With this in mind, Ricos in collaboration with Zancanella, launched a new restyled gas cylinder bundle under its own brand, Gas-y, with an IOT system for tracking, Spuriot, in 2020. “Our principal aim was to make it appealing for the market, asking ourselves why an industrial object could not be an example of design, strength, safety and economy too,” Parise explained. “During this stage, we found a lack between the traceability sector, the high-pressure experts and the world of design. Gas-y and Spuriot aim to fill this gap, introducing the ability to adapt itself in all different gas industrial spaces with a cutting-edge product that respects all safety measures required and fits well within Industry 4.0, with all the fiscal advantages related.”
The gas cylinder bundle also contains an PCB (print circuit board) provided with a SIM card, a GPS and a pressure transducer. The presence of all these elements allows the transmission of all relevant data with minimum effort – only positioning of the device. Not least of all, the gas cylinder bundle includes a long-lasting battery that guarantees a durable service through the years at the minimum cost.
Source: Ricos
“The monitoring of the gas cylinder bundles and the fixed storages allow this technology to be rightfully considered as part of Industry 4.0, optimising logistics and user habits,” Parise continued. “All of this is possible with customised applications and the respect of all safety standards in market where the rise up of the pressure drives to consider the monitoring as a must.”
“These are the same purposes of the Internet portal, where each user can easily find all data and monitor his gas cylinder bundle or point of use.”
So, how might this technology be used in the industrial gases industry? “It could be used to access precise data about the filling level of the tank or other storage facilities, which is extremely important for the management of inventory or user profile,” Parise pointed out.
“Also, the accelerometer installed in the PCB can detect the relevant stroke suffered by the structure of the bindle during its life and if the handling is in line with the service level.”
“Wide variations in contents and containers, in the environmental conditions and in the position can put to the test the accuracy and the promptness of these resources, jeopardising the value. The automation of such important data as gas consumption is one of the greatest goals achieved thanks to this application.”
Source: Ricos
A post-pandemic world
Despite the challenges of 2020, Ricos remains positive as a company with a strong mindset: the company wants to see this situation as an opportunity to support the development of new products and to catch up with a constantly evolving market.
“We gained the knowledge that the industrial market is always prompted to change. One of our priorities must be right now the recognition of these new signals, their interpretation and their application through a lean perspective,” Parise said. “Man has evolved because he has adapted, and so has the company.”
With smart working in mind, Ricos’ goal is to invest and focus on these new technologies. “We hope that the new year may mark a turning point for our company as a period of product innovation, commercial expansion, and – why not – normality,” Parise highlighted to gasworld. “Among the other changes, the most important ones are the diffusion of the smart gas cylinder bundle in large volumes, such as to make these products accessible to the masses, and the improvement of the analysis algorithm to support the optimisation of the logistics, relevant cornerstone for the distribution of industrial gases.”