Achieving excellence is only the beginning -- our next challenge is to sustain superiority. When your products are well known in a wide range of markets and carry a high-quality label, maintaining that reputation and staying ahead of the competitive curve requires a well-planned, strategic approach.
Pulsafeeder Inc, a business unit of IDEX Corp, is a designer and manufacturer of fluid handling products whose technology is used in applications ranging from chemical process pumps to metering heavy water from nuclear generators.
"We want our definition of excellence to reach all our lines, while remaining a constantly evolving goal," says Pulsafeeder director of engineering Steve Muscarella, adding, "At Pulsafeeder, when it''s a matter of quality, we always strive for more!"
Muscarella is responsible for new product development, and his # 1 objective is to exceed customers'' expectations in terms of features and value. The Pulsafeeder New Product Development team has approximately 15 members, including representatives from both engineering and marketing. The team''s goal is to make sure that market needs are heard, analyzed, and met, strategically aligning the company for growth by actively listening to customers. As Muscarella states, " We strive to be faster and better at gathering market data, creating new product vision, and implementing it accurately, effectively, and rapidly." (Pulsafeeder pumps such as those shown here have to operate in very demanding environments, so reliability of crucial components is a must.)
Occasionally, Pulsafeeder incorporates proven, existing products in its development of a new pump, instead of designing every component in house.
"Besides allowing us to get to market quicker, this strategy gives us the benefit of having well-recognized brand names, already leaders in their industry," says Nick Valente, vice president of business development. An example: for the last three years, Pulsafeeder has relied on AC Tech variable frequency drives to control the speed of motors in its metering pumps. "We use their single phase, variable speed drives both as an off-the-shelf product as well as a custom version."
What''s the Job Description?
Which specific machine uses variable frequency drives -- and what''s the drive''s role? Valente''s response: "Our MPC (Metering Pump Controller), which expands the flow range capability of several of our pumps, relies on AC Tech drives to vary the speed of a motor by at least 3:1 turndown; then, with our custom software, the drive is used to turn the motor on and off, to yield a pump flow turndown of up to 1000:1." And the business reason? "We wanted to bring a new product to market faster and better than our competition; the cost and flexibility of the AC Tech products allowed us to do that!"
But of course, the big question is, what''s the difference to the end user? Valente''s response: "The value to the customer is that our controller, equipped with the AC Tech drive, speaks pump language, provides steep turndown, and includes a handheld interface panel, which can be mounted up to 1000 ft away from the drive and pump." In other words, the controller provides ease of use, reliability, and flexibility -- solid, real-world advantages.
The Color of Money
To maintain competitive pricing and delivery efficiency, certain stages of the metering pump manufacturing process take place at selected sites offshore. Working together, Pulsafeeder and AC Tech application engineers came up with a simple way of bypassing any language barrier and taking full advantage of the EPM (Electronic Program Module) that''s part of the AC Tech variable frequency drives.
"From our point of view, the EPM is one of the best features offered by these drives, " says Leo Buchman, chief electrical engineer, and he explains how the module allows the parameters from a drive to be copied in less than two seconds, adding, " We just needed to make the process totally language-proof!"
So what was the solution? "We paint the ''master'' EPM a certain color, and each key-colored EPM is added to the manufacturing bill of material. The best part is, if the service team needs to troubleshoot a particular pump, the color of the EPM clearly tells what the drive parameters should be, no words needed!"
It''s a Tough World Out There
Pulsafeeder''s pumps have to operate in demanding environments, and reliability is a requirement -- no ifs, ands, or buts.
"Every component we use has to be put to the test, because as we well know, your chain is only as strong as your weakest link," explains Buchman. AC Tech inverters are developed and manufactured to perform under demanding circumstances; they were tested at very low and extremely high temperatures, and passed without failure.
Vendor . . . or Partner?
The term "partner" may be overused, but its business relevance and the advantage it adds to a relationship cannot be argued. "AC Tech has been willing to look at the relationship from a long-term point of view, working with us on price and on design, making sure that our exact, demanding parameters were met," recounts Muscarella.
When asked to summarize AC Tech''s best features, Muscarella doesn''t hesitate.
"We chose them as a result of considering these key criteria: their flexible attitude and willingness to work with us; the very good ratio of performance versus price, ease of use of the product, and the people who provide accurate and timely responses."