BOC GASES CONTINUES EBUSINESS INNOVATIONS WITH WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS

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BOC GASES CONTINUES EBUSINESS INNOVATIONS WITH WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS
03 March 2003 - BOC Gases

BOC Gases is helping compressed gases and equipment customers monitor and track cylinder inventory in "real-time" through a new wireless hand held technology.

For more than 10 years, BOC Gases has provided customers with innovative products and processes designed to reduce the total cost of ownership for compressed gas products and services. One example is the recent expansion of the BOC Arrowhead cylinder tracking system. Arrowhead, a networked customer application that enables customized cylinder tracking, buy-site access and exchange connectivity, for compressed gases and equipment users, has now been equipped to provide wireless (WI-FI, or 802.11) communications access. BOC customers are equipped with handheld devices that provide real-time connectivity to the Arrowhead system or other BOC services such its on-line catalog and configurator, which allows customers to customize their gas mixtures.

"Customers can use the handheld device to place orders or conduct inventory transactions while walking around their facilities," said John Lewis, director, sales and marketing, special gas products, BOC. "This device can also be used to conveniently connect to other on-line services offered by BOC such as on-line product specifications, certificates of analysis, shelf-life expiration tracking and other technologies."

Companies in industries such as chemicals, petroleum, pulp and paper, pharmaceutical and power generation use a variety of compressed and special gases to control processes, perform testing and track emissions. For organizations with multiple locations that may have numerous purchasers ordering a wide range of compressed gases and equipment, this technology offers easy access to the most up-to-date data and transactions.

BOC’s wide range of service offerings - from Vendor Managed Inventory systems that manage customers’ gas and equipment requirements, to BOC’s Sentry Site Services for on-site staffing, to eBusiness systems that allow customers to track their cylinders and transactions - are tailored to meet each customer’s specific needs and to achieve reductions in the total cost of ownership for compressed gases.

"This is a unique innovation for the gases industry," said Fulton Wilcox, U.S. director, e-business technology and solutions, BOC Gases. "We have developed a variety of tools over the past decade to reduce costs throughout the gases supply chain. Wireless technology is the next logical step in that total cost of ownership continuum." Wilcox added, "Enabling wireless access to BOC’s web-based tools adds a significant level of convenience to gases supply chain management for our customers."

http://www.boc.com

About: BOC Gases
Through its PGS line of business, BOC supplies gas and related solutions to the chemicals, petroleum, glass, water services, electronic packaging, fibre optics, hydrogen energy, metals and food industries. BOC helps meet customer needs in a variety of ways, from the supply of a single gas or application through to designing, constructing and operating fully integrated gas and utilities schemes.

The BOC Group, which serves two million customers in more than 50 countries, is one of the largest and most global of the world's leading gases companies. It employs some 44,500 people worldwide and had annual sales of over £4.3 billion in 2003. Further information about The BOC Group may be obtained on the Internet at www.boc.com

The BOC Group has an international portfolio of companies grouped for management control and reporting into three lines of business: Process Gas Solutions, Industrial and Special Products, and BOC Edwards. It also has a specialist logistics business, Gist.

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