The Specialty Gases segment is one of the few markets that has been resilient in this recession and represents an excellent growth path for the independent gas distributor. Critical to success in this marketplace is a professional and knowledgeable specialty gas force.
From our experience in the specialty gas business, which includes working with pure gas production and fill operations,developing difficult mixing and certification procedures, marketing and selling spec gas products, and organizing specialty gas operations, we will discuss how to recruit, hire, and train personnel for specialty gas positions in this article.
Specialty gas customers are found in many markets — Life Sciences, Chemical R&D, and Environmental Sciences, for example— and require differentiated products and capabilities, so the business model for this segment tends to vary by company. Two requirements are basic to any spec gas business, however, knowledge and service. As described in Mike Lee’s article on page 40 of this issue, being conversant in the products and applications of specialty gases is key to your success. So is providing a high level of service to its customer base. The success of any specialty gas business, therefore, hinges on its personnel.
A specialty gas business is driven by a single, critical objective — to consistently provide reliable performance in both analytical and process gas applications. Specialty gases are used for research and development, quality control, and emissions testing — areas in which the quality of analytical results is critical. These gases and mixtures have unique properties and technical purity levels for very specific applications and often have difficult blend and strict analytical tolerances. High purities and gas blending require substantial investment in a good laboratory and welltrained personnel. And to sell them requires a knowledgeable sales team.
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