Gas production companies face many logistical problems in the supply and distribution of industrial gas to their customers.

 A major gas manufacturer produces a wide range of industrial gases and may have up to 16 million bottles and containers in production or onsite at any one time. The large value of this gas and capital cost of the bottles and containers requires that they are managed efficiently and effectively.

 One of the ways in helping to solve some of these problems is in the identification of gas bottles and containers.

 A major problem with gas bottles and containers is that they can be in circulation for as little as a week or as long as a year. During this time the container or bottle may be subjected to physical abuse and dirty environments. During the production cycle the bottle or container may be subjected to, sand blasting, chemical cleaning etc.

 Traditionally these containers and bottles have a serial number engraved in the metal casing for identification and all transactions with the container and bottles recorded manually. With the large number of bottles and containers it is essential to have an automated method of identification.

 Because of the environment, other methods of identification, such as barcodes are not feasible, as they are easily damaged during the life of the gas container.

 RFID can be used to solve this problem. The device can be embedded into the metal collar of the bottle or container or alternatively securely clipped onto the collar with a plastic carrier.

 The IDTAG is able to withstand the environmental conditions of, shock, sandblasting, chemicals and varying temperatures etc.

 The IDTAG which is attached to the bottle or container, can be read and identified with both portable and static readers.

 Identifying gas bottles allows gas manufacturing companies to minimize gas bottle losses, maximize container utilization, keep accurate gas bottle inventory records, consequently saving money and time.