excited about in getting back to in-person Regional Meetings this year?

ERIC BLISS: Definitely the most exciting part will be getting together with our distributor and vendor friends and partners. It’s going to be great getting caught up to see how 50 • Spring 2021

they are doing and how they survived COVID and just make the first step in getting things hopefully back to normal.

Are there any special safety precautions that will be put in place at the regional that attendees should know about in advance?

ERIC BLISS: The Safety measures will be put in place according to Oregon state laws and, of course, the resort at Sunriver. We are trying to fast-track registration, because the Northwest Regional Meeting will have a different format than what attendees are used to. The sooner we have a headcount, the sooner we can start to plan for those numbers.

Can you give a brief overview of the events that will take place at the Regional? Why should attendees be excited to attend?

The agenda is going to be very different from previous NW Regional GAWDA meetings, because of the uncertainty on who can attend. With that being said, we are trying to balance having a GAWDA Regional Meeting in a state that has had pretty strict COVID lockdown protocols with moving forward with getting our lives back to some normalcy.

I have faith that by July the vaccine will be rolled out to more of the population and people will feel comfortable traveling again.

We are going to have an opening reception, golfing, and a banquet dinner. This year’s meeting will have a heavy focus on networking and getting caught up. We look forward to having you join us to celebrate 2021!

SEVEN SPRINGS REGIONAL MEETING Where is the Regional Meeting Taking Place?

ABYDEE BUTLER MOORE: This year’s Regional Meeting is taking place at the Seven Springs Mountain Resort, located at 777 Water Wheel Drive, Seven Springs, PA 15622.

The Resort is about one hour east of Pittsburgh.

NEWS FROM GAWDA After in-person events were canceled last year, what are you most excited about in getting back to in-person Regional Meetings this year?

ABYDEE BUTLER MOORE: With the return of the Seven Springs Regional in-person in 2021, attendees can look forward to learning together, building supply chain relationships, networking with industry friends, and collaborating on business and safety best practices.

Are there any special safety precautions that will be put in place at the regional that attendees should know about in advance?

ABYDEE BUTLER MOORE: All Pennsylvania safety and wellness regulations will be followed. Stay tuned on https://www. pa.gov/ for what mitigation efforts will be pertinent in August. Seven Springs Mountain Resort has beautiful and plentiful outdoor entertainment options including sporting clays and golf that will be utilized for events during the meeting. Attendees will enjoy the fresh mountain air of western Pennsylvania and have ample space to spread out. More information about how the resort is keeping guests safe can be found at https://www.7springs.com/.

When do you expect registration to open?

ABYDEE BUTLER MOORE: We are planning for registration for the August 24-26 GAWDA meeting at Seven Springs to be open in June. Stay tuned to GAWDA.org and the GAWDA Connection for an official announcement and link to register.

Can you give a brief overview of the events that will take place at the Regional? Why should attendees be excited to attend?

ABYDEE BUTLER MOORE: Back by popular demand from its inaugural year in 2019, the Seven Springs Regional will feature a Reverse Contact Booth where each attending distributor company has a table and suppliers walk the floor!

The lineup of events kicks off with a sporting clays tournament at Seven Springs’ impeccable course, rated one of the best facilities in the country. Attendees are organized into foursomes to meet new business contacts; they travel the course as a team with equipment and instruction provided, all skill levels welcome. Think “golf with a shotgun!” That evening, all attendees gather for a mountain barbeque with live entertainment. The next morning begins with a networking breakfast, the reverse contact booth program, and the business session with three leading industry speakers. Take-home content guaranteed. After lunch, we host a golf tournament followed by another dinner function. The closing day is workshop day, packing in even more content! Agenda details will be released closer to the date.

Anything else you want to add?

ABYDEE BUTLER MOORE: The GAWDA Seven Springs meeting drew 280 attendees in 2019 with 22 distributor companies represented, 232 attendees in 2018 with 28 distributor companies represented, and 230 attendees in 2017 with 29 distributor companies represented. This longstanding meeting is one of consistently valuable business content, unrivaled networking opportunities, and an intimate atmosphere in the breathtaking mountains of western Pennsylvania. We look forward to seeing you at Seven Springs!

u p c omi n g industry events MAY 2021 GAWDA Spring Management Conference Nashville, TN MAY 24-26, 2021

JUNE 2021 IWDC Sales and Purchasing Convention Las Vegas, NV JUNE 22-24, 2021

JULY 2021 GAWDA Northwest Regional Meeting Sunriver, OR JULY 21-23, 2021

AUGUST 2021 GAWDA East/Midwest Regional Meeting Seven Springs, PA AUGUST 24-26, 2021

SEPTEMBER 2021

MDG Annual Membership Meeting Miami Beach, FL SEPTEMBER 19-21, 2021

OCTOBER 2021 GAWDA Annual Convention Colorado Springs, CO OCTOBER 6-9, 2021 IWDC Owners Meeting Greensboro, GA OCTOBER 26-29, 2021

APRIL 2022 GAWDA Spring Management Conference Indianapolis, IN APRIL 3-5, 2022 AIWD Convention Washington D.C. APRIL 22-25, 2022

FABTECH Chicago, IL SEPTEMBER 13-16, 2021 All dates are subject to change, especially in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic. For the most up-to-date information, visit gawda.org/events.

Spring 2021 • 51

COVID-19

Compressed Gas Association Lobbies for Essential Industry Workers to be Vaccinated The CGA sent a letter to all 50 state governors asking that essential workers be prioritized in vaccine distribution

BY RICH GOTTWALD AND STEVE GUGLIELMO

O

n December 23, 2020, the Compressed Gas Association sent a letter from CGA President & CEO Rich Gottwald to all 50 U.S. governors and the Mayor of Washington, D.C. urging that portions of the essential medical, food, and industrial gas workforce be included in each state’s Frontline Essential Workers (Phase 1b) prioritization to receive COVID-19 vaccines.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the CGA has been an indispensable resource for the compressed gas industry. Its COVID-19 Industry Toolkit provides resources, links and other critical information related to COVID-19, both for member companies and also on the state of important topics like medical oxygen availability, dry ice supply, cylinder cleaning guidelines and much more.

Rich Gottwald was gracious enough to join Welding & Gases Today for a conversation about the CGA’s response to the pandemic and ongoing efforts to get portions of our industry prioritized for vaccination. We thank him so much for his time.

(Editor’s Note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity) 52 • Spring 2021

WELDING & GASES TODAY: I wanted to talk about the CGA’s efforts to ensure that portions of the medical, food and industrial gas workforce are included in phase 1B of the vaccine rollouts in all 50 states. I know that you have contacted the governors in each state. Could you give me an overview about where those efforts stemmed from and the status of them?

RICH GOTTWALD: Back in the Fall, when the CDC announced what the federal recommendation priority order would be, we realized that our products were critical to society in many ways. Medical oxygen being the number one treatment for COVID, CO2 being used for all sorts of food and beverage applications, these were essential. And so, we thought it would be wise to move, not the entire industry, but those in the industry that were involved in delivering the products to medical centers and hospitals, to ensure that they were protected. Making sure that the people making the gases for food supply were protected, so that wouldn’t be interrupted. We looked at what our products’ roles were in society and

COVID-19 determined that that was something that should be given consideration.

WGT: You sent that letter out in late December, as the vaccines were gaining approval and starting their initial roll out. You contacted all 50 governors and the Mayor of Washington, D.C. What has the response been, so far?

RICH: We heard from several states immediately. Many states told us that they were just starting to get their arms around the problem and that they would keep us posted. As we have moved through the past two months, we have not seen our products moved up the list. I think there’s a couple of reasons for that.

I think there has been a challenge in the fact that the federal government did not have the deciding authority, and they left it up to the states. In every state, there are different rules as to how they formulate that list. I think, at this point, most states are still vaccinating elderly and those with underlying health conditions. I have not seen any movement that it looks like our employees are going to be moved up the list. There are a lot of industries who feel that they should also be moved up the list. There is a lot of jockeying.

WGT: We talked about why you felt it was important to lobby on behalf of these workers, but have you heard from CGA members or people in the

medical oxygen field about specific challenges that they encountered during the height of the pandemic?

Any areas where you felt that members were being specifically challenged?

RICH: If you go back to the medical oxygen issue, the fact is that many companies were delivering oxygen to hospitals with COVID wards or facilities that were specifically designed to treat COVID. It was understood that it was important to keep those people, specifically, protected. They were going into hospitals, many times they were handing the product off to people who are all geared up. It was important that we kept that supply moving. That was one of the initial drivers behind it. continued on next page

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COVID-19 I also would note that, even though we have not successful, to date, in having our people moved up the list, another reason for doing this is that since the beginning of COVID, we realized how little our industry is known and understood by regulators and by the general public. We have used many opportunities, since the beginning of COVID, to make sure that people understand the role that our products play in society and how important they are. Even this letter, we were able to reach out to every single state and demonstrate the value that we are providing. We are providing the most important treatment for COVID. This is an industry that is important, and it should be recognized. Even that, in itself, has been a positive part of this.

WGT: You mentioned the light that has been shone on the industry throughout all of this. CGA, specifically, has put forth a really impressive COVID-19 resource center. Not just the letter to the governors, but also webinars and guidance for members. Could you talk about the resource center and the types of topics you covered and just the work that CGA has done throughout this pandemic to educate members and the industry at large?

RICH: We did recognize early on that we could play a role in helping our members comply with this. One of our tenets, when we set this is up, was that the COVID toolkit would focus specifically on issues pertaining to our members where we had expertise. If

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people could find some general thing by reading The Washington Post, that was not going to go into our resource center. We wanted to be very specific on the type of information that was usable for our members and that impacted their businesses. That was the beginning of it.

We also realized, back in the beginning, when we were talking with all levels of government around CO2 shortages, or the need for medical oxygen, that we were having conversations with regulators that other people weren’t able to have. That we would be able to communicate some of those insights directly to our members. We also then realized that it was too important to keep behind the wall just for members.

We wanted to make sure that anybody in the industry, and really anybody who needed this information, could get access to this information. And so, in that toolkit, we put a lot of our standards and documents that are typically member-only documents, we made them available to anybody that we thought could benefit from those.

We also made some proactive efforts.

For instance, back in the Spring of 2020, when Javits Center was setting up a COVID Care Center, we worked with them to help them understand how to set up a field hospital with oxygen systems and how to do that quickly. What challenges to avoid.

We were proactive with California just last month. They were setting up facilities to quickly fill oxygen cylinders to be shipped to all these hospitals.

We had read something about it in the newspaper and our technical staff saw a couple of things that jumped out at them. So, we put together communication with them and provided them with resources on how to do it safely, quickly, efficiently and to make sure that, at the end of the day, they were not going to

COVID-19 Medical oxygen being the number one treatment for COVID, CO2 being used for all sorts of food and beverage applications, these were essential. have any safety challenges and were able to get the product out to medical facilities quickly.

WGT: I know the phrase “Once COVID is over...” has gotten beaten into the ground, but looking past this pandemic, are there any lessons learned for CGA or for its members that have come out of this that you think are going to stick around and that we will be better off for in the long run? Any lasting wisdom that is going to come out of this?

RICH: I think the communication piece. We will continue to educate on the value of our products and the value of our industry. People know the value of our products. But we have always been known as the “invisible industry.”

We want to change that so that people understand what our industry brings to society. And that can help in many different ways. Whether it’s in a crisis like this where we have products that are needed. It could even play into things like young people looking for careers to get involved in. Like any industry out there, we’re looking to make sure that young people get involved and we have young people to hire into the industry. Just letting people know that this industry

exists, young engineers and young technicians. This is an industry to get involved in. So, I think you are going to see continued focus on increased communications around CGA and the industry itself.

WGT: Is there anything you are working on currently with regards to COVID that you want to make sure members are aware of?

RICH: I have talked to many news outlets over the past year. Over the past couple of weeks, I have gotten calls from major media outlets who all want an update. We have been fortunate to be able to say that it appears, for the moment, that the peak in North America of the inability to provide

oxygen and the CO 2 shortages that we had been concerned about, those have gone by the wayside. Right now, there is an ability to meet the demand for those products. So, I would say that, for the moment, we are good as an industry. Our members are meeting the demands that are coming at them.

We also got some positive news the other day that the Pfizer vaccine can go for two weeks without being put on ultra-cold. So even though we were confidently meeting that demand for dry ice, I think that allows everybody to take a deep breath and worry less about that aspect of delivery. So, I think there are a lot of positive data points out there for the country and for the industry that we are able to meet these demands.

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Spring 2021 • 55

Mental Health and the Workplace How to Assist Struggling Employees

BY PAUL BANUSKI

W Paul Banuski is a human resource consultant for HR One, a full-service payroll and human resource consulting firm.

For more information, call the company’s Helpline at 1-800-457-8829.

hat is the responsibility of a manager when he/she suspects an employee may be struggling with depression, anxiety or other mental health challenges? It’s not an unreasonable question, and it is one that every supervisor should be prepared to answer, considering that 1 in 5 Americans will be diagnosed with a mental or behavioral health issue this year, according to the Center for Disease Control. Whether it’s an anxiety disorder, PTSD, post-partum depression, bipolar or any other number of conditions, mental health issues can be a disruptive part of an employee’s life that can lead to struggles that will inevitably intrude on the workplace. If an organization doesn’t take employee mental well-being seriously, it could prove to be a drag on entire teams, departments and organizations.

How much of a drag does mental health pose to the bottom line? According to the Center for Workplace Mental Health, part of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, depression is the leading cause of disability in the United States, resulting in over $210 billion per year in absenteeism, reduced productivity and medical expenses.

CALCULATING THE COST OF ABSENTEEISM The Center for Workplace Mental Health has a calculator (http://www.workplacementalhealth. org/depressioncalculator/) to help organizations see what the cost to their business could be based on the number of employees, industry, region and more. The calculator will default to average 56 • Spring 2021

demographics and wage information, but you can specify your own data. Using the averages for an agricultural employer in the Northeast with 50 employees, it is estimated that depression could cost a single business 63 days in absenteeism and 53 days of reduced productivity, totaling more than $27,000 in a given year. On the one hand, it seems impossible that any organization would put up with that type of loss, yet thousands do because they aren’t paying attention to their employees’ mental well-being.

PANDEMIC ADDS MORE STRESSORS As if this weren’t enough of a challenge, being in the midst of a global health pandemic has placed all new stressors on workplaces and employees.

From businesses that have been ordered to shut down or were left with no other option than to reduce operations, the economic uncertainty we’re facing can exacerbate mental health conditions. If mental health issues weren’t a concern for some organizations in a pre-COVID world, they have moved quickly to the foreground.

One of the primary roadblocks for businesses that want to help is that mental health issues can still carry significant social stigma relative to other health concerns, and those who are affected may not seek treatment or care. In recent years, more attention is being paid to mental health, and public awareness of the importance of seeking treatment has gone up, but it seems there are still barriers in the workplace. Studies have found that being open regarding a mental health challenge may result

COVID-19 in lowered expectations, lack of respect, isolation from co-workers, a decrease in job responsibility, being passed over for a promotion or increased likelihood of termination. Unless employers want to be saddled with the costs outlined above for not addressing these issues, then they must take a proactive approach to mental health in the workplace.

REDUCE STIGMA IN THE WORKPLACE The first thing to do is work towards reducing the stigma of mental illness.

The Center for Workplace Mental Health has a campaign called Right Direction that offers guidance for employers who want to address mental health struggles in the workplace. It’s important to note that your organization may already have resources that can be helpful to employees. Check to see what mental health services may be covered by your health insurance plans. Is a referral from a primary care physician required?

Under the Affordable Care Act, health insurance plans must cover mental and behavioral health care treatments which cannot be more restrictive than other medical care treatments. Just knowing that care is available can begin to break down the barriers to seeking it.

EAP PLANS ALLOW EMPLOYERS TO STAY CONNECTED Employers should also consider investing in an Employee Assistance Plan, a voluntary program employees opt into that can offer short term counseling, arrange referrals for additional treatment, particularly for issues surrounding mental health or substance abuse, as well as grief counseling, domestic abuse and other family difficulties. EAP services are paid for by the employer, typically either on a per capita basis or based on utilization. Having an employee go through an EAP can allow the em-

ployer to stay connected to the process of treatment (without disclosing the employee’s protected health or personal information) because the goal of the EAP is to provide assistance to the employee with the goal of helping him/her return to function at work while coping with a particular situation.

SPOT THE SIGNS OF STRUGGLE Among the resources that Right Direction offers, one of the most helpful is a guide to spotting the signs that employees may be struggling, and then starting a conversation with them.

Having great employee benefits and a strong EAP won’t make a difference if supervisors cannot connect the employee to help in the first place. If a supervisor notices a drop in employee

productivity, if he/she seems disengaged or disinterested in work that he/she was once enthusiastic about, it can be a sign that an employee is struggling with a mental health concern. A supervisor should recognize these signs and take a private moment to ask if the employee is ok, and, most importantly, to listen to what the employee has to say. Expressing a willingness to help can reassure employees that they don’t need to be afraid for their jobs and that seeking help is the priority for both them and the organization.

Reducing the stigma of mental illness and having resources in place to help employees who are struggling will not only create a more comfortable and open workplace for the workers, but it will help the organization’s bottom line.

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CYBERSECURITY

Don’t Open That!

Keeping Your Computer Safe

BY DEANNA PELLIGRINO

N

ow, more than ever, we rely on the digital world to keep our businesses moving. But with the ever-increasing use of email, social media and other forms of digital communication comes equally increasing concerns about keeping our information safe. Here are a few tips!

1. WHEN IN DOUBT, DELETE! Follow your gut. If you receive something and wonder, “Why am I getting this?” there’s probably a good reason to be suspicious. Don’t click on links or open attachments from emails or senders that you’re not expecting. The damage that could be done from opening a malicious link or attachment is much greater than the value you might get from information sent.

2. HOVER OVER LINKS AND EMAIL ADDRESSES By hovering your mouse over hyperlinks and email addresses, you can often tell if they are linking to something unexpected. For example, when hovering over an email address that appears to be from your Farm Credit East representative, does it end in @FarmCreditEast.com? If not, then it’s likely from an imposter and should be deleted immediately.

58 • Spring 2021

3. USE EMAIL FROM A REPUTABLE PROVIDER Large companies like Google, Microsoft, Comcast, etc., have detection software already in place and will filter suspicious email to a junk folder, if not delete it entirely. On that note, a best practice is to scan items that go into your spam folder and delete anything that you were not expecting or seems out of place.

4. CREATE STRONG PASSWORDS AND UPDATE REGULARLY In addition to creating strong passwords, you should also update your passwords regularly and not use the same password for all your accounts. It’s especially important to separate business passwords from those you use for personal, leisure accounts. For example, your Netflix password shouldn’t be the same as your bank password. Here are some tips for creating a strong password: • Make your password longer than the minimum required length — 12 characters or more is recommended. Most often, hackers will try combinations with the minimum amount of characters.

• Use a mix of characters, including letters, numbers and symbols, and add symbols and numbers in your words or between words. Example: F@rmcr3d!teA$t

• Avoid personal information and common words (e.g.

Don’t use “password” as your password, or your birth date or sequential keyboard letters like “qwerty”).

• Use a random sentence, abbreviating and capitalizing certain letters. Example: “Take me to the beach” turns into Take-Me2The_Beach!

• Use multiple word phrases that wouldn’t normally go together such as BlanketCheetahLaundryRed • Use a random password generator to create long, complicated passwords.

5. VERIFY VIA AN ALTERNATIVE FORM OF COMMUNICATION If someone is asking for personal information, don’t give it right away — especially if it’s suspect. Instead, if you receive an email from your bank requesting personally identifiable information, call your bank to verify it has requested this information.

6. RELY ON TRUSTED SOURCES Just because you get an email doesn’t mean you should do what the email says. Instead, visit the website of the sender’s organization or call the sender directly to verify the content of the message. For example, during the pandemic, hackers preyed on people’s fears during a crisis, requesting personal information via email. Throughout the pandemic, every state has a website providing updated information on relief programs and other response efforts, so visit this trusted source for the most accurate information instead — and certainly don’t submit personal information by way of email.

7. REVIEW YOUR CREDIT REPORTS OFTEN Keeping an eye on your credit reports will allow you to identify any suspicious accounts that may have been created.

It’s recommended to review your credit reports at least once per year. The three major credit reporting agencies are required to provide free credit reports once annually. Visit annualcreditreport.com to learn more.

8. KEEP YOUR SOFTWARE UP TO DATE Set your computer, cell phone and other devices to automatically install software updates. These updates may protect your devices from security threats.

Deanna Pelligrino is an information security specialist at Farm Credit East.

Spring 2021 • 59

TRENDS & TECHNOLOGY

Gaming Google: 4 Tips and A Gift

BY BRIAN BLUFF, SITE-SEEKER, INC.

W Brian Bluff is the president and cofounder of Site-Seeker, Inc., an Internet marketing firm specializing in SEO, SEM, social media and web development, with a strong focus on the B2B manufacturing and distribution arena.

Together with his brother, Eddie Bluff, vice president of key accounts, Brian has grown the company into a successful source of search engine and social media marketing solutions.

hen it comes to a digital presence, the first go-to-market tactic is typically organic search engine optimization (SEO).

SEO involves configuring your website to rank at the top of the search engines for free (also called organic). Establishing high rankings is about two things: relevance and authority. In this article, I’ll focus on relevance and provide you four tips and one free gift to help you capture valuable traffic for your website.

TIP 1 - YOUR URL SHOULD CONTAIN YOUR TARGET KEYWORD Let’s say you want to rank for the term “welding training Syracuse, NY.” The first thing you should do is create a page with a URL that looks like this - www.mycompany. com/welding-training-syracuse-ny/.

Why Are URLs important?

Because URLs serve as Google’s first clue about the subject matter of that web page.

TIP 2 - YOUR TITLE TAG SHOULD CONTAIN A VARIATION OF YOUR MAIN KEYWORD In website lingo, a “title tag” is an HTML element that serves as the title of that web page.

It gives the reader (and Google!) an indication of the content’s subject.

60 • Spring 2021

Title tags aren’t easily visible on the web page itself. Rather, they are displayed by the search engines at the top of a listing. Figure 1 on the next page is a screenshot taken from Google when I searched for the term “welding training Syracuse, NY.” Title tags should be between 50-60 characters long.

What should you do?

Check your title tags to see that they have been deliberately written and assigned to your web page and are in alignment with the rest of the content on your page.

If I want to look at the title tags for an entire website, my favorite tool to use is Screaming Frog. Visit https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/ to download the free version of Screaming Frog.

TIP 3 - THE BIG BOLD TEXT AT THE TOP OF YOUR WEB PAGE SHOULD CONTAIN YOUR TARGET KEYWORD The text at the top of most web pages, just under the website’s navigation, is normally bold and bigger than the rest of the text on the page.

This draws attention to that text and provides visitors (and Google) another clue about the subject matter of the page.

When done properly, developers code that text as an H1 tag. In simplest terms, H tags are a convenient way for developers to assign a different size, color and/or font to the visible

TRENDS & TECHNOLOGY content on a web page. H tags, which stands for headline, can be named H1, H2, H3, H4, H5 or H6 and typically vary in size and style.

H1’s are the most important.

Think about H tags as the table of contents for a single web page. Every web page should have only one H1 tag.

Under the H1 tag, you will likely have one or more H2’s. Under the H2’s you may have H3 tags (sub-headlines of the H2), and so on.

In between each H tag, you would normally find body text.

How can you check your website?

The URL for the page shown in Figure 1 is: https://weldingcareernow.com/ welding-schools/syracuse-ny.

Paste that URL into this free tool www.browseo.net to identify the structure of the page and specifically the use of H tags. See Table 1 to the right.

Notice how each H2 relates contextually to the H1 and that the use of the H3 “Other Cities Near Syracuse, NY” is a logical subtopic of the H2 “Other Programs in Your Area.”

Make sure your web pages contain a similar structure.

TIP 4 - USE INTERNAL LINKS TO ESTABLISH AUTHORITY AND ACKNOWLEDGE CONTEXT TO YOUR WEB PAGES

Figure 1: Example of a title tag in the top Google search result for the term “welding training Syracuse NY.” Title tags should contain your target keyword phrase.

H1

Welder Training Schools near Syracuse, NY

H2

Select your Program

H2

Welding Schools near Syracuse, NY

H2

Source

H2

Other Programs in Your Area

H3

Other cities near Syracuse, NY

Table 1: Screenshot from browseo.net showing the proper use of H tag hierarchy on a webpage.

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Links to a page can either be internal from the same domain (your own website) or external from other websites. For this article, I’ll focus only on internal links or links from within the same domain.

Let’s say that we wanted another bump to get the welding training in Syracuse, NY web page onto the first page of Google.

The next step would be to review the other pages on the website and find ways to link from the content area of

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TRENDS & TECHNOLOGY H TAG

QUESTION (TOPIC)

MONTHLY SEARCH VOLUME

H1

Welding Training Available in Syracuse, NY (add 50-150 words)

H2

how long is welding school (add 50-150 words)

1300

H2

what are the education and training requirements for a welder (add 50-150 words)

30

H3

how difficult is welding school (add 50-150 words)

20

H3

what is the best welding certification (add 50-150 words)

70

H2

where can I take welding classes near me (add 50-150 words)

70

H2

how much is welding school (add 50-150 words)

590

H2

how to get a welding job after school (add 50-150 words)

10

Table 2: Outline of a web page based on Google search volume.

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those pages to the “Welding training Syracuse, NY” page.

For example, we could write two or three sentences on the About Us page about welding training and insert a link to the “Welding Training Syracuse, NY” page. Here’s how that might look.

We are proud to provide our local Central NY community with the highest quality welding equipment and work hard to deliver great service. For those new to the trade, be sure to check out our welding training classes right here in Syracuse, NY. You’ll want to link back to your target page at least 5 to 10 times throughout your website. Be sure to include your target keywords in the anchor text (the blue underlined text) about 80% of the time.

How do I check my internal anchor text?

Warning! Several of my coworkers said that the below section was too complicated and that it might hurt your head. So, if you don’t feel like reading the rest of this section, either watch this YouTube tutorial on Screaming Frog https://bit.ly/3mdyyyk or email or call me.

In Screaming Frog, enter your domain name in the box immediately to the right of the logo. Hit start. Once the crawl is complete, select the URL you want to investigate in the upper pane.

At the bottom of the lower pane, select “inlinks.” You should now be looking at all of the internal links to the page you have highlighted in the upper pane. Click the export button in the lower pane and paste the data into a spreadsheet.

This will tell you which pages are linking to your target page. Next, visit those pages, read the content and find a way to include a link with your target keywords as the anchor text. Repeat this process until you have 5-10 links pointing to your target page.

TRENDS & TECHNOLOGY

MY FREE GIFT TO YOU I want to help you capture some extremely valuable search engine traffic by creating one or more new web pages that are certain to rank well in Google, especially if you incorporate what you’ve learned in this article.

Step 1: Download this spreadsheet - bit.ly/GAWDAseo Use the above link to download a Google Sheets spreadsheet containing more than 4,000 welding-related ques-

tions which generate more than 145,000 Google searches every month.

create an outline with H tags (described above in Tip #3).

Step 2: Select a topic to write about.

Review the questions people ask Google and select a topic to write about.

Do this by filtering the data by cells containing different keywords like steel, MIG, TIG, aluminum, job, etc.

As an example, I found 73 questions with a combined monthly search volume of 3,350 by filtering for words like training, class, school, and certification.

Step 4: Write and publish Now that you’ve identified keywords relevant to your business, and you’ve created an outline for your page, it’s time to start writing.

Add 50-150 words below each topic.

When you’re done, publish the page adding a link to the page from your top navigation bar and elsewhere as described in Tip #4.

Table 2 lays out the page we’ve been discussing.

Final piece of advice.

I’m excited to share this approach with you. There’s a lot here and I have tried to be brief. If you have any questions or want to share your success, feel free to give me a call.

Step 3: Select the questions you want to answer and create a page outline.

In the column titled “Questions most relevant to my business,” select the questions you want to write about. Next,

NEXT LEVEL

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Spring 2021 • 63

TRENDS & TECHNOLOGY

SEARCH ENGINE TRENDS

P

art of developing a comprehensive digital marketing campaign is understanding how customers and potential customers are using the Internet to find your products and your website. The graphs and information below all come from Google Trends, which analyzes the popularity of search queries in Google Search across various regions and languages. The graphs scale “Interest Over Time” which represent search interest relative to the highest point in the chart for the given region and time-period. So, a value of 100 is the peak popularity for the term.

for the Gases & Welding Industry

BY STEVE GUGLIELMO

Another alternative is “Google Keyword Planner.” To use this tool, you must have a Google Ads account. The Keyword Planner lets you search keywords and suggests other words or phrases related to your products and services. It lets you research the trend information for how often certain words are searched and how those searches have changed over time and also gives you suggested bid estimates for each keyword so you can determine your advertising budget.

In today’s digital environment, we strongly encourage members to capitalize on this growing trend and ensure that your company is visible in the place where people search the most.

NASHVILLE TRAVEL

TOP RELATED SEARCH QUERIES • Average Search Volume has increased 1,500% YoY • Average Search Volume has increased 65% over the past 5 years

64 • Spring 2021

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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TRENDS & TECHNOLOGY B2B ECOMMERCE

• Average Search Volume has increased 15.1% YoY • Average Search Volume has increased 393.8% over the past 5 years

TOP RELATED SEARCH QUERIES 1. B2B ecommerce solutions 2. B2B ecommerce platform 3. B2B ecommerce software

OSHA TRAINING

• Average Search Volume has increased 28.1% YoY • Average Search Volume has increased 17.9% over the past 5 years

TOP RELATED SEARCH QUERIES 1.

2.

3.

4.

OSHA 10 Training OSHA 10 Online OSHA Training OSHA Safety Training

INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT)

• Average Search Volume has increased 16.7% YoY • Average Search Volume has decreased 51.9% over the last 5 years

TOP RELATED SEARCH QUERIES 1.

2.

3.

4.

The Internet of Things What is Internet of Things IoT Internet of Things Internet of Things Applications Spring 2021 • 65

SALES & MARKETING

2021 Outlook for Industrial Gases and Hardgoods

BY J. R. (BUZZ) CAMPBELL, MAURA GARVEY, AND KEN THOMPSON

T

I

3.8

II

2.7

III

2.1

IV

1.3

I

2.9

and the 1Q21 edition of Welding & Gases Today. As further preparation, we have reviewed the Federal Reserve’s regional report (the Beige Book), the March 25, 2021 GDP release and Industrial Production reports from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). We have 2019 theIV public information of IIalso reviewed III I II 2 Linde, 2.1and TNSC 2.3 (Matheson), 0.3 AL, AP, with particular attention to their U.S. 2.2 revenues and businesses together with 2019 surveys specific to our industry.

II

1.5

III

2.6

IV

2.4

I

-5

II

THE U.S. ECONOMY U.S. Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) shrank -3.5% in 2020, compared with an increase of 2.2% in 2019. Real U.S. 2020 GDP, at seasonally adjusted annual rates in chained to 2012 dollars, was $18.4 trillion. As shown in Figure 1, 2020 theIII percent change from the preceding IV -9 -2.82020 shows -2.4 the impact of the periods in economy shutting downw drastically in -3.5 March, then dramatically increasing in Q3 2020 moderate recovery continuing in Q4. with -31.4

III

33.4

IV

4.3

U.S. REAL GDP - PERCENT CHANGE FROM PRECEDING PERIOD (1Q’18–4Q’20) Figure 1 Source: US Bureau of Economic Analysis

Figure 1

40

$18.4 Trillion

30 20 Percent Change

I

his article will provide an analysis of the U.S. Economy of 2020 and our gas industry fit in its markets that use gases and hardgoods. We review the 2020 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Industrial Production (IP) levels with 2018 theII view of our position in III industry’s IV I 3.1 3.3 3.1 2.5U.S. gas 2.3 those significant markets.

The and related businesses have come out 3 of a very difficult 2020, as indicated by 2018 reports from the majors, various surveys

10 0 -10 -20 -30 -40

I

II

III 2018

66 • Spring 2021

IV

I

II

III 2019

IV

I

II

III 2020

IV

SALES & MARKETING The decrease in real GDP in 2020 reflected decreases in Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE), exports, private inventory investment, nonresidential fixed investment, and state and local government that were partly offset by increases in federal government spending and residential fixed investment.

U.S. REAL GDP - PERCENT CHANGE FROM PRECEDING PERIOD (1Q’18–4Q’20) An answer to the question of “now what for 2021?” is shown in Figure 2, which shows three levels of growth projected for the U.S. Economy (GDP) from two sources. We have included the Economist’s estimates for China, the EU Area and Japan for comparison.

ANNUAL ECONOMIC GROWTH % ESTIMATE - 2021 REGION

LOW

MEDIAN

HIGH

The Economist Intelligence Unit US

3.7%

5.9%

7.0%

China

5.4%

7.0%

8.5%

EU Area

3.0%

4.3%

5.8%

Japan

1.0%

2.3%

3.4%

5.5%

6.5%

The Conference Board Forecast - US 2.8%

US Figure 2 Source: Sources Noted

continued on next page

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SALES & MARKETING FIGURE 3: U.S. MARKET SEGMENTS DRIVING U.S. INDUSTRIAL GAS BUSINESS 2018-2020

ANNUAL ECONOMIC GROWTH FORECAST - 2021 A recent meeting of the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve noted that having contracted by 2.4% in 2020, a rebound in the U.S. Economy of 4.2% in 2021 is expected, with slowing to 3.2% in 2022, with 2.4% in 2023.

While real U.S. GDP is a good indicator of overall economic strength, about 55% of its value is derived from consumer spending and services that are not directly related to our businesses of industrial, medical, and specialty gases and hardgoods. Since more than 70% of our industry’s business is derived from manufacturing, we look at the Federal Reserve Board’s (FRB) (federalreserve. gov) Industrial Production (IP) index, which measures the real output of manufacturing, construction, healthcare, Government, mining, and gas-utilities, for trends. Over the last several years, Intelligas Consulting has developed special databases and models to track the development of the key market segments for volumetric market demand and supply chain development. The following section provides an analysis of the U.S. economy for those major gas and related systems markets organized by the value of their Industrial Production as estimated for the period of 2018 through 2020.

The manufacturing sector had been a bright spot for the U.S. economy, but it came under stress with COVID in 2020.

The Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM’s) manufacturing activity gauge, Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), fell by 18.5% to a low of 41.5 in April 2020 from 50.9 in January. (The PMI is an index summarizing economic activity in the manufacturing sector based on a survey of manufacturing supply executives who are asked to gauge activity in a number of categories, such as new 68 • Spring 2021

MARKET SIZE

PERCENT

SEGMENT GROWTH, %

$US, trillion

Share of US

Market Segments

2020

Gas Business '18 - '19 '19 - '20

Agriculture

0.27

0.5%

0.9%

2.0%

Mining/Oil & Gas Extraction

0.42

2.0%

7.1%

-10.3%

Construction

0.67

5.0%

2.4%

0.0%

Nonmetallic Mineral Prod

0.05

2.5%

-0.1%

-3.7%

Primary Metals

1.00

7.0%

-0.7%

-14.6%

Fab Metals

0.13

9.5%

1.1%

-7.4%

Machinery

0.13

12.0%

-5.0%

-8.4%

Computer & Elect Comp

0.36

10.0%

5.2%

2.9%

Electrical Equip

0.06

3.0%

-0.4%

-5.9%

Motor vehicles

0.17

2.5%

-2.4%

-15.0%

Aerospace/Trans Equip

0.11

1.0%

1.8%

-17.4%

Miscellaneous

0.10

0.5%

2.4%

-9.3%

Food & tobacco products

0.24

6.0%

0.0%

-0.4%

Paper

0.06

1.5%

-3.1%

-3.1%

Chemical

0.33

12.5%

0.1%

-3.2%

Petroleum Products

0.22

4.0%

-1.1%

-12.3%

Rubber and Plastics

0.08

1.0%

-1.7%

-6.5%

Subtotal

3.04

73.0%

0.1%

-8.6%

Transportation

0.50

4.0%

1.6%

-15.7%

Government

2.18

4.5%

4.0%

4.3%

Services, Health

1.41

11.0%

2.3%

-4.9%

TOTAL

8.49

100%

2.1%

-4.2%

Est

Manufacturing

Note: Green text indicates markets which contribute greater than a 6% share to the revenues of the US industrial gas business.

Figure 3 Source: BEA, U.S. Federal Reserve G.17 Industrial Reports, and Intelligas Consulting

SALES & MARKETING orders, inventories, and production.

Readings below an index of 50 points indicates contraction of demand while those above indicate expansion.) The trend in the ISM PMI increased to over 50 in June as the economy opened up and reached 60.5 by December 2020 with a further increase to 60.8 in February 2021.

Figure 3 shows the important segments making up $8.5 Trillion of the $18.4 Trillion economy.

U.S. MARKET SEGMENTS DRIVING U.S. INDUSTRIAL GAS BUSINESS 2018-2020 As shown in Figure 3, Industrial Production declined in all of the significant markets for industrial gases

(highlighted in green) in 2020, with the exception of Computers and Electronic Components. The biggest decline in IP for big industrial gas markets was in Primary Metals, where growth declined -14.6% in 2020, where there is high demand for gases. Overall IP declined from +2.2% growth in 2019 to - 4.2% in 2020.

The ISM Fall 2020 Semi-Annual Economic Forecast reported that economic improvement would continue into 2021 where manufacturing growth is expected. The report projected manufacturing revenue would increase 6.9% and Capital Expenditures would increase 2.4%. Following that trend, the February 2021 ISM Report on Business noted that

16 of the 18 manufacturing industries report growth in February, including all industries where the U.S. Industrial Gas Business derives greater than 6% of revenues (shown in Figure 3) as well as a number of the smaller markets that provide volume and revenues to our business.

MAJOR U.S. GAS AND HARDGOODS PLAYERS Figure 4 provides a summary of four of the major industrial gas company’s annual revenues for their Fiscal Years of 2019 and 2020. We have captured the raw data and adjusted the data to $US for ease of comparison. The data is simplified to revenue levels of their

FIGURE 4: MAJOR INDUSTRIAL GAS COMPANY ESTIMATED REVENUES 2019 TO 2020 (USD BILLIONS)

2019

2020

% CHANGE '19 - '20

% CHANGE Q4 - '19 > '20

WW Total

WW Gas

US Gas

WW Total

WW Gas

US Gas

WW Total

WW Gas

US Gas

WW Gas

US Gas

AL (1)(4)(5)

24.6

23.6

7.4

23.4

22.4

7.2

-4.9%

-4.9%

-2.1%

1.5%

-2.4%

AP

8.9

8.5

3.7

8.9

8.3

3.5

-0.7%

-3.1%

-6.2%

5.3%

-0.2%

Linde (1)(4)(5)

31.5

25.9

8.2

31.1

25.8

7.9

-1.5%

-0.3%

-4.1%

12.3%

7.2%

TNSC (2)

6.7

6.5

1.7

8.1

7.8

1.9

19.7%

20.7%

10.7%

NA

NA

Company (3)

Notes: (1) Original Revenue Units in Euro’s

(2) Original Revenue Units in Yen

(3) Messer not Public, not included

(4) U.S. Gas Revenues for Combination of AL and Linde includes Hardgoods Revenues (~$4-4.5B) (5) EU vs $US Exchange Rate Favored $US by 7.7% in 1Q21 vs 4Q21 Figure 4 Source: Annual Reports and Earnings Releases and Intelligas Consulting Estimates Spring 2021 • 69

SALES & MARKETING worldwide total and gas businesses, and their U.S. gas business. As 2020 was a down year, with recovery starting in the 4Q20 (calendar quarter), we show the Year-on-Year changes for ’19 to ’20 and then the percent changes from 4Q19 to 4Q20. While we only have preliminary data for 1Q21, we understand that, while prices are increasing, volumes have not increased appreciatively resulting is very moderate increase in revenues. We do expect volumes to pick up in the next three quarters with useful increases in pricing from vigorous cost pass-throughs and better revenue increases in the U.S. gas and hardgoods business. The majors will continue to note the non-operating revenue effects on their financials from currency and other existential costs increases.

MAJOR INDUSTRIAL GAS COMPANY ESTIMATED REVENUES - 2019 TO 2020 (USD BILLIONS) With regard to favorable increases in the U.S. economy, we note with interest that the 2020 GAWDA Distributor Survey (1Q21 issue) surveyed 44 distributors from the four GAWDA Regions. That review indicates a clustering of revenue growth of 6-8% in revenue increases for 2021, mostly from a V-shaped recovery. We note that little mention is made of those increases from gases vs. hardgoods or from volume vs. price. For those insights, Baird Equity Research conducts a quarterly survey which provides relevant background information. Some comments on the

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distributor end of the U.S. gas and hardgoods business follow.

2021 DISTRIBUTOR FORECASTING SUMMARY Examining the cross section of distributor companies interviewed would suggest that the mix is representative of GAWDA’s breakdown by company size. The overwhelming majority are in the lower revenue brackets and have product mixes that trend toward hardgoods sales. It’s also true that some of the smaller companies do not enjoy the analytical resource depth of the larger regional players. To that end, 2021 growth averages anticipated may be reflective of increases resulting from pricing actions opposed to real expansion of unit sales. Forecast growth envisioned by the larger regional distributors are somewhat less than the manufacturers, but the values are still quite meaningful. Pricing actions announced by hardgoods suppliers early in 2021 are in the neighborhood of 10 percent. A few have already revised prices for the second time in 1Q21.

A look at volume growth predicted by the hardgoods manufacturers are, in many cases, higher than distributors are forecasting. That may suggest that hardgoods suppliers may see expansion through alternate internet-based channels which would be unknown to the distributors. If so, it would confirm some opinions that welding, metals working, and even some gases accessories are passing through a changing and much more diverse supply chain.

Those distributors with a more meaningful position in their gas segment’s view growth somewhat differently. First, they have little choice than to accept the contracted gas price increases imposed by suppliers. Where allowed by their customer contracts,

SALES & MARKETING they will pass those additional costs through adding some modest amounts to maintain acceptable margins. Those distributors have also seen very steep increases in the cost of cylinders and cryogenic tanks, the result of universal price increases in steel, alloys, and aluminum. As they adjust to the increased cost of growth and replace many assets, they will increase rental rates and facilities charges with more depreciation and the increase in net cash flow and business value.

Fuel, driver and other distribution costs are moving quietly forward. We expect distributors to quickly adjust delivery charges to offset those costs and maintain margins. We also anticipate increases in other service fees if

regulatory compliance, conformance standards and unique “global warming” structure fee are renewed or added to costs. Our industry has no room to absorb these kinds of burdensome costs to our business operations.

SUMMARY Our U.S. industrial gas industry seems to have fared better than the U.S. economy as a whole. Much of the continuing recovery in manufacturing will depend on the continued recovery from Covid with the performance of herd immunity plus continued and vigorous curative and vaccination programs and the coping of Covid mutations.

With the slow recovery of Europe and South Asia, there are likely to be

further disruptions in supply chain elements that will need to be anticipated by and with our customer groups.

These external challenges together with internal resource sourcing will put even more pressure on cost control plus the pass through of cost increases with margin maintenance in pricing. The premium on the quality of good management will be greater in 2021 than ever in maintaining reasonable growth in revenues and cashflow for continued investment in our businesses. Further consolidation of our industry’s player groups is likely to accelerate in facing up to these challenges.

LIFTING UP THE INDUSTRY

Spring 2021 • 71

SALES & MARKETING

To Be or Not to Be? B2B E-commerce

BY FRANK KASNICK, IWDC PRESIDENT AND CEO

I Frank Kasnick is the President and CEO of the Independent Welding Distributors Cooperative.

72 • Spring 2021

have not met an Independent, whether part of our group or not, who isn’t struggling with their e-commerce strategy. Usually, the discussion starts with “should we sell online?”

The prospect is quite tempting - put up a webstore and sit back and take credit card orders. If only it was that simple.

That is not to say there isn’t opportunity in the B2C arena. If done correctly, it can lead to some incremental sales with a fairly low fixed cost.

Members who are committed to this customer segment are leveraging their existing brick and mortar infrastructure comprised of inventory, shipping, product knowledge and pricing management.

However, it’s not easy to “out Amazon Amazon” (or Alibaba or Grainger or you pick it). Bluntly, if the shopping experience isn’t competitive, then it really comes down to price as the differentiator which can be a “race to the bottom.”

But, deciding whether to jump into the B2C world isn’t the only decision facing our Members.

Your traditional customers are changing. Younger professionals, who grew up with B2C e-commerce, are infiltrating purchasing departments and supply chain management roles and are looking for similar functionality and experience as they engage B2B suppliers. This trend is accelerating, which means to compete and stay relevant, industrial distributors must enhance their online experience for their existing customer base.

What are the blockers? Too numerous to address with this article. I’ll toss a few out, nevertheless.

• Fear with existing sales teams (E.g., “Won’t this diminish my role and influence? After all, I own the customer relationship.”)

• Complex I.T. decisions – which e-commerce platform to pick?

• How to connect and integrate B2B e-commerce functionality with my current Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system?

“This makes by head hurt, let’s ignore it.”

The rest of the focus of this article is B2B. I’m going to set aside the B2C play.

NOW FOR SOME ENCOURAGEMENT. Look at this incrementally. Think about it as improving your existing customer’s experience doing business with your company. Many manufacturing companies, your customers, are not so interested in shopping online, rather, they want information. They want to seek it on their time and not be limited by phone calls or face-to-face meetings with a sales department. Quite frankly, this can be liberating, as your sales force can focus on selling and not get bogged down in customer service requests or order taking.

You are also very fortunate. There is a significant challenge to replace all the things you provide your customers with a website powered by a pick/pack and ship entity. That isn’t going to happen anytime soon.

The complexity involved with making the right welding or cutting system work with a process and workpiece (metal variations), power source, tip selection, gas mix, gas delivery options, etc. is astronomical. Consultative selling will remain.

Product and process knowledge will continue to be valued. The challenge of delivering a Hazmat/ DOT regulated product (cylinder gas) isn’t going anywhere soon.

SALES & MARKETING

SO, WHAT TO DO? Continue to work with your ERP supplier to enhance their system with more B2C functionality. Keep what is valuable.

Build on what is missing. Yes, that is going to cost money, but think of it in terms of the opportunity cost. Your inside team can use the better system to learn from to make their jobs easier. Maybe they are less bogged down and can make outbound calls on customers who haven’t bought in six months?

Likewise, customers can get answers when they want to and not bog down your outside sales teams.

WHAT DOES THIS REALLY MEAN? You need to provide your existing customers with a website (portal) that allows them to search for product, get rich product information, images, and specs. It should allow them to see order history and know where their current order stands.

This doesn’t mean, necessarily, that they are buying through your site. Maybe they are using your site to learn and will still order in the traditional way. To shop but not buy. It is okay that, during that activity, they receive messages like, “If you are interested in that item, here is an associated product.” If they want to check a shipment status or look at their account balance or cylinder balance, on their time, they can. If they want to see how many widgets you have in inventory, they can.

such as pricing and available quantities. Both are necessary.

Just as important, the PIM provides structure in terms of “taxonomy”, also known as product categorization, which is critical for allowing your customers to navigate your e-commerce content. Depending on how you choose to load enriched product content from your PIM into your e-commerce platform, you will either export it from the PIM on an intermittent basis or through and API. The point of the above visual is “all three components will need to talk to each other”.

Getting to a fully functional robust B2B e-commerce offering to serve your existing customers who want to shop that way, will take time – think of it as a journey. Which E-commerce platform you choose and how it is integrated with your ERP is a company by company decision. As our welding & gas industry evolves, there will be some efficiency gains as some ERP providers will provide integration options with certain e-commerce platforms.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MOVE FORWARD? As you forge your B2B e-commerce strategy, please think of the key components as an interconnected triangle (right).

Your e-commerce platform will need to be integrated with your existing ERP via an API (application program interface).

Your PIM will need to interface with your ERP. The PIM brings the qualitative “marketing” and technical information about products and the ERP brings the quantitative product details Spring 2021 • 73

THE GAWDA INDUSTRY ANALYSIS REPORT Provided by ITR Economics™

ITR SECOND QUARTER OUTLOOK

Recovery, Politics, and Inflation: WhatisYou Needto to Know This content exclusive GAWDA Members.

T

BY BRIAN BEAULIEU For more information on GAWDA and association membership, contact Andrea Levy: he economy is progressing (844) in its that are lagging the /recovery in GDP, retail on retail sales from the alignments. What 251-3219 alevy@gawda.org

recovery. The data reported out over the last month did not hold any negative surprises. The trends are moving as anticipated, which, in many cases, means ongoing rise. The ascent in Capital Goods New Orders turned significantly higher in the rates-of-change. The New Orders tally for the last three months is 13.6% above the same three months in 2019. The New Orders 3MMT is at record levels and, by this tally, recovery from COVID is complete.

Consumers are happy, and businesses are buying capital equipment. Signals from the leading indicators and other variables affirm that additional rise awaits in 2021.

You don’t want to be on the lagging edge of this trend if your markets are tied to these trends. It could cost you in terms of price, availability, and opportunity. Of course, there are sectors of the economy

74 • Spring 2021

sales, single-unit housing, etc. Sectors within nonresidential construction, travel, lodging, and entertainment will likely not catch on to the rising trend until late 2021 or during 2022.

THE ALIGNED GOVERNMENT IN WASHINGTON The fact that we have one political party controlling the executive and legislative branches of the federal government is not cause for us to change our outlook for 2021-2024. The post-WWII record of retail sales (retail sales ultimately drive the economy) is depicted by the blue line on the chart on the next page. The grey-shaded areas show the times when either the Democrats or the Republicans controlled both the Oval Office and Congress. There is no discernible, predictable ramification

this tells us is that we do not need to fear retail sales altering away from the current recovery trend because of the politics, either by accelerating away or falling below trend. Individuals may feel one way or the other, but the macroeconomic trend, which reflects the opportunities within the economy, stays the course.

The chart also shows two periods shaded in red. Those are the two most recent times individual income taxes went up.

We included this view because there is concern that the aligned politics of the government means an increased probability of higher taxes. That may be the case; however, the last two instances occurred under President George H.W. Bush and President Barack Obama, and neither had an aligned Congress to work with. Note that the period of change in taxes had no

ITR FOR GAWDA US Total Retail Sales

Trillions, USD 10

Trillions, USD 10

$6.3

1

1

Retail Sales Retail Sales Forecast

0 1948

1958

1968

demonstrable impact on the retail sales trend under Obama. The retail sales trend leveled off under the Bush administration, but we had forecasted that was going to occur a year before it actually did and before “Read my lips – no new taxes!” became a thing. Will some microeconomic retail sales trend shifts occur? Potentially yes. Do we have to be concerned about a retail-sales induced recession because of a tax increase? The record suggests we don’t.

That does not mean we are proponents of higher taxes or think that tax cuts are some sort of elixir for the economy. The analysis simply means that we can effectively plan for our business’s future regardless of the tax climate in most cases by focusing on the business cycle, not the political cycle.

1978

1988

◼

Demographics

◼

Health Care Costs

◼

Inflation

1998

2008

2018

2028

0

doesn’t go from essentially nonexistent inflationary pressures to broad-based inflation in a matter of quarters or even a year. This is especially likely to be true when the factors driving the velocity of money remain in the “off” position and asset price bubbles develop in lieu of the broader CPI-type inflation. What is happening in the single-family home real estate market and in stock prices is apparently where most of the nearterm “monetary pressure” is evident. It is more likely that a diminishing role for monetary policy as a stimulus policy tool in the intermediate years and an increased propensity for spending by the federal government will set the stage for more of the systemic inflation issues that will tie in with the 2029 high.

Running a business in the “in-between” of higher CPI inflation being out in the intermediate-term future but with rising input prices in this cycle means leaders are going to be put to the test to grow EBITDA along with the top line.

Investing in efficiencies, differentiation, economic moats, strategic acquisitions, and continuous training of our labor inputs become crucial to our bottom lines through at least the next three to four years.

U.S. National Debt This content is exclusive to GAWDA Members.

There is an understandable tendency ◼

to assume that combination of association For more information onsome GAWDA and the increase in government debt and membership, monetary contact stimulus, bothAndrea of which are Levy: significant in size and scope, will lead (844) 251-3219 / alevy@gawda.org to inflation, with all of its attendant ills.

INFLATION AND THE LONGER-TERM OUTLOOK ITR Economics’ thinking about the economic outlook during the 2030s is predicated on four primary trends.

The prospects for each of these trends being problematic for the U.S. economy (indeed the global economy) are largely unchanged, although COVID-19 and its attendant ramifications have, in some instances, magnified these causal factors. The four causal trends from our perspective are:

If significant inflation were to occur in the near term, it could pull in the projected 2029 major business cycle high. However, we are not anticipating the kind of inflation that would cause interest-rate rise to problematic levels in the near term, especially in regard to the CPI-indicated inflation rate. When inflation gets high, it systemically distorts macroeconomic behavior; however, it does not appear likely to occur soon enough that we need to change the timeline.

It takes more time than many people realize to create the macroeconomic distorting kind of inflation folks seem to be worried about. We don’t expect to see the broad-based inflation pressures really start to build until 2024 or later.

The historical record shows an economy

continued on next page

Spring 2021 • 75

THE GAWDA INDUSTRY ANALYSIS REPORT Provided by ITR Economics™

CORE DASHBOARD 12/12

U.S. INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION

U.S. NONDEFENSE CAPITAL GOODS NEW ORDERS

U.S. PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYMENT

U.S. TOTAL RETAIL SALES

12MMT/A

CURRENT 12/12

-7.0

-0.8

-6.2

0.6

2021

4.8

6.5

2.9

6.2

2022

2.5

2.6

2.8

3.7

2023

HIGHLIGHTS

3.0

Expect a 12MMA low to form early this year. Subsequent rise will persist through at least 2023.

3.2

New Orders will generally rise through at least year-end 2023, with a brief plateau beginning in late 2022.

1.5

The Employment 12MMA is expected to rise from 2Q21 through at least year end 2023.

3.9

Retail Sales are trending above the forecast, but we expect they will come back in line by year-end 2021.

This content is exclusive to GAWDA Members.

U.S. WHOLESALE TRADE OF DURABLE GOODS

U.S. WHOLESALE TRADE OF NONDURABLE GOODS

U.S. REAL GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (3/12)

Wholesale Trade transitioned

For more information on7.7GAWDA and2.5association to a recovery trend and is -3.3 3.2 expected to expand through at membership, contact Andrea Levy: least year-end 2023.

(844) 251-3219 / alevy@gawda.org -5.1

-2.5

4.8

1.3

Note: Forecast color represents what Phase the market will be in at the end of the year.

76 • Spring 2021

4.1

2.5

0.5

Wholesale Trade is approaching an early-2021 transition to Phase A.

2.0

We tweaked the forecast for 2022 and extended it through 2023. The 3MMA will surpass 2019 record highs during the first half of 2022.

ITR FOR GAWDA LEADING INDICATORS ITR Leading Indicator™

ITR LEADING INDICATOR™ INDICATOR SUGGESTS NEARTERM CYCLICAL LOW FOR INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION Rise in the ITR Leading Indicator™ extended through January. The June 2020 Indicator low suggests that the U.S. Industrial Production 12/12 will reach a low in the near term. Ongoing Indicator rise suggests business cycle rise for Production will persist into at least late 2021.

Production

Rates-of-Change

Leading Indicator

15

21

10

14

5

7 3.7

0

0

-5

-7 -7.0

-10

U.S. Industrial Production - 12/12

-14

ITR Leading Indicator

-15

'09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22

-21

This content is exclusive to GAWDA Members.

For more information on GAWDA and association

U.S. TOTAL INDUSTRY U.S. Total Industry Capacity Utilization Rate membership, contact Andrea Levy: CAPACITY UTILIZATION Rates-of-Change Production RATE 15

(844) 251-3219 / alevy@gawda.org

RATE 1/12 ROSE IN DECEMBER; BODES WELL FOR INDUSTRIAL SECTOR IN 2H21 The U.S. Total Industry Capacity Utilization Rate 1/12 rose in December.

Our analysis suggests the April 2020 cyclical low will hold and that we are quickly approaching a 12/12 low for U.S. Industrial Production, as forecast. Expect subsequent cyclical rise for U.S. Industrial Production into at least the second half of 2021.

Rate

21

10

14

5

7

0

-0.4

-5

0 -7

-7.0 -10 -15

-14

U.S. Industrial Production - 12/12 U.S. Total Capacity Utilization Rate - 1/12

'09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22

-21

Spring 2021 • 77

THE GAWDA INDUSTRY ANALYSIS REPORT Provided by ITR Economics™

THE CONFERENCE BOARD’S U.S. LEADING INDICATOR

U.S. Conference Board Leading Indicator Production

Rates-of-Change

15

PERSISTING INDICATOR 1/12 RISE SUGGESTS INDUSTRIAL SECTOR CYCLICAL RISE INTO LATE 2021 The Conference Board issued its annual revision to the U.S. Leading Indicator data. The revision had virtually no effect on the cyclical properties of the Indicator 1/12 rate-of-change.

Indicator 1/12 rise persisted with December data. Rise in the Indicator 1/12 suggests cyclical rise in U.S. Industrial Production will extend into at least late 2021, in line with our outlook.

Leading Indicator

30

10

20

5

10

0

-1.7

-5 -10 -15

-7.0

0 -10 -20

U.S. Industrial Production - 12/12 U.S. Leading Indicator - 1/12

'09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22

-30

This content is exclusive to GAWDA Members.

U.S. ISM PMI For more information on GAWDA and association U.S. ISM PMI (Purchasing Managers Index) (PURCHASING Rates-of-ChangeLevy: membership, contact Andrea MANAGERS INDEX) Production PMI 1/12 DIP NO CAUSE FOR CONCERN

Index

15

75

(844) 251-3219 / alevy@gawda.org

The U.S. ISM PMI (Purchasing Managers Index) 1/12 rate-of-change ticked down in January. A one-month tick-down amid an overall rising trend is normal for the PMI 1/12 and does not impact our outlook for impending recovery and rise for U.S. Industrial Production. General rise for the PMI 1/12 suggests that upcoming rise for the U.S. Industrial Production 12/12 will persist into at least late 2021.

10

50

5

25 14.9

0 -5 -10

-7.0 U.S. Industrial Production - 12/12

0 -25 -50

U.S. Purchasing Managers Index - 1/12

-15

78 • Spring 2021

'09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22

-75

ITR FOR GAWDA GAWDA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY/DASHBOARD: GAWDA INDUSTRY INDICATORS

INDICATORS U.S. INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION INDEX U.S. PROCESSED GOODS FOR INTERMEDIATE DEMAND PRODUCER PRICE INDEX U.S. CRUDE OIL FUTURES PRICES U.S. NONDEFENSE CAPITAL GOODS NEW ORDERS WITHOUT AIRCRAFT

HIGHLIGHTS

CURRENT GROWTH PHASE RATE (12/12)

Leading indicators are in consensus that this year will be primarily characterized by cyclical rise.

-7.0%

D

The pace of price rises is likely to pick up as activity in the industrial and B2B sectors rise this year; the quarterly Price Index tentatively transitioned to Phase B.

1.8%

C

Strengthening demand for oil, a weakening U.S. Dollar, and OPEC supply restrictions will support mild rise in Prices in the near term.

-32.6%

D

New Orders are expected to transition to Phase B, Accelerating Growth, imminently as macroeconomic recovery drives demand for new equipment.

-0.8%

A

rise in U.S. housing construction suggests demand for Members.

This content Robust is exclusive to GAWDA electrical components and appliances will rise for much of this year.

U.S. ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT NEW ORDERS

-9.9%

For more information on GAWDA and association contact Andrea Rising commodities prices in 2021 will further boostLevy: New U.S. FABRICATED METAL membership, -3.6% PRODUCTS NEW ORDERS Orders, which will benefit from rising demand, this year.

(844) 251-3219 / alevy@gawda.org

U.S. DURABLE GOODS NEW ORDERS WITHOUT AIRCRAFT

ITR LEADING INDICATOR (MONTHLY)

The New Orders quarterly trend was up 5.8% in the fourth quarter relative to one year ago; this portends rising New Orders in 2021.

Rise in the ITR Leading Indicator™ bodes well for rise in the U.S. industrial sector through the majority of 2021.

Trends in several metrics monitored by ITR Economics™ bolster our expectation for macroeconomic recovery and rise this year.

Rising quarterly U.S. Industrial Production, decline in the seasonally adjusted U.S. Unemployment Rate (6.3%), and year-over-year rise in U.S. Total Retail Sales all point to a U.S. economy that is gaining steam. Furthermore, there have been advancements made in both aid to consumers and the public health sector. Vaccine distribution will likely give governors the confidence to continue easing up

D

A

-2.4%

A

3.7 (Monthly)

B

on shutdowns and stay-at-home orders. These trends bode well for the sustained economic recovery that we expect this year. In order to capitalize on ongoing recovery trends, ensure that you are up to date on consumer and business preferences, as the pandemic has caused shifts for many. Additionally, think back to what you wish you did differently during the recovery after the Great Recession and apply those lessons today. Growth is on the horizon; do not be left behind.

Spring 2021 • 79

THE GAWDA INDUSTRY ANALYSIS REPORT Provided by ITR Economics™

U.S. INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION

D

U.S. Industrial Production Index Data Trend Index 120

RECESSION

4.8%

105.5*

2.5%

108.1*

3.0%

111.3*

Index 120

12MMA Forecast 12MMA 3MMA

110

110 101.8

* Index based to 2012 = 100.

HIGHLIGHTS: Production posted the strongest November-to-December growth since 1959

100

Expect a 12MMA low early this year and subsequent rise through at least 2023

90

100

◼

◼

◼

90

'12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22 '23 '24

Leading indicators are in consensus that this year will be primarily characterized by cyclical rise

This content is exclusive to GAWDA Members.

The U.S. Industrial Production 12MMA closed 2020 7.0% below the 2019 level. Results are tracking the upper end of the forecast range after the strongest November-to-December rise in the Production monthly data since 1959. Expect a 12MMA low to form early this year, with subsequent 12MMA rise extending through at least 2023. Production will reach record highs by the second half of 2023.

Leading indicators including utilization rates and purchasing managers indexes suggest cyclical rise will be the dominant trend for Industrial Production this year.

U.S. Utilities Production, which accounts for about 10.9% of Industrial Production, posted its strongest November-to-December change on record and transitioned to Phase A, Recovery, in the process. Utilities is the first of the three major components of Industrial Production to commence business cycle rise; we expect the Manufacturing and Mining components to follow suit in the near term.

U.S. Industrial Production Index Rate-of-Change

For more information on GAWDA and association 15 membership, contact Andrea Levy: 10 (844) 251-3219 / alevy@gawda.org

80 • Spring 2021

15 10

5

5

0

0

-5 -10

12/12 Forecast Range

-7.0

12/12

-5 -10

3/12 -15

'12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22 '23 '24

-15

Management Note: Ask yourself if your business is prepared to tackle the “positive problems” that tend to accompany business cycle rise. Take proactive steps now to preempt such problems where possible.

ITR FOR GAWDA U.S. NONDEFENSE CAPITAL GOODS NEW ORDERS (EXCLUDING AIRCRAFT)

A

Bils of $

U.S. Nondefense Capital Goods New Orders (excluding aircraft) Data Trend

Bils of $

300

250

1200 12MMT Forecast 12MMT 3MMT

1000

RECOVERY

2021 2022 2023

6.5% 2.6% 3.2%

$770.8 billion $790.8 billion $816.1 billion

HIGHLIGHTS: 4Q20 New Orders were up 13.6% from 4Q19; results are likely to track above the forecast range

737.3

200

800

150

600

◼

◼

Many markets within the capital goods sector are showing more modest growth rates

◼

Expect 6.5% growth for New Orders in 2021

100

'12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22 '23 '24

400

This content is exclusive to GAWDA Members.

U.S. Nondefense Capital Goods

For more information onOrders GAWDA and aircraft) association New (excluding Rate-of-Change membership, contact Andrea Levy: 20 20 (844) 251-3219 / alevy@gawda.org

Fourth-quarter U.S. Nondefense Capital Goods New Orders (excluding aircraft) came in 13.6% above the fourth quarter of 2019.

The New Orders 12MMT was 1.4% above forecast range, and our analysis suggests the deviation is likely to widen in the near term. However, we also examined data for the narrower markets within the capital goods sector. Our findings indicate that many subsegments are posting relatively modest growth rates that align more closely with our forecast than the latest New Orders data. Accordingly, our New Orders forecast is unchanged. We expect 6.5% growth for 2021 as a whole relative to 2020.

Expect New Orders to generally rise through at least 2023, but for a brief period of relative flatness from late 2022 into the first half of 2023.

10

10

0

0

-0.8

-10

-10 12/12 Forecast Range

-20

-20

12/12 3/12

-30

'12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22 '23 '24

-30

Management Note: Ensure you have the capacity to support generally rising New Orders through at least 2023.

Spring 2021 • 81

THE GAWDA INDUSTRY ANALYSIS REPORT Provided by ITR Economics™

U.S. CRUDE OIL SPOT PRICES

D

RECESSION

Mar 2021 Jun 2021 Sep 2021 Dec 2021

$47.38 per barrel $52.41 per barrel $54.76 per barrel $55.67 per barrel

HIGHLIGHTS: Prices rose 10.6% from December to January, the sharpest December-toJanuary increase since 2003

◼

◼

◼

Expect Prices to generally rise into at least late 2021

U.S. Oil Futures Commodity Prices Data Trend

$/bbl.

$/bbl.

120

120 3MMA Forecast 3MMA Actual

100

100

80

80

60

60

46.65

40

40

20

20

0

'12

'13

'14

'15

'16

'17

'18

'19

'20

'21

'22

0

Elevated inventories and low breakeven prices will likely keep rise mild despite the vaccine rollout

U.S. Oil Futures Commodity Prices This content is exclusive toRate-of-Change GAWDA Members.

U.S. Crude Oil Spot Prices averaged $52 per barrel in January, posting a 10.6% jump from the December average. It was the strongest increase for that timeframe since 2003. Expect results to track the upper end of the forecast range in the near term.

We are forecasting generally rising Prices for 2021; Prices will sustainably reach the mid-$50s during the second half of the year.

Prices have rallied sharply in recent months, concurrent with the approval and progressing distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. However, U.S. Crude Oil Inventories at the Cushing, OK, hub are 50.0% above where they were a year ago, and the breakeven price for drilling a new well in the U.S. ranges from $46 (Permian Basin – Midland) to $52 (Permian Basin – Delaware). The combination of elevated inventories and low breakeven prices will keep Oil Prices from moving significantly higher in the near term.

80 For more information on GAWDA and association 12/12 Forecast Range membership, contact Andrea Levy: 12/12 40 (844) 251-3219 / alevy@gawda.org 3/12

82 • Spring 2021

80

40

0

0

-32.6

-40

-80

'12

'13

'14

'15

'16

'17

'18

'19

'20

'21

-40

'22

-80

Management Note: Avoid overreacting to short-term volatility in commodities prices.

Instead, inform yourself with our forecasts and manage your business according to the long-term trend probabilities.

ITR FOR GAWDA U.S. STEEL SCRAP PRODUCER PRICE INDEX

A

$/GT

U.S. Steel Scrap Futures Commodity Prices Data Trend

900

3MMA Forecast 3MMA Actual

RECOVERY

Mar 2021 551.46* Jun 2021 553.58* Sep 2021 570.44* Dec 2021 570.18* * Index based to 1982 = 100.

700

300

◼

Prices are on the cusp of Phase B

100

◼

Supply shortages will drive Prices higher than previously anticipated during 2021

Quarterly U.S. Steel Scrap Producer Prices surged in the fourth quarter of 2020, rising 19.9% from the third quarter and posting a 32.7% increase relative to the fourth quarter of 2019. Monthly Prices have been rising since July 2020; the November-to-December increase came in at an unprecedented 25.8%.

Widespread steel shortages are driving Prices higher, prompting an upward revision to the forecast. Our macroeconomic expectations suggest that these shortages will not dissipate during 2021, as demand for steel is likely to increase with rising global industrial activity. Expect Steel Prices to rise throughout this year.

700

500

HIGHLIGHTS: ◼ Prices in the fourth quarter of 2020 were 32.7% above the year-ago level

$/GT 900

500

461.5

300

'12

'13

'14

'15

'16

'17

'18

'19

'20

'21

'22

100

U.S. Steel Scrap Futures Commodity Prices This content is exclusive to GAWDA Members.

Rate-of-Change 100 on GAWDA and association For more information 12/12 Forecast Range membership, contact Andrea Levy: 12/12 50 (844) 251-3219 / alevy@gawda.org 3/12

Management Note: Review your supply chain resiliency and diversify your sourcing. Supply constraints are significantly impacting pricing and may also impact your ability to acquire raw materials for production.

0

100

50

0

-1.7

-50

-50

-100

'12

'13

'14

'15

'16

'17

'18

'19

'20

'21

'22

-100

Spring 2021 • 83

THE GAWDA INDUSTRY ANALYSIS REPORT Provided by ITR Economics™

U.S. FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS NEW ORDERS

A

RECOVERY

2021 9.6% 2022 2.8% 2023 2.0%

$401.5 billion $412.7 billion $421.0 billion

HIGHLIGHTS: The forecast was revised upward to account for an earlier-than-expected business cycle low in October

◼

◼

The New Orders 12MMT will rise through at least 2023, but for a plateau in late 2022 and the first half of 2023

◼

Rising industry utilization rates and corporate profits bode well for rise this year

U.S. Fabricated Metal Products New Orders Data Trend Bils of $ 150

125

Bils of $ 600

12MMT Forecast 12MMT 3MMT

500

366.3

100

75

50

400

300

'12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22 '23 '24

200

U.S. Fabricated Metal Products

This content is exclusive GAWDA Members.

Newto Orders Rate-of-Change 30 For more information on GAWDA and association 20 membership, contact Andrea Levy: (844) 251-3219 / alevy@gawda.org 10

Annual U.S. Fabricated Metal Products New Orders totaled $366.3 billion in 2020, coming in 0.3% above the forecast range.

Annual New Orders reached a tentative business cycle low in October, about one quarter earlier than expected. Leading indicators, such as the U.S. Fabricated Metal Products Manufacturing Capacity Utilization Rate and U.S. Corporate Profits for Fabricated Metal Products Industries, suggest the tentative low will hold. We revised our expectations for the New Orders 12MMT upward by 6.3% and 5.0% for 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Expect the New Orders 12MMT to generally rise through at least 2023, with a plateau in late 2022 and early 2023.

Rising commodities prices, including U.S. Steel Scrap Producer Prices, will contribute to upside pressure in New Orders, a dollar-denominated series. Macroeconomic recovery this year and in 2022 will drive expanding New Orders.

84 • Spring 2021

0 -10 -20

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-3.6 12/12 Forecast Range 12/12

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Management Note: Invest in market research to identify the products that your customers most value; they may have changed due to pandemic-related preference shifts.

ITR FOR GAWDA AGIMPX: U.S. AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT PRODUCTION INDEX

D

U.S. Agricultural Implement Production Index Data Trend Index 120

12MMA

Index 120

3MMA 100

100

RECESSION

HIGHLIGHTS: The Production 12MMT was down 10.2% in 2020 relative to 2019

80

Expect annual Production to begin rising in the next one to two quarters

60

◼

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Rising Farm Proprietors Income and stock prices bode well for rise this year

U.S. Agricultural Implement Production was down 10.2% in 2020 relative to 2019.

The ITR Checking Points™ system and rising quarterly U.S. Farm Machinery Shipments (up 12.5% from one year ago) bode well for a near-term transition to Phase A, Recovery, for Production.

We are seeing signs of recovery across a wide swath of agricultural commodity prices.

U.S. Farm Proprietors Income and prices for numerous stocks related to agriculture machinery are generally rising. This is indicative of improved demand expectations and funding. These factors will mitigate downside pressure on Production stemming from the pandemic this year. Furthermore, trends in U.S. Corporate Profits for Food, Beverage, and Tobacco Products Industries signal an imminent business cycle low for U.S. Food Production; we expect Food Production will then rise throughout 2021.

This will boost demand for U.S. Agricultural Implement Production this year.

40

71.6

80

60

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40

U.S. Agricultural Implement Production

This content is exclusive toIndex GAWDA Members.

Rate-of-Change 45 For more information on GAWDA and association 30 membership, contact Andrea Levy: (844) 251-3219 / alevy@gawda.org 15

45 30 15

0

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Management Note: As your less-prepared competitors struggle to weather the recession, consider opportunities to add to your market share.

Spring 2021 • 85

SALES & MARKETING

Should We Carry Safety Products?

BY PAUL BERNIER AND DAVID O’GUIN

W Paul Bernier, ASP, is the Safety Manager for Southern Colorado at General Air Service & Supply. He has worked in the safety industry since 1996.

David O’Guin is the Safety Manager for Northern Colorado at General Air Service & Supply. He has worked in the safety industry since 1983.

86 • Spring 2021

ith many years of experience in the Industrial Gas/Welding supply industry, I have learned that many companies do not truly offer safety services and supplies in their product mix. It is understandable, since the margins are not in line with what we enjoy in gases. But, if you are not providing safety products to your industrial customers, who is? Our main marketing objective is to try and provide as many products as possible to our customers, adding more line items to our invoices, truly striving to be a one-stop provider, as much as possible. Sure, most distributors offer welding safety products, maybe hard hats and safety glasses, but what about becoming a true, full line safety distributer, providing the product mix and expertise like we do with welding and other gas related verticals?

There are many negatives to truly becoming a “full-line” safety distributor, such as: bringing many more SKU’s into your stores and warehouses; adding more vendors and vendor relationships; training associates; and competing against other safety houses and distributors, not to mention a huge number of internet sites offering low pricing.

However, the positives, if done right, can far outweigh the negatives and add more products and services to your existing customers who need to buy those items anyway. Safety products are in-line with what we provide now and can truly add more value to you as a supplier and as a true partner. Also, if you have or are considering a vending service, safety items can fill vending machines with so many more SKU’s and profit.

From safety glasses to batteries, Tyvek suits to respirator filters, safety products add value and profit to your vending offering.

A true safety distributor has to carry more than the basic safety supplies you can find at Lowe’s, i.e., safety glasses, ear plugs, leather gloves, and hard hats. A full-line safety supplier will certainly carry these items, but also fall protection equipment, respirators, confined space equipment, lockout/ tag out tools, signage, hearing protection, hiviz workwear, first aid, hazardous chemical protection products, just to mention a few. Along with this comes added services training responsibilities to not only your staff, but the end users as well.

Knowing that safety products are available in so many other areas like stores and online shopping sites, it is very important to make our company the “go to experts” like we do in welding, beverage, and other services we provide. At General Air, we learned through surveys that our customers were looking for us to carry more safety products and services, so we decided to jump in with both feet. We brought in Safety Specialists, partnered with crucial vendors, committed to adding “safety zones” to our retail locations, training, and even created a safety truck displaying products inside, as well as having a boom and pully system attached where we can demonstrate real fall falls and how the equipment works. We offer “free” safety training to our customers as a service, they in turn buy the safety products from us.

Safety products are a required commodity that our customers “have to” buy, and training is a required service our customers must have. It is important to understand that there are so many safety regulations and requirements enforced by OSHA, MSHA, EPA, and other agencies, not to mention the huge costs associated with injuries and large fines. Any business that requires their employees to wear a respirator, must have them not only fit tested initially, but also trained annually. In fact,

SALES & MARKETING any business that requires safety glasses or hearing protection must also provide annual training -to mention just a few.

By offering our customers this training at no charge, we separate ourselves from other competitors, we build stronger and more valuable relationships, and provide the safety products and training to help keep our customers and their workers safe. Also, by becoming a full-service safety house, we have opened up other industry channels that we typically don’t deal with, but still buy and use safety products. Myself and my counterpart, David O’Guin (Northern Colorado Safety Manager), have committed ourselves to continually train and supply our customers and their workers, with the products and training they need to keep them safe and avoid costly fines and injury expenses.

U.S. worker related statistics: Worker deaths in 2019: 5,333(1)

2.8 million work related injuries or illnesses(2)

Total workplace injury costs in 2018:

$170.8 billion(3)

1) Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf 2) Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/osh.pdf 3) National Safety Council https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/costs/work-injury-costs/

Spring 2021 • 87

SALES & MARKETING

The Importance of Early-Stage Pipeline Management

BY JAY SPIELVOGEL, VENATOR SALES GROUP, LLC

“M Jay Spielvogel is CEO of Venator Sales Group (GAWDA member), a sales consulting and training firm specializing in boosting Welding and Gas distribution sales performance.

Contact him at: Jay@ venatorsalesgroup.com

88 • Spring 2021

y key contact is ghosting me now that I sent them a proposal.”

“I thought I had a 90% chance of closure and just received an email out of nowhere that they are staying with the existing distributor. I’m so confused!”

Do the above scenarios sound familiar?

I hear these situations far too often in companies about their salespeople. Is it the team’s selling technique? Are they targeting the wrong industrial, medical or specialty prospects? Or, perhaps, they are just not trained correctly when it comes to managing complex sales cycles?

As much as all these factors can play a role to some degree, the real issue lies within the culture of risk aversion that exists in most buying organizations. Since most organizations are implementing processes where every buying decision requires full consensus from multiple stakeholders, salespeople must learn to adapt their selling style to this new environment. As the redtape measures seemingly get more bureaucratic, salespeople can no longer continue to sell as they did decades ago: asking a few good, probing, pain-based questions, but still complying with any request for a proposal without question or consideration of whether the deal is closeable or even viable.

So, how should salespeople navigate this cultural shift? How do we remediate the risk of failure and improve conversion rates?

The answer lies in strategic pipeline management and deal coaching in the EARLY stages of the sales cycle. This is the critical point in time where a salesperson has the greatest leverage to negotiate for information and access: that

moment in time just before the salesperson submits a quote and a copy of the presentation material for review.

Unfortunately, most sales managers focus their coaching and pipeline reviews on opportunities that are later stage and nearing closure. They assume that previous training and sales experience will act as a guide and, therefore, enable the salespeople to manage the earlier stages of the sales cycle on their own. For the most part, deals do not rise to the level of management’s attention until pricing quotes are sent and closing delays begin. Regardless of the manager’s best efforts and good intentions, it is often too late to coach an opportunity after a proposal has already been sent. I compare it to trying to push toothpaste back into the tube. It is impossible, due to the loss of leverage that should have been established at the beginning of the deal.

Great sales management requires coaching a sales team through ALL opportunity stages, especially when a key contact begins showing interest in receiving a quote. This is the critical moment in the sales process that either makes or breaks a good opportunity and it is what I describe as the “Collaborative Prospect” stage. This stage is where a salesperson develops a partnership with a key contact, typically at the technical or operational level, who will help navigate the organization’s buying culture, provide relevant and accurate information about the appropriate constituents and their issues, and, ultimately, clear a pathway to the higher-level decision makers.

Unfortunately, for most salespeople, this early stage is where the biggest mistakes are made. The average salesperson sees a request for pricing information as the ultimate buying

SALES & MARKETING

sign and will enthusiastically hand over their presentation material and proposals. Rather than intelligently challenging the buying process, the approach most salespeople take is the path of least conflict.

In the Collaborative Prospect stage, salespeople must be willing to courageously challenge the internal champion and negotiate for info and access in return for presentations and quotes. They must continue qualifying the opportunity by gathering information about: • Competition (internal and external) • Other stakeholder’s concerns and involvement • Existing distributor relationships • Competing priorities

• Potential opposition from within the account This Collaborative Prospect pre-proposal stage is also a great opportunity to test an internal champion’s influence and power.

Since following the path of least conflict often drives most salespeople’s behavior, managers must be willing to coach reps and help them better manage the early-stage opportunities. This level of pipeline management will result in a much greater number of deals successfully progressing through the pipeline to ultimate closure. It will also empower the salesperson with a decision framework of whether to invest time and resource before it is too late.

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Spring 2021 • 89

SALES & MARKETING

Sales Change is in the Air

BY ART WASKEY

W Art Waskey has over 45 years’ experience in the welding and industrial gas industry. He travels across the country consulting and giving seminars on business skills and has published 3 books of sales skills stories. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering, a Master of Ministry in Leadership Development, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry.

You can subscribe to Art’s weekly sales tips and monthly articles on his website. Also, check out his Posts on LinkedIn. For services, contact Art at 720341-9405, artwaskey@ ispeakd.com, www. impactspeakingdynamics. com

90 • Spring 2021

e’re all living through unprecedented times. On a Zoom call with a large California distributor, I learned that, with four employees out with COVID, one owner was driving a route truck and the other was manning a branch store.

Sound familiar? The pandemic has forced us all to be more flexible. The need for new safety protocols and innovative ways of dealing with everything from employee absenteeism to supply chain outages and customer closures, have left us struggling to maintain effective operations.

On top of the extraordinary pandemic events, the long-term outlook for traditional distributors continues to be under threat. In a February 23, 2021 NAW webinar, Jonathan Bien of the Distribution Strategy Group, advised that in a Next 5-Year by Channel Revenue Shift, the traditional distributors share of overall distributor revenues will fall from 66% to 52%, and direct manufacturers will increase their share from 12% to 19%.

THINK STRATEGICALLY Given these conditions, I advise planning for the future by thinking strategically about growth, change, and innovation. Remember, any business that isn’t evolving is dying. This isn’t our first recessionary cycle. Use the lessons learned from the recessions of 2000 and 2008 to prepare for growth in 2021.

In the January and February GAWDA sponsored ITR webinars (gawda.org/itrwebinars) with Alex Chausovsky, economist and forecasting expert, he discussed how, in the second half of 2021, the nation will move out of the pandemic-driven recessionary trough and into a recovery and growth mode. Now is the time to define the

steps you can take to ensure your business is part of that recovery. As a distributor, how have you responded to major business paradigm shifts that threatened your sales growth in the past? Think about what you were required to do to be in a position to be part of past booms.

FUTURE RELEVANCY There are several key disciplines that, when undertaken, will help ensure your future relevancy and business growth. Consider participating in these:

1. ERP SYSTEM/PROCESS EFFICIENCIES Customers are looking to minimize suppliers and are zeroing in on those that provide a broad range of brand name products. These large suppliers use sophisticated and expensive ERP systems to be efficient. As a small independent distributor, working through a collective distributor purchasing group or association can give you access to these systems and keep you relevant. Consider these announcements about process efficiency made at a recent webinar held by the Independent Welding Distributors Cooperative (IWDC), a group formed to leverage the strengths of independent welding distributor members across North America.

Frank Kasnick, IWDC President and CEO reported: “We delivered our initial product content goal of ~8,400 SKUs across more than two dozen vendors. We thank our numerous member companies that collaborated with our staff to build out our Product Information Management (PIM) structure and also thank those distributor members who helped in the pilot. IWDC’s PIM system is designed to supply member companies with enriched product content, via a subscription

SALES & MARKETING

service, to support their evolving digital needs. Those digital needs include eCommerce, digital/print catalogs, member company websites, and ERP product structure.”

IWDC’s Director of Marketing said: “We were able to share next steps with members who are ready to plug in and receive product content and we had a robust Q&A session to cap off the webinar. We have a lot more to do in 2021, including rolling out phase one of our gas product content in Q1, and we are very excited to start onboarding our participating members.”

For those choosing their own ERP systems, Ken Thompson, a contributor to Intelligas Consulting, suggests, “The packaged gases and welding/industrial/safety distributors have selected SAP, JD Edwards, DataWeld, Profit 21/ Epicor, Computers Unlimited, Infonetics, and NetSuite as reliable solutions. Through collaboration with the Evolution X’s eCommerce facing site, many of these companies may have access to e-business solutions not previously considered. The good news is that smaller companies may now have options that they thought at one time were beyond their respective means.”

2. ECOMMERCE PLATFORM As part of an effective customer partnership, an in-house eCommerce platform is essential. General Distributing of Great Falls, Montana, has customers who need to research products and require 24/7 delivery and access to online account man-

agement. To meet those needs, the company recently updated its eCommerce platform and reports: “Customer registration is now fast and easy, as is making a credit application, searching by product name, brand, and/or part number, and navigating by product category or brand. The new platform also provides detailed product information, including price and availability, and allows for requesting a quote and quick order. It is mobile-friendly and provides online account management.”

3. STRATEGIC WHOLESALE ALLIANCES Along with PIM, a Customer Service Representative (CSR) portal and a B2B eCommerce site for distributors, linkages with wholesalers’ websites can help augment the broad product requirements the distributor’s clients now demand. Like distributors, wholesalers must continue to innovate to maintain their relevancy in the near future.

4. TRADE ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIPS It is of paramount importance for the smaller independent distributor to join trade associations, like the IWDC mentioned above. These groups will improve your profitability not only by allowing you to offer a broader product offering, but by enabling you to do so at reduced collective pricing, with annual patronage dividends, and shared best practices. Collaboration with other distributors and membership programs are added bonuses. continued on next page

See us at booth 909 Spring 2021 • 91

SALES & MARKETING 5. JOIN FORCES WITH OTHER INDEPENDENT DISTRIBUTORS Just as independent welding and gas distributors have experienced industry change through national and international corporate consolidations and acquisition, so have many of their customers. To be effective, the smaller distributor must join forces with other independent distributors to service customers in multiple geographic locations. For example, when I was with an independent distributor, we joined forces to create a national beverage CO2 network. This enabled us to service the national fast food and micro-brewers networks.

6. VALUE-ADDED CUSTOMER PARTNERSHIPS Despite sales disruptors like Amazon, Grainger, Fastenal, etc., and the possibility of manufacturers going to direct sales, I believe the industrial gas and welding customer is still looking for local, strategic distributor partnerships. To be effective, these partnerships must include value-added services such as VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory), Kanban, consigned stocking, qualified service technicians, product enhancement recognition and training, etc. Adding services like these to the product will

differentiate the distributor from the online alternate chain or a manufacturer with direct drop-shipping. While these value-added services add to your costs, customers generally are willing to pay a premium for them. Some distributors have found that value-added services can become exciting new revenue streams.

7. SALES AND MARKETING In today’s sales environment, well-trained salespeople are essential to success. While relationship building remains important, the days of deals being made at golf outings or over dinner are being steadily replaced by the rep with greater social media skills and technical product knowledge. When I published my third book, The Art of Sales, A Book of Sales Stories, the publisher, Vicara Books, told me that I needed to use social media to sell it. I contracted a Marketing Strategist and the impact on my business has been amazing. Connecting with prospective customers and building social media groups for each salesperson’s customers is the new way to sell.

Now is the time to invest in your salesforce. In a webinar

by Distributor Strategy Group, February 17, 2021, Ed Gerber, CEO of ISA Partners, advised that the customer still values true

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SALES & MARKETING partnership relationships more than any other single factor. The webinar Roundtable’s advice to the product manufacturer was, “It’s not about you, or the distributor, it’s about meeting the needs of the end-user. The customer wants qualified, well trained salespeople to introduce them to the right products and services to help drive down manufacturing costs. As the post-pandemic economy improves, it’s time to add professional talent to your salesforce and to invest in training your existing sales team.”

8. SPECIALIZED TALENT With a great many partnerships based on the sharing of online platforms, the distributor of 2021 needs to keep IT staffing at levels that ensure the maximum benefit from the manufacturer/ supplier’s ERP efforts and as well as from its own eCommerce site. In addition, today’s distributor needs more expertise in lean production methods, engineering for productivity enhancement, advanced economic/financial methods, and senior level strategists.

OVERCOMING THE ODDS Implementing many of the practices I outline above is out of reach for many small businesses from both a financial

and personnel perspective. This is true for many independent gases and welding distributors. GAWDA statistics show that 50% of the welding and gas distributors have sales of less than $5 million, and another 22% have sales between $5 and $10 million. This means that 72% of the approximately 250 independent welding and gas distributors can’t afford the senior level expertise they need to invest in these key areas.

We can overcome those odds by banding together, which is something the GAWDA group does well. My goal is to help build a team of contract senior executives from within our industry to provide consultation to support this group of distributors. By drawing on the pool of retired or former owners and executives with deep industry knowledge, we can provide the type of expertise to help the next generation of regional distributors succeed.

We can’t let the changing technological and economic landscape disorient us. Confronting major business paradigm shifts requires that we all work together. With “Sales Change in the Air,” it’s time for the many of us who have had rewarding careers in the welding and gases distribution business to help ensure the next generation stays the course.

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Spring 2021 • 93

SALES & MARKETING

Three Distribution Trends to Take Advantage of in 2021

BY MIKE MARKS AND DAN HORAN, INDIAN RIVER CONSULTING GROUP

C Mike Marks is co-founder and managing partner of Indian River Consulting Group, a consulting firm to distributors and manufacturers. He specializes in helping distributors and manufacturers accurately diagnose problems and identify risk-bound alternatives. Contact him at mmarks@ircg.com or visit ircg.com.

Dan Horan is a Senior Associate consultant at the Indian River Consulting Group. Joining in 2016, Dan brings his expertise in sales, marketing, branding and communications strategy to the IRCG team.

94 • Spring 2021

ustomer expectations have been changing for years, and the COVID-19 pandemic simply magnified and accelerated them in 2020. Being on the defensive is only a strategy if you want to lose slower. For distributors who are willing to play offense, there are three major trends to watch and take advantage of in 2021.

B2B CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS HAVE CHANGED ONLINE Customers are no longer happy to only have a basic online buying process; they expect their experience to be as good as the experience in their everyday B2C life. As a distributor, you are judged by the standards of Amazon or Uber, not the mom-and-pop competitor across town that still hand writes all their orders. Customers demand control, dynamic shopping experiences and access to what they see on their own landing page.

With so many channels available, they will no longer put up with your archaic ordering system and will actively punish you for having it by buying less or buying elsewhere. Customers are often not broadcasting those purchasing shifts, and unless you are constantly monitoring, you may not notice the change for months.

Is your ecommerce giving you an advantage or holding you back? Do you have any data to support your opinion?

TECHNOLOGY NATIVES INFLUENCE BUYING DECISIONS – AND THEY DON’T WANT TO TALK TO YOU Millennial and Gen Z are the first generations to grow up completely immersed in technology.

Technology is natural to them and their daily lives.

Unlike previous generations, they have no need to adapt technology to their life, it is a part of everything they do. Because of the expectations of technology, the selling role has shifted so far that it has become an entirely new discipline.

In fact, your customers do not want to speak to you. No matter how much your sales team wants you to believe differently, it is true in the vast majority of cases. In national interviews across a broad range of industries, the same theme is expressed: “I don’t want to talk to a salesperson unless I have a problem. I can check my own prices and if all you are going to tell me is what I can already find on your portal, what use are you to me?”

The new expectation is to stay out of the way until you are needed. However, once you are needed it better be fast. In fact, they expect you to have anticipated it.

Are you still “selling” your customers or are you anticipating their problems?

UNCERTAINTY HAS GROWN There is not a consultant or industry expert worth their salt that is not talking about uncertainty. Things we knew with 100% confidence six months ago are now flipped on their head.

Your customers are worn out and scared even if they will not admit it to themselves. Yet, with uncertainty comes opportunity. Every critical event is another opportunity for you to become “stickier” and more important to your customers.

For successful distributors, the two biggest levers are credit and returns.

1. Credit: Pick the companies that align best with your value proposition and extend extra terms or forgiveness periods. Break your rules, but give them piece of mind

SALES & MARKETING

Being on the defensive is only a strategy if you want to lose slower. that you will not be their enemy when uncertainty comes to their business.

2. Returns: Get flexible. Projects dry up quicker than ever and a “guaranteed project” means nothing. As with flexible credit terms, pick your winners and be ready to do things much more leniently with returns to keep them happy and relaxed.

Are you the “trusted partner” for your customers?

For distributors who are willing to play offense, there are three major trends to watch and take advantage of in 2021.

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SALES & MARKETING

The Five Things Customers Want And How to Deliver Them RANDY MACLEAN, PRESIDENT OF WAYPOINT ANALYTICS

I Randy MacLean is the founder of WayPoint Analytics, the inventor of LIPA, and best-selling author of a series of profit practices books.

For more than a decade he’s been analyzing company results, thinking about, writing about and advising on profit issues in distribution and manufacturing. WayPoint software is used by hundreds of companies to control their profits, and their destinies.

f you ask your sales reps what customers want, you’ll get a lengthy inventory of needs, whims and wishes, as expressed by customers over the years.

More than a decade working in LIPA (LineItem Profit Analytics) with hundreds of the world’s best distributors has answered this question much more directly.

In reality, there’s only five fundamental items that truly influence customer purchasing decisions.

Distributors with mastery of these items always lead the market. Moreover, you’ll need either parity or superiority in all five to seize and hold a leadership position. If you fail in any of them, competitors that outperform your deficiencies will pass you by.

There are no exceptions – you either have them, or you lose.

THE 5 THINGS CUSTOMERS WANT Customers are affected and influenced almost exclusively by: • availability • on-time delivery • no product failures • smooth (and short) interactions • acceptable price

AVAILABILITY

The top element that matters is the availability of the product or service needed by the customer.

Efficiency metrics surrounding fill rates on critical products is foundational to customer experience and company productivity. Fill rates exceeding 99% are certainly possible for your most profitable products and most profitable

96 • Spring 2021

customers – when you can identify your most profitable products, and know who your most profitable customers are.

You need a dedicated cost and profit system to identify profitable products, customers or anything else. Margin will not help you find those that contribute most to your bottom line, because profitability is all about cost-to-serve and has almost nothing at all to do with margin. (Heresy, I know, but this is the most important finding from a decade in the numbers of the market leaders.)

Once identified, you can increase stock levels on the most-profitable products and prioritize your most-profitable customers. This will reduce stock-outs and raise fill rates where it matters most.

ON-TIME DELIVERY

Customers want what they want, when they want it. The “when” part is best achieved by formally offering a range of delivery-time options. (“You can have it tomorrow, in two days, or sometime next week.”)

Each will have its own associated delivery charge ($25, $10, FREE), giving the customer complete control over the balance of time versus cost. It also facilitates the vital addition of delivery revenue to your OpCash (operating cash) and cash-flow.

More importantly, formalizing options puts the balance of speed vs. cost for every order into the hands of the customer, while eliminating the costs and inefficiencies of exception processing driven by provision of informal options.

NO PRODUCT FAILURES Product failures (and delivery failures) are an irritant to your customer relationships. As they

accumulate, your company will be tagged as unreliable and customer loyalty will plummet. It’s also important to stay on top of quality issues, be they product-related or service failures in your logistics chain.

Failures happen – what counts is how quicky and conveniently (for the customer) you correct them. Have a Concierge Customer Service group for your Platinum accounts and be proactive with the vendors as they’re upstream from product issues and may not have any notice of widespread problems until they hear from you.

SMOOTH (AND SHORT) INTERACTIONS Your customers are properly focused on what they’re doing for their own customers. Your sales reps are an unwelcome distraction in their world. Make customers’ interactions with you as effective and as minimal as possible – that’s how they like it.

Customer loyalty doesn’t come from the relationship with the sales rep, it’s from the company’s execution on the things that matter. Using analytics to manage operational efficiency improves performance and reduces errors. Both drive customer loyalty, and also reduce costs.

If the customer connection actually does hinge on the rep’s relationship, then the customer isn’t yours, it belongs to the sales rep. If the rep’s relationship is holding the customer relationship together, then your company performance isn’t. You need to have a hard look at the customer experience because your company may have an inability to deliver on the things that matter. You’re vulnerable, and competitors will take your accounts.

ACCEPTABLE PRICE Customers don’t want to feel like they’re being exploited. That is, feel like they’re paying an unfair price. Outside this caveat, they’ll pay a price premium if they evaluate the experience with you to be efficient and trouble-free.

If you’re executing competently, price is seldom the ultimate determinant, but where price does have sway, having a low expense rate on the customer relationship gives you options. (This is a critical feature of LIPA – knowing the actual expenses for a customer.)

For instance, you could help a profitable account where the margin is 18.3% (already below your company average) win a specific bid with an order you’d price at 15%, knowing the customer’s expense rate is 10.4%. You’d take a reduced profit (but still a profit) because you’d add profitable incremental cashflow (OpCash) to your sales and would be seen by a key customer as a great partner, increasing loyalty.

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WHAT’S THE TAKE-AWAY?

Total customer experience determines customer loyalty and market share. You get advantage in your market by executing above your peers on these five items.

Superiority on one or more will increase share and profits – as long as you’re not underperforming on others.

If you’re feeling “margin pressures”, “evaporating customer loyalty”, or an inability to maintain historic profit levels, you’re certainly behind your peers on one or more of these elements.

Gather your team and get to work on these five items and you’ll begin your advance to new records in cash-flow, profits and market share.

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Member Get-a-Member Program GAWDA’s Member Get-A-Member is our Membership Referral Recruitment Program. Study after study has shown that people are more likely to join an Association when they are invited by someone they know. And we’ve successfully put that power to work for GAWDA!

What’s it in for you?

RECOGNITION — See your name in Welding & Gases Today AWARDS — Sponsor the most new members & join our President onstage at the Annual Convention for your plaque REWARDS — R eceive $100 for each new Distributor member you sponsor EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITY — Great new GAWDA members Invite your business friends, colleagues or business associates to join GAWDA. When they join GAWDA, you will officially become a Sponsor in our Recruitment Recognition Program.

All Sponsors that bring in new members will be acknowledged to GAWDA membership, and if your new member is a Distributor you will receive a $100 reward from GAWDA. Please see official program rules and guidelines for details.

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Member Get-a-Member Program RECOGNITION PROGRAM RULES* Annual Program Period & Eligible Member Categories The annual program period for the “Recognition Program” is between Annual Conventions. A new reporting period begins after the presentation ceremony at the Annual Convention.

Only new “Distributor” and “Supplier” member categories will be counted. A new member is any company that has either never been a GAWDA member or has not been an active GAWDA member for two or more years.

Individuals and Manufacturers Representatives, while welcome to join GAWDA, are not included in this program.

Sponsorship Sponsors must be employed by an active GAWDA Distributor or Supplier member company to qualify for program participation.

There can only be one sponsor per new member.

The “sponsor name” provided on the new member application form will be listed as the official sponsor.

If no sponsor name appears on a new member application form, GAWDA Staff will contact the new member for a name. If no name is given and there is an issue regarding claims for sponsorship, GAWDA staff will make a final determination based on the information available.

New Member Announcements New members (and their sponsors) are announced monthly in the GAWDA Connection e-newsletter and in the quarterly Welding & Gases Today magazine.

Sponsor Recognition, Awards, & Gift Card Distribution The member who sponsors the most new members in an annual period will be invited to join the GAWDA President on stage to receive a plaque during the Annual Convention, as well as have their name prominently displayed on the big screen.

A list of all sponsor members and their corresponding new member(s) will be displayed during the business sessions “award ceremony” at the Annual Convention.

Any member who sponsors a new Distributor member will receive a $100 reward for each new Distributor member they sponsor. Sponsor rewards will be mailed at the end of each Annual reporting period. GAWDA staff will contact the sponsor as to where to mail the reward.

For more information on the Member Get-A-Member Program, including the GAWDA Member Benefit Chart, Membership Application and a downloadable flyer about the program, visit https://www.gawda.org/join/ gawda-member-get-member

Learn more about the program & how to earn your $100 reward at www.gawda.org/join/gawda-member-get-member

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The following businesses recently joined the Gases and Welding Distributors Association. For more information about the benefits and services available to members, please contact GAWDA at 844251-3219 or visit www.gawda.org.

DISTRIBUTOR MEMBER DENNIS WELDING SUPPLY INC. 619 N McDonough Street Montgomery, AL 36104 (334) 264-6444 Ricky Dennis, President rickydennis57@icloud.com

SUPPLIER MEMBERS CRYO-RENTAL

IPG PHOTONICS

1801 Patterson Street Houston, TX 77007 (832) 321-8761 http://cryo-rental.com Paul McDermott, Managing Member paul.mcdermott@cryo-rental.com

World Headquarters: 50 Old Webster Road Oxford, MA 01540, USA http://ipgphotonics.com (205) 234-4332 Brandon Shinn bshinn@ipgphotonics.com

CALIBRATION TECHNOLOGIES INC. 920 North Trade Winds Pkwy Columbia, MO 65201 http://ctiengineering.com (866) 394-5861 Christian Brown, Specialty Gas Manager christianbrown@ctiengineering.com

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INDUSTRY NEWS Ray Murray, Inc. Announces New Corporate Vice Presidents

Mike Hopsicker, President & CEO of Ray Murray, Inc. is pleased to announce two new Vice Presidents named to the leadership team at RMI. Casey Harvey has been promoted to Vice President of Sales, and Scott Porter has assumed the role of Vice President of Operations on RMI. Casey Harvey started with RMI as a Regional Sales Manager in 2008. Prior to RMI, he spent 10 years with Carroll Independent Fuel Company in Baltimore, MD, where he was Manager of Sales and Marketing after quickly rising through the ranks in various positions of increasing responsibility in sales and marketing. After 4 years of successfully growing RMI’s Mid-Atlantic territory, he was promoted to RMI’s Director of Sales in 2013. As Vice President of Sales, he has the responsibility for leading RMI’s 14 Sales representatives as well as overseeing all of the companies’ sales activities and providing primary leadership to RMI’s marketing efforts.

Scott Porter has a long career working in operations including leadership roles in product and asset management, purchasing and quality assurance. He joined RMI in May 2016 to help optimize RMI’s use of the ERP system, assist with acquisitions and improve operations. Since that time, he has spearheaded many operational improvement projects including helping assimilate two acquisitions and the reorganization and improvement of RMI’s Goldsboro warehouse. Scott was the Director of Purchasing and Operations with Wes-Garde Components in Hartford, CT immediately prior to joining RMI.

Ratermann Launches New Group for Women Distributors

Marie Ratermann and Mary Carter of Ratermann Manufacturing launched a women’s networking and professional growth group for gas distributors and association employees.

“There are so many incredible women in this industry,” Mary Carter explains. “Some have grown up in this industry, like us, and others are great businesswomen who are emerging into our industry and we wanted a space to be able to support them.

It is so exciting to see gas distributorships now women-led or owned. We have a lot of passion towards supporting women and are elated to learn with the women in our industry.”

Marie Ratermann continues, “The Women’s Round Table by Ratermann Manufacturing will bring women who work at gas distributorships; Owners, Executives, Saleswomen, Marketers, Young Professionals, and Seasoned Professionals to one space virtually where we can discuss challenges like penetrating new 102 • Spring 2021

markets and ideas to help one another grow professionally.”

When asked how to join the Women’s Round Table Group, Mary and Marie explained, “Current spots have been filled but we are working on a creative way to be able to support more women that work at gas distributorships. If you are interested in joining we would absolutely love for you to reach out to us, our emails are mary@rmimfg.com and Marie@rmimfg.com.”

nexAir Announces Sales Organization Changes nexAir announced the following changes to its sales organization leadership.

Steve Sargent, currently Vice President and Area Sales Manager based in South Florida, will relocate to Birmingham, Alabama. Steve will be responsible for the Birmingham and Pell City sales teams, as well as the Productivity Specialists for the entire company.

Vice President and Area Sales Manager, Bryan Howard, will remain based in Nashville and retain responsibility for the

INDUSTRY NEWS

Middle and East Tennessee, as well as Huntsville, Alabama sales teams but will also assume responsibility for the Gas Specialists for the entire company.

Cale Harris, Area Sales Manager based in North Florida, has been named Area Sales Manager for the entire state of Florida and South Georgia.

Adrian (A.J.) Jones, currently Bulk & Microbulk Gas Specialist in South Florida, has been named Area Sales Manager for South Florida and will report to Cale Harris.

Steve Atkins, Executive Vice President, will assume primary responsibility for nexAir’s entire Carbonic (dry ice and liquid carbon dioxide) business segment as the company increases the focus on this substantial part of its business.

While Steve will retain his high-level relationships with nexAir’s major gas vendors, he will devote the majority of his time to this growing business segment.

Bill Proctor, President of nexAir, says, “We are excited about these changes as we ensure our talented sales leaders

fulfill key roles as our company continues to grow.”

AWISCO Team Announcements

Congratulations to AWISCO team members, Mushahid Ahmed and Jesus Pichardo, in their new roles within AWISCO. AWISCO is pleased to announce that Jesus Pichardo, previous Assistant Branch Leader of AWISCO Bronx, will be moving to the role of Maspeth Inside Sales Team Leader.

Jesus joined AWISCO in July 2018 and has been a great addition to the Inside Sales team at AWISCO. Mushahid Ahmed has agreed to join AWISCO as our Employee Retention and Recruitment Specialist. Mushahid came to AWISCO through the PENCIL Program in 2016 and has been an intern at AWISCO while attending Baruch College for the last couple of years. continued on next page

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INDUSTRY NEWS Ratermann Announces Promotions of Mary Carter and Marie Ratermann

Mary Cater

Marie Ratermann

Ratermann Manufacturing is pleased to announce the following promotions.

Mary Carter and Marie Ratermann have taken on the additional responsibilities of Director of Business Development.

“These promotions will help support our ongoing growth objectives as we continue to invest and grow our business,” said Steve Byers, Vice President of Business Development.

“Both Mary and Marie have worked in many facets of our business and have earned these promotions. I am excited to have them on the front line supporting and helping provide solutions to our customers.”

New VP Managing Director Announcement for Cavagna North America

Cavagna Group appointed Federico Bruschi in the role of Cavagna North America Managing Director. Federico will be managing business operations in the North American region. He will be responsible for driving the business forward and guiding the company to be true thought-leaders within the industry.

Federico Bruschi The new appointment is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the expanding U.S.-based company.

Federico’s career at Cavagna spans over 17 years, during which he has been based in both the Cavagna Group Headquarters in Italy and Cavagna North America in the USA. His roles at Cavagna Group HQ have included Sales Manager for different regions around the world and then prior to this new appointment, 5 years as Director for the Group’s propane Business Line.

His extensive experience with the diverse LPG, Compressed gas and medical gas product lines and his time spent immersed in the American market and at Cavagna North America, has well equipped him for this new role. Federico has now permanently relocated from Italy to New Jersey.

With the new announcement, Davide Cavagna, CEO of Cavagna Group, commented: “Federico brings a wealth of ex104 • Spring 2021

perience and knowledge to this important role. His appointment reflects the spirit of the Board of Cavagna Group to grow our position in the North American region and to continue providing excellent customer propositions. On behalf of the Board, I am delighted to welcome Federico to Cavagna North America.”

ORS Nasco Names Andy Boyle Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing

ORS Nasco announced Andy Boyle as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing reporting to Kevin Short, President and CEO. “I have known Andy since 2004 and he is a tenacious and highly accomplished sales leader. Most of his career has orbited in and around distribution as he led a variety of sales teams and consistently posted record results. I am confident in Andy’s ability to work closely with the management team, Andy Boyle committed employees, and business partners to execute our growth strategy,” said Short. “I am thrilled to see what lies ahead under Andy’s leadership and the many opportunities we have to become integral business partners with our customers and suppliers as a true value-add wholesaler.”

“I am eager to jump in, start learning, and play a role in the evolution of the business,” said Andy Boyle, SVP of Sales and Marketing. “ORS Nasco is passionate about the success of our distribution and supplier partners and I am fortunate to be a part of the team.”

Johannes Named Director of National Distribution for Saint-Gobain Abrasives

According to a letter from Patrick Baliva, Director of Strategy, National Accounts & Application Engineering at Saint-Gobain Abrasives, Kurt Johannes was promoted to Director, National Distribution. The text of the letter can be read below: I am pleased to announce the promotion of Kurt Johannes to Director, National Distribution. Kurt is in his 31st year with Norton and has had success working throughout our organization in multiple sales territories in 3 different states, a National Account/Welding Channel Manager position for 8 years followed most recently as the New Business Development FSM in the Mid-South since 2016. His team leadership, distribution market knowledge and work ethic lead to positive sales results

INDUSTRY NEWS throughout his career with Norton. This outstanding track record of success has prepared him well for this new challenge.

In his new role, he will guide the strategy and management of our relationships and business partnerships with our National Distributors and National Buying Groups. As market dynamics continue to shift quickly, it is critical that we keep a close pulse on these shifts and our adjustments to them in the marketplace. He will continue to leverage our brand strength with our unmatched customer support for top tier status and share growth with the largest distributors and buying groups in the marketplace.

DDS Welcomes Pam Nation as Customer Success Manager DDS (Distributor Data Solutions) is pleased to announce that electrical distribution and e-commerce veteran Pam Nation has joined its team as head of a new Customer Success initiative. As DDS’ new Customer Success Manager, Nation brings more than 15 years of distribution and e-business experience to help DDS customers excel at their online and digital offerings.

“With Pam’s many years of working in the electrical industry she brings invaluable insight into the distributor’s journey and their need for integrated data as a way to help their customers make informed decisions,” says DDS President Matt Christensen. “We are Pam Nation excited to have her join the DDS team to further enhance our customer success experience. As more distributors go online, we saw the need to expand our expertise and our processes to deliver seamless execution.”

AWG Promotes Felton to VP Sales – Southeast Region American Welding & Gas announced the promotion of Ronald “Ron” Felton to VP Sales – Southeast Region.

Ron joined AWG in June 2020 as a Territory Manager located in Columbia, SC, focusing his efforts on expanding AWG’s customer base. Ron brings 30+ years of industry and sales experience including bulk/cylinder gases to the role.

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INDUSTRY NEWS In his new role, Ron will lead a team of Territory Managers within the Southeast Region to effectively generate profit growth in the region and assist in the development and implementation of training and professional development for the regional sales team.

Oxygen Service Company Recognized with ABB Robotics Lifetime Achievement Award Oxygen Service Company was recognized by ABB Robotics with its Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the 2020 ABB Robotics Americas Value Provider Awards.

According to the ABB website: “Oxygen Service Company, Inc. is a 61-year-old St Paul, MN company that started as a supplier of welding consumables and equipment. In 1998, Oxygen Service entered the robotic welding market when they became an ABB Robotics Value Provider. Over the years their robotic welding business with ABB has grown and are now one of the leading suppliers of robotic welding systems in the upper midwest. Oxygen Service makes extensive use of the ABB welding portfolio from standalone robots to FlexArc systems, always proven using Robot Studio. Their longstanding commitment to their customers and ABB as a robot supplier makes us proud at ABB to have Oxygen Service recognized for the Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Acme Cryogenics, Inc. Announces Commercial and Operations Manager at Cryogenics Experts, Inc. (CEXI) Aswin Sankar has joined Cryogenic Experts (CEXI), an Acme Cryogenics company, based in Oxnard, CA. Aswin will have overall commercial and operations responsibility for the facility which manufactures a wide variety of vaporization equipment. His role will include management of sales, engineerAswin Sankar ing, safety, and administration.

Since joining CEXI in mid-2020, Aswin has established a culture of LEAN manufacturing and continuous improvement at the Oxnard facility. He gained significant relevant experience from past roles in the aerospace and defense industries where he participated in diverse leadership roles in operations, quality, and supply chain management.

Aswin holds a B.S degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California -Riverside and a F.E license for general mechanical engineering. He and his wife reside in the greater Los Angeles area.

106 • Spring 2021

Holston Gases Announces Ground-Breaking Holston Gases is proud to announce the ground-breaking of a $3,000,000 construction project at its Kentucky region headquarter in Louisville, KY. Holston will be expanding its current site by building a Weldcoa-designed fully automated cylinder fill plant. This project will double the size of the current facility while significantly increasing its specialty gas capabilities.

The new facility will improve Holston’s capabilities to service its current customers across its 10 Kentucky locations while allowing for future growth and expansion into the lower Midwest.

Messer Distributor Group Announces New Member The Messer Distributor Group (MDG), a leading network of independent distributors and suppliers, is privileged to announce the addition of a new member to the group, Atlas Welding Supply.

Founded in 1944, Atlas Welding Supply is a leading-edge solutions-based supplier servicing the greater Alabama market.

Operating from their facilities in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alabama, Atlas provides gases, welding equipment, abrasives, welding safety products, dry ice, safety gloves and much more to customers. Atlas is led by industry veterans Bill Visintainer and James Cain.

“We are excited to join the MDG and to work with other customer-focused, independent distributors like Atlas” said James Cain, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Atlas Welding Supply. “The MDG provides its members with exceptional value and an opportunity to work with a select group of vendor partners, which ultimately results in better outcomes for our customers.”

Cramer Decker Industries Rebrands as ProRack Gas Control Products Cramer Decker Industries has been rebranded as ProRack Gas Control Products effective February 15, 2021. In recent years, Cramer Decker has divested a number of its businesses, rendering the Cramer Decker holding company brand less relevant to current operations. As a result, and to better define its product offerings to the gas services industry, all Cramer Decker gas products serving the industrial, specialty and medical gas industries will be sold and marketed under the ProRack Gas Control Products brand. These products include all cylinder pallets and cradles, manifold systems, cylinders and medical oxygen equipment. Both the Cramer Decker and the Cramer Decker Medical brands will be retired.

INDUSTRY NEWS Importantly, all customers and vendors will continue to use the same corporate contact information and will continue to work with the same industry leading staff.

“We are very excited about this next chapter in our history.

And while it is certainly bittersweet to retire the Cramer Decker brand after almost 40 years, we are confident that our new brand structure best defines and organizes our cur­rent business and products, and will best position our business going forward,” stated Ryan Decker, CEO of ProRack Gas Control Products.

F&M MAFCO Opens Expansive Facility in Kansas City F&M MAFCO announced the opening of an expansive facility in Kansas City, Missouri. This recent opening comes three months after the opening of its Evansville, Indiana facility.

According to Tim Fries, COO of F&M MAFCO, “We are very excited about the opening of our Kansas City facility. It gives us an important foothold in the region as we grow our strategic tool management programs across both our current and prospective customer bases.” He added, “Both our StrikeForce

and NEXT S.T.E.P. complete tool management outsourcing programs continue to grow, which has allowed us to further invest behind the business in setting up full-service facilities throughout the country. Customers expect an exceptionally high level of service and need us right there. It’s all about doing business with F&M MAFCO made easy. Having turnkey facilities in close proximity to our customers, wherever they are, allows us to better integrate with their teams.”

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Ratermann Announces Promotion for Jake Williams

Jake Williams has been promoted to Marketing Manager of Ratermann MFG. As the man behind the curtain, Jake has been planning the events and creating great marketing content at Ratermann Jake Williams over the past few years. Jake always comes up with creative solutions for Ratermann customers and loves to tell customer stories through videos and testimonials.

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Wire Wizard Hires Randy Love as Southeast US Technical Sales Representative Wire Wizard Welding Products is pleased to announce the hiring of Randy Love as Technical Sales Representative for the Southeastern U.S. region, including Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Eastern Tennessee and Northern Florida. Randy brings with him over 35 years of experience in technical sales Randy Love in the welding supply industry with both distributors and manufacturers. He has held long term positions with companies in the industry such as ESAB®, National Standard®, Linde Gas® and others. Randy will be responsible for providing technical sales and support for Wire Wizard’s full line of innovative welding products and optimization solutions.

Norton Saint-Gobain Recognized as One of the Top 100 Most Innovative Companies in the World Saint-Gobain has been named one of the world’s 100 most innovative companies in the Clarivate Top 100 Global Innovator™ 2021 ranking for the tenth consecutive year. The ranking is established by studying the number of patents filed, but also the impact that a company’s inventions have on patent filings by others, the percentage of successful patent submissions, and the steps taken for legal protection of patents filed worldwide.

INDUSTRY NEWS

IN MEMORIAM GAWDA Mourns the Loss of Bill McKenna GAWDA extends its condolences to the friends and family of Bill McKenna, Chief Operating Officer of F&M MAFCO, who passed away on January 4, 2021.

An obituary posted on iwdc.coop reads: “He was born 64 years ago into a loving family of four older brothers and a younger sister where the value of hard work was taught by their parents, Bob and Mary. In his youth, Bill did a little bit of everything – paperboy, gas station attendant, mechanic – you name it. Before graduating from his beloved Elder High School, he started working with his father and brothers at F&M MAFCO. A little later, 43 years ago to be exact, Bill lucked upon marrying the love of his life, Carole. Together, these two would go on to achieve many things, but the most important to them was building a close-knit family of three lucky children, Shannon, Kyle and Corey. Those three continued that lucky streak by marrying three wonderful people who also adored Bill. And then came six grandkids, Henry, Millie, George, Jameson, Elsie and Otto, officially making Bill the luckiest man in the world.”

GAWDA Mourns the Loss of Doug Perry The welding, brazing and gas apparatus industry is mourning the loss of Doug Perry, Harris Products Group’s long-time technical adviser to customers, distributors and the Harris sales team. Perry passed away on Thursday, December 31, 2020, in Flowery Branch, GA.

Over more than three decades, Perry was instrumental in developing and patenting several gas technologies that positively impacted welding and brazing operations. He played a major role in the design and recent launch of the Perfect Flame®, the Harris engineered system that improves handheld brazing quality and increases productivity.

Throughout this career, Perry traveled across the county helping companies with technical issues related to gas apparatus and systems. He was a prolific writer of articles for industry publications and was called upon regularly to be a subject expert by industry organizations and in legal cases.

According to Harris Products Group President David Nangle, Perry derived his greatest pleasure in training thousands of customers and end users so they could find solutions and make further industry advancements. “Doug had a deep knowledge of the science and art of working with gas, and he wanted to share his insights with others,” said Nangle. “He loved his work and continued doing it well after most people retire. The Harris family is grateful for the contributions he made to our company and our industry.”

Originally from Ohio, Perry was a Vietnam War veteran where among his honors he received the National Defense Service Medal and the Bronze Star. After leaving the military, he attended Kent University and then graduated from Akron University with a business degree. As his interest in science began to emerge, he joined a gas company in Virginia as a sales representative. He moved back to Ohio as an outside salesperson when he joined Harris. He became a national trainer for Harris helping others to understand gas applications and processes. Perry then moved to the Harris Gainesville, GA facility, where he became head of the technical service department and continued to expand his industry roles. continued on next page

Spring 2021 • 109

INDUSTRY NEWS

Perry was a member of the American Welding Society (AWS), American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He is survived by his wife, Judith Perry, a son and daughter, and four grandchildren.

GAWDA Mourns the Loss of Lorena Kennedy GAWDA extends its condolences to the friends and family of Lorena Kennedy “Mrs. K.” who passed away on February 2, 2021. Red Ball Oxygen announced the tragic news on their Facebook page. Mrs. K was Red Ball’s original CFO and spent more than 30 years with the company. She will be dearly missed by everyone that knew her.

According to the post, “The company’s current success can largely be attributed to the foundation she laid. As one of our first four employees, she worked tirelessly to find opportunities to grow the business. To those that knew her, it was her discipline and organization that shaped the company’s mentality we still have today.

Best of all, Mrs. K was a mother and a grandmother that wanted nothing more than to give her family the best shot at success. We can confidently say she did just that. She will be dearly missed by everyone that knew her.”

GAWDA Mourns the Loss of Ron Pierce GAWDA extends its condolences to the friends and family of Ron Pierce, who passed away on Thursday, March 18, at the age of 87. Ron was a former president of AWS and served as Chairman Emeritus of the AWS Foundation. His obituary can be read in full below: Ronald Carter Pierce, 87, a resident of Daphne suddenly passed away on Thursday, March 18, 2021. He is survived by his wife of 66 years Joyce A. Pierce of Daphne, AL; four children, Jeffery (Rhonda) Pierce of Pensacola, FL, Judy (Bill) Miller of Gulf Breeze, FL, Gregory (Sabrina) Pierce of Daphne, AL, Jenny (Chris) McCall of Loxley, AL.; ten grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; Joyce (Peter) Wyatt, and other nephews and nieces. Ron served as an officer in the US Army.

Following his service to our country, he went on to earn a B.S in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University 110 • Spring 2021

and became a Professional Engineer. He worked for Lincoln Electric for 11 years as a Welding Engineer until 1966 when he began working for WESCO as a Sales Engineer. In 1974, he purchased WESCO and transformed it into the successful company it is today. Ron dedicated his professional career to the Welding Industry. He has been a sustaining member of AWS (American Welding Society) for more than 60 years.

He served as President in 1998 and is currently the Chairman Emeritus of the AWS foundation. Ron was an avid golfer who enjoyed playing weekly with friends and was known to throw a club or two if he missed an easy shot. He had innumerable successes and accolades in life, but his greatest pride and joy was always his family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Ronald C. & Joyce Pierce Mobile Section Scholarship Fund at the AWS Foundation. Donations may be made online at http://www.aws.org/donate or mailed to the American Welding Society (issue check to: AWS Foundation) AWS, Attn: Ron Pierce Scholarship Fund, 8669 NW 36th Street, Suite #130, Miami, FL 33166.

GAWDA Mourns the Loss of John C. Beringer GAWDA extends its condolences to the friends and family of former NWSA President John C. Beringer, Sr., who passed away on February 5, 2021. His obituary was published in the Naples Daily News, and can be read in part below: John Clifford Beringer, 89, of Akron, Ohio and Naples, Florida, passed away peacefully in his home in Naples on February 5, 2021 surrounded by his 10 children and the love of his life, Nancy. One of seven children, John was born to Charles and Kathryn (Loftus) Beringer in Akron. He attended St. Sebastian Parish School followed by Campion High School in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and John Carroll University. At John Carroll, he honed his leadership skills as president of the student body and as an Army ROTC cadet, receiving the Distinguished Military Graduate Award. Immediately following college, John served for two years in the United States Army as a 1st Lieutenant. In 1955, he entered into a more than 65-year marriage to Nancy Miller of Cleveland Heights.

John was born with an entrepreneurial spirit and natural leadership ability; combined with his wisdom, work ethic,

INDUSTRY NEWS

treatment of others, and the love and support of Nancy, he was able to translate that spirit into many successful business endeavors. John was the founder and owner of many businesses throughout his career, most notably Akron Oxygen & Supply Company, a distributor of industrial gases. John spent 35 years growing this company, becoming a leader in the industry and president of the national trade organization for many years.

John’s life was filled with successes in business and in his personal life, and he was always quick to attribute those successes to God’s grace and the love and support of Nancy.

He lived a life of gratitude for his blessings, and never was tempted to think the grass was greener in another man’s pasture. He believed in giving others a hand up whenever the opportunity arose, and never forgot those along the journey who had extended a hand to him. He truly lived a life with no regrets.

John is survived by his beloved wife of 65 years, Nancy, their ten children, Mary Savage (Jim), John (Annie), Kathy Reed (Orville), Chris Renner, Don (Karen), Ann Renner (Dave), Colleen Joyce (Paul), Brigid (Shannon Steele), Judy Ossian (Mark), and Susie Dix (Chuck); 34 grandchildren, and 12 great grandsons. Also surviving are sisters Kate Buehrle and Marjorie Dettling, sisters-in-law Mary Ann Barrett and Judy Collins, and many, many loving nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Bill, Charlie, and Jim, and sister Jane Crawford.

GAWDA Mourns the Loss of Robert E. Smith GAWDA extends its condolences to the friends and family of Robert E. Smith, owner of Industrial Welding Supplies and Nordan Smith, who passed away on December 12, 2020, at the age of 86.

His daughter, sister and brotherin-law were by his side in his home when he passed.

Robert, known by family and friends as Bob, was born to Okley and Gussie Smith on September 3, 1934, in Grenada, Mississippi. He graduated from JZ George High School in Carrollton, MS, and served in the US Air Force from 1951 — 1955.

He was a passionate entrepreneur and businessman, a dedicated father to his only child, daughter, Tamara Smith,

and devoted husband to his wife, the love of his life, the late Dorothy Jean Heath Smith. They were married for 58 years until her death in 2014.

Robert owned Industrial Welding Supplies until its acquisition in 1982 and continued operating Nordan Smith until his “retirement” in the mid-1990s. A constant learner and lifelong student, he quickly went back to work fully immersing himself in the printing industry, with the purchase of Alpha Printing Co where he stayed until 2018 and its sale to A2Z Printing in Jackson.

Robert was preceded in death by his parents, sister Evelyn Collins, brothers, Willard and Benny Smith and wife, Dorothy Smith. He is survived by his daughter, Tamara Smith, sisters, Vondelle Lindsay and Betty Lynn Dearman and brother, James Smith. Robert’s daughter would like to thank all who so lovingly supported his care, especially Christal with Mockingbird Comfort Care and Summer and Lisa with Baptist Hospice.

Robert will be greatly missed by everyone who knew and loved him. His family takes great comfort in knowing that he is safely in the loving arms of Jesus reunited with his wife in heaven, where together they celebrated 64 years of marriage, December 21, 2020.

GAWDA Mourns the Loss of David Jordan GAWDA extends its condolences to the friends and family of David Jordan, nexAir’s Productivity and Gas Specialist Manager based in Birmingham, who passed away at the end of 2020.

David had been a valued and beloved employee since joining nexAir in 2007 as a Territory Manager in the Birmingham area. David later transitioned to a role as a Gas Specialist, supporting Territory Managers by evaluating customers’ gas modes and offering solutions for increased efficiency and cost savings. He was promoted to Manager of the Productivity and Gas Specialist teams in 2019. David played a key role in so many initiatives for nexAir and its customers over the years and was a tremendous leader.

David leaves behind his wife, Windy, and his two children, Kylah and Cason, as well as many other family members. David was friends with so many at nexAir. He was a positive person and his attitude and infectious smile touched so many.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

MA SCORECARD

Atlas Welding Supply Co. Partners with Gas Innovations, Forms Meritus Gas Partners Meritus Gas Partners announced its formation via a partnership with Willingham Welding Solutions, Inc. (d/b/a Gas Innovations) and Atlas Welding Supply Co., Inc., in conjunction with a growth investment from AEA Investors’ Small Business Fund. Meritus is a platform led by a team of accomplished industry executives to partner with best-in-class independent packaged gas distributors across North America. Meritus intends to assemble a national federation of high-quality independent distributors of industrial, medical, and specialty gases and welding and safety supplies, located in diverse geographies and serving growing end-markets. The Meritus executive team is led by industry executives Scott Kaltrider (Chairman) and Rob D’Alessandro (Vice-Chairman). Mike Masha, former CFO of Messer MG Industries and mid-Atlantic distributor GTS-Welco, will serve as Meritus’ Chief Financial Officer, while Dave Marek will serve as its Director of Business Development following a 40-year career in the industry.

Mike Hopsicker Acquires 100% of Ray Murray Inc. Ray Murray Inc. (RMI) is pleased to announce that effective January 7, 2021, Mike Hopsicker has acquired 100% ownership of RMI. The partnership between Hopsicker and the Murray family started in 2005 when they began working together on a planned transition of ownership. Prior to RMI, Mike was CEO of Agway Inc., and spent 8 years as the CEO of Agway Energy Products, one of the largest retail marketers of propane and fuel oil in the U.S.

James C. Dawes Company, Inc. are in adjacent markets, are passionate about customer service and have similar cultures that value employees.

“I saw this as a great way to provide continuity for my employees and to keep serving our long-term loyal customer base” – Brian Dawes, President, James C. Dawes. “I am excited for Sky Oxygen and am very happy that Brian is staying with our merged enterprise. Both our companies are on the same computer system and when you combine both of our long term highly trained employee teams into one, ‘SKY IS THE LIMIT!’” – Vince Cirrincione, President, Sky Oxygen.”

Chart Industries and Matrix Service Company Execute Commercial Hydrogen Memorandum of Understanding Chart Industries, Inc. signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Matrix Service Company for the development of standardized hydrogen solutions in North America, including hydrogen liquefaction plants, marine bunkering, fueling stations, plant expansions, storage expansion, spaceship fueling and other hydrogen related facilities. Matrix Service Company is a leading contractor to the energy and industrial markets across North America. Through its subsidiaries, Matrix provides engineering, procurement, fabrication, and construction, as well as maintenance and products to the energy and industrial markets, with specific experience engineering, procuring and constructing cryogenic and pressure storage vessels, terminals and related balance of plant facilities which complements Chart’s extensive hydrogen liquefaction and equipment offering.

Sky Oxygen Company, J.C. Dawes Merge

American Welding & Gas, Inc. Acquires Axmen Propane

An announcement on iwdc.coop reads: “Effective December 18, 2020, two strong regional players joined forces to better service their respective customer bases. Sky Oxygen and

American Welding & Gas, Inc. is pleased to announce that Axmen Propane, headquartered in Frenchtown, MT, has joined forces with AWG effective immediately. Locally owned

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INDUSTRY NEWS and operated in western Montana by the Hanson family and Mike Svoboda since 2000, Axmen Propane has built a strong reputation for prompt, professional service for its customers.

The combination formed with our existing Silvertip Propane business creates the largest independent propane provider in Montana and surrounding areas.

of Plug Power’s GenDrive in the material handling industry as the most cost effective and productive solution that also operates with zero emissions,” states Eric Rottier, Chairman & CEO Taylor-Wharton. “We’re proud to be able to supply critical equipment and leasing solutions to enable faster market adoption for this environmentally important technology.”

Taylor-Wharton America and Plug Power Announce a Strategic Alliance

Chart Industries Acquires Cryo Technologies

Taylor-Wharton America and Plug Power announce strategic alliance to continue to build out the hydrogen fuel cell infrastructure in the material handling industry powered by Plug Power’s GenDrive technology.

Taylor-Wharton is now providing Plug Power LH2 distribution trailers in addition to increasing production output of LH2 tanks to support Plug Power’s growth plans. Air Water has made leasing solutions available to Plug Power for this equipment, both which are critical components to the hydrogen fuel cell supply chain. “It’s exciting to see the continued penetration

Chart Industries, Inc. announced the acquisition of Cryogenic Gas Technologies, Inc. for $55 million in cash (subject to certain customary adjustments). Cryo Technologies is a global leader in custom engineered process systems to separate, purify, refrigerate, liquefy and distribute high value industrial gases such as hydrogen, helium, argon and hydrocarbons with design capabilities for cold boxes for hydrogen and helium use. The distribution systems Cryo Technologies supplies are located within the helium and hydrogen liquefaction facilities and are inclusive of trailer loading systems, which facilitates the first step in product distribution.

SHARE YOUR NEWS If you’ve hired new people, moved your facility, acquired a company, added a product line, have new offerings or anything else newsworthy is happening at your business, please let us know. We’d like to share those updates with your fellow GAWDA members.

GAWDA publishes a twice-monthly e-newsletter (The GAWDA Connection) and a quarterly magazine for its membership audience. Simply forward your information to GAWDA Media at: editorial@gawdamedia.com or call us at 315-445-2347, x120.

Spring 2021 • 113

NEW OFFERINGS

PRODUCTS | SERVICES | TECHNOLOGIES 3

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1. VMG Manifold Gets Patent Accepted Vendor Managed Gas (VMG) has a new, patent accepted manifold. The Automatic Reserve Fill Smart Manifold™ pressure transfers from the primary cylinder(s) to the reserve cylinder(s) when the primary is replaced, meaning you only ever need to change out the primary side. Additionally, the manifold automatically switches over to the reserve cylinder, so you never need to worry about downtime caused from running out of product. A check valve prevents the reserve cylinder from losing pressure to the primary side. This minimizes human interaction and helps eliminate errors in switching cylinders and can reduce storage space needed for reserve cylinders. The reserve cylinder can be a smaller cylinder kept in a storage cabinet. The Automatic Reserve Fill Smart Manifold™ is preferred in most cylinder gas applications.

VMG telemetry enhances traditional methods to further prevent runouts. Made in the USA.

2. 3M Cut and Grind Wheels 3M™ Cut & Grind Wheels are the latest addition to 3M’s Advanced Series of abrasives, offering high performance at an affordable price for everyday use.

Powered by the fast-cutting and long-lasting 3M™ PrecisionShaped Grain technology, the wheels slice through metal with super-sharp points for a cooler, faster, and longer lasting cut than conventional abrasive grain. Plus, these long-lasting wheels need fewer change-outs, so you can power through the daily grind that much faster.

114 • Spring 2021

3M™ Cut & Grind Wheels can also function as both a depressed center grinding wheel and a cut-off wheel, for everyday high performance in a wide range of applications, including: • Back gouging • Root pass grinding • Cutting • Grinding • Notching • Beveling • Fillet grinding To learn more about 3M™ Cut & Grind Wheels, visit go.3M. com/CutandGrind

3. IWDC Launches PIM IWDC held a February 1 launch webinar that was attended by over 80 Member participants. “We delivered our initial product content goal of ~8,400 skus across more than two dozen vendors,” stated Frank Kasnick, President & CEO. “We thank our numerous Member companies that collaborated with our staff to build out our PIM structure and also thank those Members who helped pilot the PIM.” “Our technology partner, Unilog, joined in and helped us demo the PIM, a related Customer Service Representative (CSR) portal and a B2B e-commerce site,” commented Tina Estes, IWDC Chief Information Officer. “Our initial content delivered is just the tip of the iceberg”.

IWDC’s Product Information Management (PIM) system is designed to supply IWDC Member companies with enriched

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product content, via a subscription service, to support their evolving digital needs. Those digital needs include e-commerce, digital / print catalogs, Member company websites and ERP product structure.

4. CryoWorks, Inc. Bronze Cryogenic Globe Valves

Good things come in three, like CryoWorks Bronze Cryogenic Globe Valves! With 3 options to pick from, they are often reserved for occasional or temporary use-points, tank isolation valves and as a lower cost alternative to our Vacuum Insulated Valves.

These valves are typically used in low budget applications where the liquid quality is not critical and water or ice damage are not a concern. Whichever you choose, rest assured that the Safety Relief Valve Assembly (SRV) is always adjustable regardless of its orientation angle.

5. Norton Releases New BlazeX F980 Fiber Discs

Saint-Gobain Abrasives has introduced its new Norton BlazeX F980 Fiber Discs with premium ceramic alumina micro-fracturing grain for a wide range of grinding processes in stainless steel and harder-to-grind materials. New proprietary COOL FRICTION technology dissipates heat during the grind, reducing rework and extending the life of Norton BlazeX F980 Fiber Discs. Norton BlazeX F980 Discs are the latest addition to the BlazeX “Best Tier” portfolio which also includes BlazeX F970 Fiber and Quick-Change Discs for Carbon Steel and Soft-To-Grind Materials.

In addition to COOL FRICTION technology, a self-lubricating grinding aid treatment and active filler are also critical to producing cool cuts. Its micro-fracturing grain consistently exposes sharper grain edges, to deliver a better cut rate, and longer disc life when compared to blended ceramic alumina discs.

“Due to improved ceramic grain together with our new COOL FRICTION technology, self-lubricating grinding aid and active filler, there is a 50% increase in cut rate and disc life when using Norton BlazeX F980 Fiber Discs compared with Norton Blaze F980 Fiber Discs and other leading discs,” said Patrick Carroll, Norton | Saint-Gobain Abrasives Senior Product Manager. “Prioritizing the operator experience is first and foremost, so Norton BlazeX F980 Fiber Discs deliver a smooth cut requiring less pressure, resulting in less fatigue and longer times between change-overs.”

New Norton BlazeX F980 Fiber Discs are suitable for a variety of grinding operations such as stock removal, deburring, beveling, blending, cleaning/ detail and finishing. Key industries for the new discs include MRO, metal fabrication, welding, oil & gas, energy, ship building and foundry.

BlazeX F980 Fiber Discs are offered in 36 grit and are available in a standard 7/8” hole pattern fitting most angle grinders, and in the most popular sizes for any application.

Speed-Change BlazeX F980 Fiber Disc version features the Norton quick, tool-free, twist-on/ off Speed-Change fastener. Discs lock to standard back-up pads with a unique nut design and are easily removed, increasing productivity with more time to grind. continued on next page

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NEW OFFERINGS

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6. Chart Launches the Orca VHP Series

Pump Transfer Delivery System

Chart’s new Orca VHP Series compliments its MicroBulk delivery system with bulk delivery to make on-site distribution for larger and smaller accounts a profitable reality. The Orca VHP Series Semi-Trailer delivery unit has been designed to complete an entire fill operation in 3-30 minutes with no pump cooling or product loss in inert service under normal conditions.

Automatic fill termination with the Perma-Cyl® MicroBulk and bulk storage system vessels eliminates safety hazards and lost product associated with overfilling. Next generation pump and controls technology allows filling storage systems without interrupting service. In total, the Chart MicroBulk and bulk system increases asset utilization, reduces labor costs and maximizes distribution efficiency. Chart offers the complete delivery system as a solution to reliably and effortlessly manage a diverse range of applications. At the foundation of the delivery system, the Orca VHP Series delivery unit offers fast, reliable and accurate on-site delivery to Perma-Cyl storage vessels or small and large bulk tanks alike. The Perma-Cyl line offers the widest range of sizes and piping options and the greatest flexibility with accommodations for indoor and outdoor installation. Learn more at www.chartindustries.com/orca.

7. ORS Nasco Launches The Hub –

Customizable Content & Digital Marketing

ORS Nasco is excited to announce The Hub - Customizable Content and Digital Marketing for valued customers to help grow and support their business. Working in parallel with suppliers and sales force, they offer this new suite of services, as well as continue to place high value on traditional solutions 116 • Spring 2021

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to help expand customer’s businesses in today’s market. The Hub allows customers the option to choose content and digital marketing assets. This not only provides a more efficient customer buying journey it also transforms their website into a powerful selling tool increasing traffic and driving sell-through.

Over the past year, the importance of content and digital assets has increased and ORS Nasco wants to assist customers with moving online helping future-proof their business.

8. Lincoln Electric Introduces New Vantage®

441X Diesel Engine Driven Welder/Generator

Lincoln Electric introduces the latest addition to the Vantage line of diesel engine driven welder/generators with the new Vantage 441X. Built to deliver power, dependability, and flexibility operators can count on, the Vantage 441X welder/ generator is loaded with features to help keep jobsites welding at peak performance.

Equipped with a 41hp, turbocharged Perkins® diesel engine, the Vantage 441X welder/generator provides true IEC rated 400-amp, 100% duty cycle DC welding output. Engineered for enhanced power and performance, this fuel-efficient, Tier 4 Final engine packs all the necessary power for running heavier electrodes and arc gouge carbons with excellent cold weather and high-altitude operation.

Built to withstand demanding jobsite environments, the rugged design of the Vantage 441X welder/generator provides field-proven dependability with such features as encapsulated GFCIs, stainless steel paneling, strain-relief wiring, and potted PC boards.

For welding performance, the Vantage 441X welder/ generator delivers superior SMAW capabilities and features

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customized weld modes for carbon steel, aluminum, and stainless steel. For more advanced applications, the Vantage 441X welder/generator also includes dedicated SAW and orbital pipe modes, along with synergic pulse capabilities for better arc performance in GMAW welding.

To back it all up, the Vantage 441X welder/generator also comes standard with CrossLinc® Technology. Developed to improve overall jobsite performance and safety, CrossLinc Technology enables precise voltage control at the arc without the use of an extra control cable for improved productivity, safety, and quality.

The Vantage 441X is available to order as a standalone machine, or in Ready-Pak® options that come assembled on heavy-duty trailers directly from the factory.

continued on next page

1951-2021 70 Years Strong

Fork Lift Cylinder Tank Storage Cabinet

EW Series Delivery Bodies Kaddy-Kart Cylinder Handling

FOR ALL OF YOUR GAS HANDLING NEEDS H&H delivers the gas handling equipment you need to reduce labor, increase safety & save money.

HAUL IT— The EW Series truck body features a modular design with your choice of steel treadplate or bar grate flooring for confident transport. H&H can provide the optimum lift gate for your loading/ unloading operation.

STORE IT— Our Cylinder-Stor Cabinets set the mark for convenience and secure outside storage. Both single and double section models are furnished with tamper-proof padlock hasps, keyed padlocks and bolt-down features for the best in safety and security.

MOVE IT— H&H Kaddy-Karts are small enough to get through doors and traffic lanes yet large enough to carry plenty of cylinders. Palletstyle bottoms for easy movement and alignment. Some models offer casters, tow hitches or crane lifting eyes. You’ll find the model you need to improve your operation.

Get H&H to help you today to safer and easier cylinder handling.

Call: 800-551-9341 E-mail: info@hhsalescompany.com

16339 Lima Rd., P.O. Box 686 • Huntertown, IN 46748-0686 Phone: 260-637-3177 • 800-551-9341 • FAX: 260-637-6880 E-mail: info@hhsalescompany.com • Web: www.hhsalescompany.com

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9. Cavagna Group Introduces ClickClick IoT

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As Industry 4.0 progresses, it is coming to involve several aspects of the gas industry. This includes technologies for the regulation and control of gases in many application areas.

Well aware of this evolution, the Cavagna Group has been exploring some of these applications for a long time. These efforts have given rise to the Group’s brand-new ClickClick telemetry device, which proves that a “smart” philosophy can become a practical reality even in the optimization of LPG use.

Thanks to the “ClickClick” solution, LPG users and distributors can constantly monitor gas levels and other information about the operation of regulation units in multi-cylinder systems.

What’s more, they can even do it remotely on tablets or smartphones.

When “ClickClick” is applied to the Reca automatic changeover, it detects the filling levels and replacement status of the cylinders, sending alerts (via e-mail) to the user and the gas distribution company. A dedicated cloud platform is used as part of the ICT process.

Thanks to the use of the “ClickClick” device, it is possible to do away with manual readings of the filling status of gas cylinders and reduce handling costs and efforts. In addition, it also fully optimizes emergency deliveries, never easy to manage and always stressful for the customer. In fact, remote management of LPG pressure gas cylinders lends itself to customization and thus the improvement of service.

With so many benefits to using the “ClickClick” telemetry device, making the “smart” switch is really a no-brainer.

Among its advantages, it boasts easy installation (it can be connected directly to the regulator), low power consumption and a long-lasting battery.

Hypertherm announced the release of Rotary Tube Pro™ 3, a major version update of its tube and pipe cutting software for machines with a rotary axis. This new release contains new features and enhancements making it easy to design and cut tube parts. These features include: • Common line cutting which allows operators to cut two or more parts so that they share at least one common line with one another. This provides greater material utilization and better consumable life.

• Costing for parts, nests, and jobs to include factors such as consumable wear, machine operating cost, labor costs, electricity, etc.

• Auto-select of material so operators can enter basic material descriptions in settings and automatically map to available materials. With this feature, operators no longer need to separately pick a material and thickness once a tube size and wall thickness is selected.

“With Rotary Tube Pro 3 we’ve responded to our customer base with features and enhancements that we believe take a big step forward,” explained Steve Bertken, Product Manager for Hypertherm CAD/CAM software products. “With common line cutting, users now have the ability to completely eliminate scrap between parts, potentially reducing their material costs and achieving better overall efficiency.”

Customers with an active maintenance plan can upgrade to the new version at no additional charge and continue to receive unlimited technical support and other benefits. Learn more about Hypertherm CAD/CAM software at www.hypertherm. com/CAM.

Device

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Hypertherm Announces Release of Rotary Tube Pro 3

ADVERTISERS INDEX Acme Cryogenics ........................................... 62

Generant ...................................................... 105

Admiral Valve dba CPV Manufacturing......... 101

H & H Sales................................................... 117

AGP Helium ................................................... 71

Harris Products Group...................................IFC

Allcryo ............................................................ 23

Kaplan Industries.............................................. 9

American Welding Society ............................. 37

Lincoln Electric ................................................ 7

AmWINS ........................................................ 89

McDantim....................................................... 92

ANOVA ........................................................... 19

Metal Impact................................................... 91

Anthony Welded Products ............................... 3

Metal Man Work Gear .................................. 100

Arcos Industries............................................ IBC

Nikkiso Cryogenic Services ........................... 48

ASM/American Standard Manufacturing ....... 67

NorLab Calibration Gases .............................. 61

ASTARAS ......................................................... 5

Norton Abrasives............................................ 33

BTIC ............................................................... 47

Prism Visual Software................................... 103

Bug-O Systems.............................................. 57

Rama Cylinders.............................................. 21

California Cylinder.......................................... 92

Reg0 Cryo-Flow Products ............................. 41

Chart .............................................................. 11

Revco Industries............................................. 59

CK Worldwide ................................................ 55

Rotarex .......................................................... 38

CO2 Meter.................................................... 107

SafTCart ........................................................ 13

Computers Unlimited ..................................... 27

Select-Arc ..................................................... BC

Controlled Efficiencies.................................... 17

Sherwood Valve ............................................. 39

Cryo-Rental.................................................... 15

Thermco ........................................................ 53

Cryogenic Industrial Solutions ....................... 93

TOMCO2 Systems ......................................... 49

Cryoworks ..................................................... 25

Veite Cryogenic Equipment & Service .............. 1

Dynabrade ..................................................... 35

Vendor Managed Gas Telemetry................... 113

Eleet Cryogenics ............................................ 87

Watson Coatings............................................ 54

Equigas ........................................................ 107

Weldcoa ......................................................... 31

ES Tech Group ............................................... 70

Weldship Corporation..................................... 95

Exocor ......................................................... 105

Winton Products .......................................... 117

FIBA Technologies ......................................... 93

Wire Wizard .................................................. 103

Flexovit USA .................................................. 97

Witt Gas Controls .......................................... 63 Spring 2021 • 119

@keengas Happy 39th Anniversary to Dave.

Dave is Keen’s Branch Coordinator, overseeing all 14 stores! #KeenGas #KeenTeam

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AWDA members shared the below posts and pictures using Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. We encourage GAWDA members to keep the conversation going all year long by using #GAWDA next time you post.

@centralwelding Burning rod in the sunshine. Starting to feel like spring in the PNW!

@nexairllc Say Hello to our Nashville Location!

@cyltec_inc This week, Ray Borzio of Global Calibration Gases and Special Gas Services in Sarasota FL visited our office to bestow upon us some of his “infinite gaseous wisdom.”

Being recognized nationally as well as internationally, Ray has over 45 years experience in specialty gas production and technology. He taught us the fundamentals of specialty gas mixtures and the requirements needed to properly store them inside high pressure gas cylinders.

We are grateful to have learned from one of the best in the industry. Thanks, Ray! 120 • Spring 2021

@butlergas Tomorrow is the first day of Spring. We can’t wait to plant flowers in our cylinder caps again this year!

Arcos Delivers Solutions to Stainless Steel Alloy Welding Challenges.

Arcos Industries, LLC offers over 100 stainless steel electrode products to handle the countless array of demanding welding applications that challenge you daily. Our reputation for exceptional quality and outstanding service ensures that you can depend on Arcos to provide you with the finest in bare wire, covered and tubular stainless steel alloy welding electrodes.

Discover for yourself how Arcos stainless steel alloy electrodes can help you solve your critical welding problems. Call us today at 800-233-8460 or visit our website at www.arcos.us.

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Select-Arc has introduced over a dozen distinctive SelectWear hardsurfacing wires especially developed to withstand a host of severe conditions.

These wires are designed to improve your welding productivity, enhance performance and reduce machinery downtime by increasing component life. In addition, SelectWear electrodes can provide heightened resistance to other conditions such as impact, adhesion, corrosion, erosion and elevated temperatures. Select-Arc hardsurfacing electrodes include: • Build-Up and Joining Wires • Metal-To-Metal Wear • Metal-To-Earth Wear

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