For decades, industrial and laboratory gas supply has relied on cylinders, bulk tanks, and scheduled deliveries. While familiar, this model was built for a different era, one with fewer purity requirements, lower sustainability pressure, and less tolerance for downtime.

Today’s laboratories, pharma facilities, and advanced manufacturers need something fundamentally different: reliable, on-demand gas generation at the point of use. And increasingly, on-site generation is proving to outperform traditional cylinder logistics in every metric that matters.

1. The Hidden Cost of Cylinders

At first glance, cylinders appear simple. But their true cost extends far beyond the invoice.

Cylinder-based supply introduces:

• Recurrent delivery and rental fees
  
  
• Downtime risk due to delayed or missed deliveries
  
  
• Labour costs for handling, changeovers, and inventory checks
  
  
• Storage requirements and compliance overhead
  
  
• Purity variation between batches
  
  

When facilities scale or operate continuously, these hidden costs compound, often exceeding the capital investment of an on-site system within just a few years.

2. Reliability Starts with Control

Gas interruptions don’t always announce themselves loudly. Sometimes they appear as:

• Instrument drift
  
  
• Inconsistent analytical results
  
  
• Failed production runs
  
  
• Unplanned shutdowns during cylinder changeover
  
  

On-site generation removes these vulnerabilities by delivering a continuous, regulated gas supply tailored to exact purity and flow requirements. No changeovers. No waiting. No guesswork.

For critical operations, from pharmaceutical QC to aerospace testing, reliability is not optional. It’s foundational.

3. Safety Without the Logistics Burden

Compressed gas cylinders introduce safety risks by design: high pressures, manual handling, and transport across busy sites. Each delivery is another exposure point.

On-site generators significantly reduce these risks by:

• Eliminating frequent cylinder movement
  
  
• Operating at lower internal pressures
  
  
• Centralising monitoring and alarms
  
  
• Reducing the number of personnel interacting with gas systems
  
  

The result is a cleaner, safer working environment, with fewer incidents and simpler compliance.

4. Emissions You Don’t See Still Count

Cylinder logistics come with a carbon footprint that’s often overlooked: transport emissions, packaging, repeated handling, and venting losses.

On-site gas generation cuts these emissions at the source by:

• Removing delivery vehicles from supply chains
  
  
• Generating only the gas required
  
  
• Improving energy efficiency through modern control systems
  
  

For organisations tracking Scope 1 and Scope 3 emissions, switching to on-site generation delivers immediate, measurable impact.

5. Independence as a Strategic Advantage

Global supply disruptions, rising transport costs, and tightening regulations have exposed how fragile external gas supply chains can be.

On-site generation transforms gas from a dependency into an asset, giving facilities autonomy, predictability, and long-term cost stability. It’s not just an operational upgrade; it’s a strategic one.

Cylinder logistics belong to the past.

Discover how on-site gas generation improves reliability, safety, and sustainability

Reduce cost, cut emissions, and secure your supply, directly at the source.