Gas Detection in Latin America: A Year on the Ground with Lorena Monroy

Meet Lorena Monroy, our Gas Detection Consultant for Latin America. Since joining the IGD team, her mission has been simple: to protect Latin American industry with advanced gas detection technology and education. Over the past year, Lorena has crossed the region to champion IGD’s technology, train teams and build partnerships that are raising the standard of gas detection in Latin America.

In a region of limitless potential, our aims were clear: to promote practical gas safety, back it with education, and make advanced systems accessible to vital industries. Her journey took in agriculture and food processing, refrigeration, hydrogen projects and sustainability programmes. Join us as we explore the people she met, the solutions she delivered and the plans we made:

• Hands-on demos of Sentinel+ addressable technology and GasNet Remote Monitoring.
• Product demonstrations with the TOC-750 and TOC-750X for safe area and ATEX applications.
• Cleanroom and lab solutions built around the TOC-750 Sampler.
• Showcasing the TOC-903 X5 dual-gas detector-transmitter for hazardous areas.
• IGD Academy sessions and Aftercare+ planning to lock in long-term reliability.

Colombia is where Lorena’s gas detection travel log began. The food production and processing industries are vital to the Colombian economy. Working with Insatech, a specialist in gas, flame and fire detection and industrial hygiene, we focused on increasing their overall capabilities and safety protocols.

Our joint activity centred on the industries that matter locally: food and beverage, brewing, dairy and chemicals. Their sales and technical teams got hands on with our TOC-750 Safe Area detector and the TOC-750X ATEX detector, getting to grips with long-life sensors and commissioning on fixed gas detection systems. Next steps include technical training for installation, commissioning, calibration and maintenance through Aftercare+.

This isn’t about one company. It is a model for how Colombian users can increase safety and reduce running costs with modern addressable gas detection.

In Central America and the Caribbean we work with Panama city-based Sinduly Latinoamérica, and their sub-distributors across Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. In February, we trained a local partner in Costa Rica and visited pharmaceutical, food and beverage companies and hospitals to profile risks and match solutions. The priority is clear: quick deployment, simple maintenance and dependable results.

Upcoming activity includes the RefriAméricas exhibition in the Dominican Republic and a calendar of webinars for Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. The goal goes further than expanding our presence; we’re committed to delivering practical coverage.

The team at Costa Rican setup, Genbus are incorporating IGD into its industrial portfolio. Lorena met with the team to conduct training sessions on gas detection fundamentals and product selection, then met pharmaceutical and chemical users to scope applications where clean processes and uptime matter. We believe that education is just as important as equipment; that’s why we provide free gas safety education via the IGD Academy.

For cleanrooms and tight laboratory spaces we highlighted the TOC-750 Sampler. It solves awkward routing, keeps sampling lines clear of the workspace and helps maintain sterile environments, which is critical for pharma and high-spec food labs. Supported by Genbus’ technical sales team, we expect steady growth in industrial gas monitoring across Costa Rica. Check out our new animation on why IGD’s scalable solutions are the perfect remedy to the dangers of laboratory gas detection.

In Peru, we’ve been working with ISE Ingenieros to support safe power generation and distribution. At the 9th Efficient Technologies Fair, we saw how Peru is moving forward with its energy transition, with hydrogen projects now on the horizon. Sentinel+ is built for this shift, offering reduced cabling, simple installation and scalable control.

We also met trainee technicians at the Escuela de Refrigeración del Perú, introducing Sentinel+ and our long-life ammonia sensors. With refrigeration critical to agribusiness, fisheries and healthcare, reliable detection and training are vital to keeping Peru’s cold chain safe.

With ACIS Process, an engineering firm with 24-hour technical support, we ran portfolio training for sales and service engineers and visited projects in chemicals, refrigeration and food and beverage, bringing them on board as our official Peruvian partner in the process.

Together with ACIS Lorena hosted a one-hour webinar on gas detection for agribusiness, covering fundamentals, common risks, IGD Academy training options, our technologies and the after-sales model with Aftercare+.

Mexico City’s Banamex Centre staged the country’s largest industrial safety expo. Lorena spent three days at the IGD stand, demos and Q&A. Sentinel+ Addressable drew attention for its simple idea that solves real problems: power and communications on a single two-core cable, devices linked in series, a sharp cut in cabling and installation time, and the option to reuse existing wiring. Teams told us it feels modern because it reduces complexity rather than adding it.

Visitors were also drawn to the TOC-903 X5, our ATEX-rated, dual-gas detector-transmitter that adapts well to varied hazards on one mounting point. The combination of fast addressing, device-level diagnostics and a rugged detector impressed end users and potential distributors alike.

Lorena opened the conference with the first presentation of the weekend, focusing on how our products already support the green transition by protecting workers and infrastructure.

Food and beverage producers need dependable fixed gas detection systems for CO₂, methane and refrigerants. Cold-chain facilities require accurate ammonia gas detection with minimal maintenance. Laboratories and cleanrooms need unobtrusive gas sampling that protects sterility. Energy and hydrogen projects need scalable, addressable control that cuts install time and provides clear data for decision-making. And the region needs experienced support and cutting-edge products to safely realise its full potential.

We already rely on our century of experience and our vast portfolio of products to deliver life-saving gas detection in Latin America. Our goal is to expand further into the region, growing our partner and distributor network so that we can do even more to protect lives and infrastructure with turnkey services and a gas detection system that delivers scalable, cost-effective results without compromising on safety.

We will continue to expand our reach through the provision of training, local stock and service capability, regular webinars and expo appearances.  Planned activity includes further Central American roadshows with Sinduly, deeper market development in Peru with ACIS and ISE, and follow-ups from Mexico City’s expo. The focus remains the same: enhanced safety and measurable results.

Getting gas detection isn’t a choice. Who you get it from is. Protect your people and help us enhance Latin American industrial safety with technology, training and after-sales support in one package.

Our family of distributors is always growing. Want to be part of our team? Reach out to us and let’s see how we can help you provide uncompromising site safety in your region today.