An oldie, but a goodie, the Ratermann cylinder ring tag is the O.G. that started it all. Before George Ratermann created Ratermann Manufacturing back in 1997, he came up with an ingenious solution to an everyday problem in the gas distributorship industry: how to quickly and unquestionably know if a cylinder was empty or full.
He wrapped a bit of wire into a loop, welded it closed and voila! If a cylinder had a ring around the neck, it was empty. If it didn’t, it was full. It may seem like such a simple product, but it's the original product that built Ratermann Manufacturing into what it is today.
George continued to improve his design adding the imprinted tag with the words “Full” and “Empty” on opposing sides so you could easily flip it over to indicate fill status. As demand grew, he began mass-producing them, and designed a countertop display for distributorships to sit on their service counters and offer to customers as an add-on sale.
Today, you can customize the tags to include your company’s branding, add contact information, etc. so that customers know exactly who to call for refills. The simplicity of the product is what has made it such a staple in the industry for so many years. George was the first to come out with it, and it has so much meaning to everyone at Ratermann.
Available in a rainbow of colors, with tags that go beyond Empty and Full (Leaker, Service, and so many more) the line has expanded to provide quick visual cylinder status for a wide range of scenarios.
An empty cylinder means downtime, which impacts revenue. A welding shop can’t function without gas, for example. This 3x5-inch tag makes all the difference – it’s the ‘why’ behind Ratermann.