GASWORLD FOOD & BEVERAGE DECEMBER EDITION.
Analox has been working alongside Gasworld to provide a piece for their Food & Beverage December edition.
We present to you: 10 Minutes With Scott Clarkson from Analox in the US.
In November, the Analox Group celebrated its 40th Anniversary. Can you give us a brief overview of the company’s history and its growth in the gas analysis industry and how it directly relates to the Food and Beverage marketplace?
The Analox Group began in 1981 with a focus on serving the needs of the commercial diving industry. Analox instrumentation and analytical products are widely considered the standard for today’s commercial diving industry. Since that time, our development teams have expanded to develop gas detection and monitoring products currently in use on submarines, recreational scuba diving vessels and even on the International Space Station.
In 1996, Analox developed and introduced the first low cost infrared carbon dioxide (CO2) sensor. The AX50 set new standards and made carbon dioxide (CO2) detection affordable for bars, restaurants and the entire hospitality industry. The AX50 was subsequently upgraded, and today’s Analox AX60+ is delivering safety and protection in thousands of establishments worldwide.
How Has The Need For Reliable CO2 Monitors Grown Since the Introduction of the AX50?
There was a time in the mid-1990s when the perception of CO2 was that it was not a dangerous gas – especially in hospitality markets. However, after several high profile tragedies involving CO2, local governments and regulatory bodies began requiring CO2 monitors in public establishments. The toxic potential of CO2, especially in places like draft beer walk-in coolers for example, gave the Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) in each area little choice.
The Analox Team anticipated this need and had actually introduced the AX50 before local requirements were instituted. In the subsequent years, Analox engineers have enhanced the technology so today’s decision makers in the hospitality industry now have the option of the Ax60+ MultiGas Safety Monitor that doesn’t just measure CO2, but can simultaneously also monitor O2 levels.
Why Is This Important?
In recent years, there have been a lot of creative food preparation innovations such as the use of nitrogen. Nitrogen is a displacement gas and should there be a leak, O2 levels in surrounding areas are the first to be affected. A multi-gas analyzer, like the AX60+, can provide an additional measure of safety when there is a change in O2, while also continually monitoring the environment for CO2.
From a practical standpoint, monitoring multiple gases from a single fixed location provides an effective use of space and eliminates the clutter of multiple units.
How Has COVID-19 Affected the Analox Group and What Has The Company Learned?
Every company worldwide has been affected by the pandemic. Analox is no different. The “virtual workplace” environment allowed us to work more effectively as a team, solve more challenges and help provide solutions in many parts of the world.
Analox engineers worked with local agencies to help safely deliver COVID-19 vaccines world-wide, while also supporting local schools by installing portable CO2 monitors. Research has shown that proper air flow is a way to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Monitoring CO2 in different environments provides a valuable gauge to measure airflow.
Gasworld covered the article here on page 56
