New $500,000 lab lets company increase its customer base

Albany

Noble Gas Solutions has come a long way from its founding in 1940 as  Albany Welding Supply Co.

The company, which sells gases to a variety of industries, recently completed a $500,000 specialty gas lab at its Albany headquarters that is a direct result of its participation in the region's high-tech economy.

While a variety of businesses buy gases from the company, from welders to hospitals and florists, the semiconductor and biotech industries have become major sources of revenue.

Those two industries in particular need high-purity gases that require special testing and certification.

In the past, Noble had to purchase certified high-purity gases from other companies. But with its new lab, which includes a chromatograph and other analysis machines, Noble can do that work in Albany — cutting down on costs and time and giving the company a larger pool of customers. Noble can also make custom gas mixes it couldn't concoct in the past.

"It's going to help us grow our business," said CEO J. David Mahoney. "By investing in our own development, production and testing capabilities, we can respond more quickly." Customers include SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Albany, the General Electric Global Research Center in Niskayuna, Regeneron in East Greenbush and Albany Molecular Research in Albany.

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[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="628"] Lab Manager Marty Hogan adjusts a two stage regulator which controls the flow of gases from the cylinders to the gas chromatograph for analysis in the new lab at Noble Gas Solutions on Thursday Dec. 18, 2014 in Albany, N.Y. Noble Gas Solutions provides gases to the nanotech sector among other companies and corporations. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)[/caption]

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