Shipped to your doorstep: Keeping it fresh with dry iceĀ
Shipped to your doorstep: Keeping it fresh with dry iceĀ
Itās 2022. Shipping food and beverage products is on the rise and not going away any time soon. At nexAir, we understand the importance of transporting products from business to consumer and keeping perishable items fresh and ready to serve. Whether you are a small in-house cake business or a larger fresh delivery food service, dry ice is vital to keep 100% customer satisfaction. If you are ready to receive 5-star customer service reviews, keep reading to get our expert KnowHow on dry ice shipping practices in the food and beverage industry.Ā
Shipping with dry ice
Letās paint a picture. You have just spent hours in the kitchen baking a beautiful, custom cake to send to a new customer. You are so excited to get your business running and are boxing up the layers making sure it is perfectly packaged. You are getting ready to print out the shipping label, and the address is hours away. Thatās where the problem starts. How are those ice packs going to last? We have a solution. Dry ice to the rescue!Ā
Benefits of shipping food products with dry ice
Dry ice is the best option for the food and beverage industry for many reasons, one of them simply being that it stays cold way longer without ever melting and spoiling your products. To refresh your memory from that science experiment all those years ago, dry ice is simply a solid form of C02. It does not have a liquid state and sublimates from a solid to a gaseous state. Dry ice puts off no harmful chemicals and is environmentally friendly. This shipping method is also cost-efficient and allows you to buy bulk amounts, at a lower price. If that doesn’t sell it, dry ice can easily last up to several days in a regular cooler. Dry ice is not only for shipping cakes, however. Think of any perishable item. Are you selling a brand new frozen ice cream that needs to be shipped from point A to point B while staying frozen the whole way? Maybe you are a drink business and the bottles need to stay nice and fresh on their journey to the doorstep. Whatever kind of food or beverage business you run, dry ice can play a key role in your success.Ā
Cleaning with dry ice
To take it a step further, dry ice can do a lot more than keeping your products fresh. If you own a food and beverage company that needs to be clean and sanitary at all times, dry ice blasting might be for you. This method of cleaning uses a different form of dry ice as a pressurized stream aimed directly at the surface. This is a popular cleaning practice that allows less hands-on work, and a shorter labor time while still allowing an outstanding clean. Dry ice blasting is guaranteed to exceed cleaning expectations and company protocols, without heavy machinery and breaking the bank.Ā
Dry ice is taking over the food and beverage industry and at nexAir, we want to help our customers continue to Forge Forward, one package at a time. We have a variety of dry ice products that can be used at your facility for whatever reason it may be. As always, donāt hesitate to contact us and let us use our KnowHow to help guide you in the right direction.Ā
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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.Ā
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.
Looking out for your future
Get your career going on the right track with nexAir
Find out how nexAir KnowHow has impacted businesses all over the Southeast
Our expertise makes us more than a valuable partner, it makes us headlines