Cyl-Tec’s 2024 Yearly Wrap-Up
In 2024, Cyl-Tec focused on reflection and internal improvement in all areas of the business. We are proud of the progress in comprehensive ESOP education, enhancements to our operational processes, strategic planning for the future, and building strong connections throughout the company. Our commitment to the compressed gas industry, characterized by continuous growth and excellence, remains strong. We are eager to see what 2025 has in store!
Employee Stock Ownership Plan – ESOP
As we approach the end of 2024, we celebrate Cyl-Tec’s fourth year as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) company! This year, we placed a strong emphasis on ESOP education and best practices. Each department’s employee-owners have developed a scoreboard to track two to three key metrics specific to the department. These metrics may include indicators such as the number of cylinders processed, the types of tanks sold, and the email response time for inquiries. Employee-owners monitor and forecast these metrics multiple times each month, to identify trends and areas for improvement.
When we discover an idea to improve a particular metric, we turn it into a “minigame.” A minigame is designed to encourage new behaviors within a department through positive reinforcement. These new behaviors can improve various aspects of the work environment, such as efficiency, quality, and safety. The goal of a minigame is that once it is completed the new positive behaviors become permanent and integrate into standard practices within a department. We review the results of our scoreboards and minigames during company-wide huddles held every two weeks.
Enhancing Operations
This change provides each employee-owner with a tablet to monitor and record the status of tank repairs, detailing the specific repairs needed or completed and the current stage of the process. As a result, employee-owners can better understand our customers’ needs, ensure that we have the necessary parts stocked, and maintain an accurate repair history for each tank.
We are excited to announce our purchase of an 800-ton neck ring press for our high-pressure cylinder department. This press will allow us to emboss custom neck rings in-house, significantly reducing lead times as we will no longer need to rely on a third party for this service. Additionally, the press is equipped with safety features to protect our employee-owners, including two light screen safety barriers similar to those found on garage doors.
Looking Forward
Significant planning and consideration have gone into envisioning the future of Cyl-Tec and meeting the needs of the compressed gas industry. We have many noteworthy projects in progress. Here are some exciting details about a few of them!
We are excited to announce that new models of Titan bulk tanks will be released in 2025, including a 6,700L Titan Small Bulk Industrial tank, which will be the largest of our small bulk tanks to date. This tank will feature a steel pallet base, allowing portability rather than requiring permanent installation.
Another exciting development is updating our Gas and Unit Converter app, which will be restored to the app stores. We understand that this app is essential for many users and are making significant progress toward making it free to everyone.
Lastly, we are working on translating our product and service specification sheets into Spanish. As Cyl-Tec continues to grow and expand into new markets, we are committed to providing accessible information to all, ensuring that our resources cater to a diverse audience.
Networking and Partnerships
Our Regional Sales Managers (RSMs) and Customer Service team have worked diligently throughout the year to ensure our customers receive the products they need. The RSMs have traveled all over the United States, visiting both new and existing customers, as well as attending 10 tradeshows for various buying groups, including GAWDA, gasworld, IBDEA, MDG, AIWD, and PurityPlus. It is always great to catch up and meet individuals across the industry.
We recently celebrated our second year as partners with CO2 Monitoring, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their Aerosphere CO2 monitoring systems are 100% designed, engineered, and built in the United States. Their CO2 monitors are revolutionizing the CO2 industry, with extensive knowledge of regulations, compliance, and ease of use. Additionally, our friends at Saf-T-Cart have been our partners for over four years. They offer high-quality and durable cylinder cradles that manifold multiple cylinders, allowing users to draw gas from a larger volume at once.
At Cyl-Tec headquarters, our training room hosted five training classes designed for the compressed gas industry this year. We hosted three Specialty Gas Institutes, led by Ray Borzio and Greg Lewis, as well as two Bulk CO2 Universities, led by Ray Grieco. Each of these classes was a resounding success, bringing together participants from across the United States and the world. Attendees left with invaluable knowledge and new sales techniques. We encourage everyone to check out and attend one of the training classes in 2025.
We want to thank all the wonderful companies that have supported Cyl-Tec by choosing our products and services. Your support has been a vital part of our success this year, and we look forward to continuing our journey together in 2025 and beyond.
