A Christmas Twist: The 12 Days of Content is a series of 12 exclusive interviews looking back at the industrial year that was. For this piece we interviewed Sam Fatoohi, Head of Sales at Pulsa.
Q. For readers who may be unfamiliar with Pulsa, can you tell us a little more about the company and how it got to where it is today?
Pulsa manufactures the leading wireless telemetry solution. We have a cloud solution with a variety of sensors across bulk gas (differential pressure, heavy-duty weight), packaged gas (high pressure), and hard goods (weight) assets. While our bulk telemetry is unparalleled in the market, we have set ourselves apart by providing remote real-time monitoring on smaller assets, and recently published an article in Gasworld about this topic: https://www.gasworld.com/open-access/telemetry-not-just-for-bulk-gas-anymore
Q. Looking back over 2020, what are some of your standout moments?
We’re on track to increase our sales in 2020 by over 600% compared with 2019. We released our differential pressure product in late 2019, and it really took off for us in 2020. Our wireless solar solution opened the door for the only fully wireless telemetry solution in the market. We released 8 major software updates, including a complete overhaul of our mobile apps & web dashboard interface, several external integrations, and sensor filtering tools to help businesses use our solution to better manage thousands of sensors across their whole organization.
Q. How has Pulsa supported the industry this year as it fought, and continues to fight, against the coronavirus pandemic?
We made multiple supply chain changes to have more sensors specifically for oxygen use. And as the coronavirus pandemic swept the world, we were able to quickly ship sensors out to support hundreds of critical care situations – it was fantastic to know that our product was relied upon to prevent hospitals around the world from running out of critical gases. When manufacturing and food & beverage businesses came back, we were able to ship all hardware within a couple days purely from stock – which is why it’s critical that we always hold ample inventory to meet demand spikes from our customers.
Q. What does business life look like for Pulsa in a post-pandemic world?
The pandemic has accelerated trends in the market that started years ago. Visiting end customers to check on or replenish gas has always been expensive, and with all the added requirements (masks, social distancing, gloves), distributors are adopting Pulsa at scale to provide better service at lower costs. The most successful businesses invest in operations and efficiency during lean times, and we expect to see our customers continue to invest in Pulsa in 2021 as they did in 2020 to improve efficiency across the enterprise.
Q. What are the key trends or topics driving developments in gas sensing technology right now?
The cost for these solutions is very affordable. No one should be paying thousands of dollars for hardware and more than $10/month for service. Lower costs for monitoring mean that these solutions can be used in more locations than they have in the past, and we have the most affordable solution in the market today. Also, various shortages have increased the need for increased operational efficiency across the board. After dealing with supply shortages across gases (helium, CO2) and difficulty finding drivers, distributors are looking for ways to get more out of their existing investments in people and supply.
Q. Taking these into consideration, what does Pulsa have planned for 2021?
You’re going to see more wireless sensors, with certifications to operate in all environments. We’re planning for roughly the same number of software releases as in 2020 (8), which will include increased mapping, logistics, administrative, and analytics support. You will see complete remote inventory monitoring across all assets, which will reduce costs, improve service, and increase stability. Like many across the industry, we’re excited about what 2021 has in store for us and our customers!
Q. Finally, in the spirit of the time of year and theme of the series, if you could have one industrial gases-related thing for Christmas, what would it be and why?
I’m looking forward to having industry conferences again. We missed Gasworld, GAWDA, Fabtech, and other conferences in 2020, and are looking forward to seeing our customers and learning more about all of the innovation happening in the industry in person.
