INDUSTRY INTERVIEW: On Site Gas Systems
CEO
On Site Gas Systems
A: I’m a graduate of West Point and MIT’s Sloan School. Prior to becoming the CEO of On Site Gas Systems, I was with Johnson & Johnson, United Technologies and the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology.
Q: What does your company do?
A: On Site Gas Systems is a designer and manufacturer of air separation equipment that produces either oxygen or nitrogen for mission-critical applications, across dozens of industries, in over 75 countries. We are the only noncryogenic company in the world that offers membrane, PSA Nitrogen systems [95–99.9995 percent purity] and PSA Oxygen [USP 93–99 percent purity] systems for medical or industrial use. We have three divisions: Portable Oxygen, Commercial and Oil, Gas & Coal Production. These divisions cover hundreds of uses of either oxygen or nitrogen, from emergency room oxygen on the battlefield and after natural disasters to nitrogen for preventing mine fires or preserving food.
Q: What is your product?
A: In 2004, we developed the present configuration of our Portable Oxygen Generating Systems [POGS], the POGS 33C, which produces 33 liters per minute [LPM] of USP 93 percent oxygen and 30 LPM of medical grade air. These Food and Drug Administration-cleared units provide oxygen for direct patient use, to fill cylinders or a combination of both. We build both 10 LPM and 33 LPM versions, and nearly 1,000 systems have been deployed around the world. These units are also used by foreign militaries, FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. Many states also have our systems as part of their emergency preparedness plans. All of our POGS are man portable and can be deployed, set up and produce medical oxygen with minimal effort and in less than 30 minutes.
Q: What makes your products different from others on the market?
A: Mission flexibility. The POGS is self contained and compact enough to be man portable and can be rapidly deployed for any type of military, humanitarian or disaster response. The POGS are the perfect, cost effective and simple medical oxygen solution for battlefield aid stations, emergency medical shelters or hospitals. Our ruggedized systems are designed to operate in the harshest environments. As long as there is electric power, our POGS will operate on a continuous basis, providing an endless supply of medical oxygen. The 33 LPM of oxygen produced accommodates the needs of small clinics and cylinder filling stations. When used in parallel, several systems can feed the needs of a large temporary hospital. As an example for civilian use, during Hurricane Katrina, we sent a rapid response team and eight POGS 33 systems to New Orleans. We filled over 2,000 oxygen cylinders in three locations while the city’s oxygen generation and distribution infrastructure was compromised or nonexistent.
Q: What is your position in the market sector?
A: On Site Gas Systems is recognized as the world leader in providing man portable oxygen generating systems. By working closely with our partners and listening to what the end users are saying, we are able to stay ahead of the field by providing the best equipment that contributes to saving lives every day. We provide the oxygen generation for field hospitals and the FRSS. Our products provide a continuous oxygen supply that never runs out. This has helped revolutionize the delivery of oxygen to the battlefield by eliminating the logistic chain that was required to refill and transport cylinders.
Q: Are you a fairly new player in the military or established?
A: We have been serving the military with on-site oxygen systems since our first prototype was built to test the concept of oxygen generation in the field as part of the forward resuscitative surgery system during Operation Bright Star 2001 in Egypt.
Q: Any recent successes that you would highlight?
A: Our greatest success is that our products have saved lives. Our goal is simply to deliver what we promise. Our only business is designing and building oxygen or nitrogen systems. We have done this for over 20 years. We continue to develop products where our expertise can help our troops succeed and return home. These include everything from oxygen for individual soldiers to reconstruction projects.
Q: How are you positioned for the future within the military?
A: We are in a great position to fill the future oxygen needs of the military. We continue to adapt our products to the needs of the soldiers in the field. We listen to the input and feedback from the field regarding the POGS to improve the current product and help us design future products. This attitude is fundamental to our product reputation: safe, reliable oxygen and nitrogen gas generation systems that save lives, protect the environment and offer solutions to our customers. ♦