The future is here and it’s tagged with improvements. As a leader in innovation and progressive thinking, A.Y. McDonald is ahead of the curve again—helping our customers better track their products while keeping safety top of mind.

In May of 2015, A.Y. McDonald introduced traceability tags for our high-pressure gas pipes. What does this mean? Simply put, it means that if there’s a problem in a customer’s gas system, they have the means to identify any other product installed from the same batch.

Before traceability tags were introduced, critical information such as manufacturer, materials and date of manufacture was simply printed on the shipping carton; and oftentimes, information would get separated during transportation. With a goal to create progressive processes, we introduced our traceability tags.

Not only do traceability tags provide an innovative system for detecting where pipes lie within a gas system, but they also serve as a safety initiative—allowing experts to easily fix defective parts before an emergency arises. Before gas pipes or fittings are installed in the field, the utility companies can scan the traceability tag. This gives us the opportunity to track and detect problems, determine how to fix situations as they arise and figure out where else the same product might have been installed.

Currently, traceability tags are placed on every product (aside from swivels and nuts) sent out through the A.Y. McDonald factory.

Bottom line: The introduction of traceability tags makes gas pipes safer for you, your business and your community, while also creating a direct line to solve problems almost as soon as they arise.

For more information on natural gas products at A.Y. McDonald, visit the product section of our website.