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  • How Dry Ice Keeps Our World A Warmer Place

    How Dry Ice Keeps Our World A Warmer Place

    Carbon dioxide has earned a terrible reputation the world over as it is one of the top five gases causing global warming. But here’s the irony. Industries are turning to carbon dioxide in its environment-friendly form—dry ice—to combat global warming.

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    What is Dry Ice?

    Carbon dioxide when liquefied, frozen, and compressed, makes dry ice. It earned its name for not melting into a puddle of water. That’s right. When dry ice melts through a process called sublimation, it changes from solid to gaseous form without leaving water residue.

    How Does it Work?

    Most of us equate dry ice as a substance you do not want to touch with your bare hands as it can instantly freeze cells resulting in frostbite. Furthermore, breathing in too much of its gaseous form is a recipe for suffocation. Make sure you are wearing the proper PPE and following safety guidelines while handling dry ice.

    Despite its handling issues, dry ice is widely used in industries as it is an inexpensive solution that consumes no fuel or electricity. It is most notably used in heat displacement refrigeration. Another benefit of using dry ice is that its form can be altered as required and delivered in a way that limits waste.

    Why is it environmentally friendly, you wonder? When dry ice turns to gas, it does not add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. This means, unlike its counterparts, it does not contribute to the greenhouse effect, making it a champion ingredient that’s clean and safe.

    Benefits of using dry ice:

    • Supercooling (-109.3 degrees Fahrenheit)
    • No water residue, no leakage, and no contamination
    • When used as a cleaning substance, it can reduce downtime and costs
    • Eliminates exposure to dangerous chemical cleaning agents on employees
    • Effectively decontaminates surfaces

    Which Industries Make Use of Dry Ice in Their Operations?

    From pharmaceutical lab applications to DNA research and genetic engineering, dry ice plays a vital role in the experimentation, preservation, storage, and shipment of biological samples. Here’s a closer look at five industries that depend on dry ice.

    Aerospace Industry

    From cleaning cargo bays to removing carbon buildup, from runway cleaning to removing oil and grease residue—the aerospace industry needs a cleaning solution that handles all this and more. Dry ice is ideal as it isn’t abrasive, leaves no residue, and can be used safely around electrical components.

    Automotive Industry

    The automotive industry has many uses for dry ice—reducing production shutdown to cleaning cavities and hard-to-reach areas, removing rubber buildup in molds to increase tooling life, and reducing the risk of rejected parts.

    Food Processing Industry

    A chemical-free, cost-effective, non-residual cleaning agent is a boon to the food processing industry. Not only does dry ice clean superbly, but it also decontaminates, improves the safety of workers, extends the life of machinery, and reduces cost. Beyond its cleaning properties, dry ice is a fantastic alternative for short-distance temperature-sensitive food transportation.

    Oil Industry

    In oil fields and petroleum operations, dry ice blast can prove to be an effective solution for protecting equipment from corrosion. It’s generally safe and can be done when the machinery is up and running.

    Printing Industry

    Ever had an ink or paint splatter that once dried was impossible to remove? With dry ice blasting, the printing industry can keep machinery free of foreign materials and ink buildup, improve print quality, and increase machinery lifespan. There’s also no need to disassemble the press to eliminate excess ink and paper build-up, grease, and oil.

    The Takeaway

    Dry ice is super environment-friendly. It is also a no-contact, no waste, and economical solution for many industries. As global warming becomes more real every day, businesses need to realize the importance of dry ice in lowering their carbon footprint, improving their processes, and cleaning their equipment at a fraction of their current costs.

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    Manufacturing downtime costs American companies billions annually. When production lines halt due to gas supply issues, every minute translates to lost revenue, missed deadlines, and frustrated customers. At nexAir, we've spent decades developing solutions that keep manufacturing operations running smoothly.

    The Hidden Costs of Gas-Related Downtime

    When manufacturers calculate downtime costs, they typically focus on labor and lost production. However, gas supply disruptions create cascading effects that multiply these losses:

    • Production rescheduling that disrupts carefully optimized sequences
    • Rush shipping fees to meet customer deadlines despite delays
    • Quality inconsistencies when processes restart after interruptions
    • Overtime costs to catch up after unplanned stoppages
    • Reputation damage when delivery commitments are missed

    For a typical mid-sized manufacturer, each hour of downtime represents $5,000-$10,000 in direct and indirect costs. Our analysis shows that gas-related issues cause 7-12% of total manufacturing downtime - a substantial opportunity for improvement.

    From Reactive to Proactive: The Supply Continuum

    Most facilities follow a predictable pattern in their gas management evolution:

    Stage 1: Reactive Management At this stage, facilities order gas when they notice supplies running low or, worse, after running out. Emergencies are common, and disruptions are accepted as "part of doing business." One automotive parts supplier operating this way experienced 14 production interruptions in a single quarter.

    Stage 2: Calendar-Based Management Facilities advance to scheduled deliveries based on estimated usage. While better than the reactive approach, this method still results in either excess inventory (tying up capital and space) or shortages when usage spikes occur. A plastics manufacturer following this model maintained 40% more cylinder inventory than necessary while still experiencing occasional stockouts.

    Stage 3: Consumption-Based Management Our telemetry systems monitor actual gas consumption, automatically triggering orders based on usage patterns rather than calendar dates. This approach virtually eliminates both stockouts and excess inventory. 

    Stage 4: Integrated Supply Management The most advanced approach connects gas management directly to production planning systems. Upcoming production requirements automatically adjust supply parameters, ensuring resources are precisely aligned with needs. A medical device manufacturer using this approach reports zero gas-related downtime for 27 consecutive months while operating with minimal inventory buffers.

    Our expert KnowHow™ in industrial gas applications allows us to guide customers through this evolution at a pace that makes sense for their operations.

    Customizing Solutions for Maximum Uptime

    Manufacturing environments vary dramatically in their gas requirements and operational constraints. We've developed flexible approaches that address these differences:

    • For high-volume, consistent usage operations, our bulk systems eliminate the cylinder handling that frequently causes supply disruptions. Bulk installations include telemetry monitoring and automated ordering to prevent outages.
    • For variable-demand environments, our microbulk delivery systems provide the benefits of bulk supply with lower volume commitments. These systems reduce handling requirements while maintaining the flexibility needed for changing production schedules.
    • For specialized applications requiring multiple gas types, our gas management programs combine cylinder tracking, usage monitoring, and automated replenishment. This comprehensive approach ensures that specialty gases are always available when needed, regardless of how infrequently they might be used.
    • For multi-site operations, our enterprise supply programs coordinate deliveries and optimize inventory across locations. By treating the organization's gas requirements holistically, we minimize both stockouts and excess inventory across the network.

    This consultative approach ensures that manufacturers receive solutions aligned with their specific operational patterns rather than generic "one-size-fits-all" systems.

    Beyond Traditional Supply: Integrated Services for Total Reliability

    Maximum uptime requires more than just reliable gas delivery. Our integrated services address the full spectrum of gas-related reliability factors:

    Equipment maintenance programs that prevent system failures before they impact production Technical gas specialists who resolve application issues that could otherwise cause production problems Safety training that prevents accidents leading to downtime events Emergency response capabilities that minimize impacts when unexpected events occur Supply chain redundancy that ensures continuity despite regional disruptions

    These services complement our supply solutions to form a comprehensive reliability strategy. By addressing both everyday operations and exceptional circumstances, we help manufacturers Forge Forward with confidence that gas-related disruptions won't derail their production targets.

    Measuring Success: The Results That Matter

    The ultimate measure of any downtime reduction strategy is its impact on production metrics. Our manufacturing customers consistently report significant improvements after implementing our comprehensive gas management solutions:

    Downtime reductions of 85-95% for gas-related issues Inventory cost decreases of 20-30% through optimized supply management Administrative time savings of 5-10 hours weekly through automated ordering and tracking Production schedule adherence improvements of 3-7% due to improved supply reliability

    These performance gains translate directly to bottom-line benefits that typically deliver ROI within months rather than years. More importantly, they allow manufacturers to confidently make delivery commitments, knowing that gas supply issues won't compromise their ability to perform.

    Don't let gas supply issues impact your productivity. Contact us today to explore our tailored solutions.

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    Industry Knowledge and Expertise

    Find out how nexAir KnowHow has impacted businesses all over the Southeast

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    Our expertise makes us more than a valuable partner, it makes us headlines

    nexAir is always open!