Blog posts tagged with 'manufacturer-of-the-month'

Cim-tek is at the head of the pack when it comes to filter technology.  The Cim-tek brand can be recognized in petroleum, industrial, agricultural, heavy-duty machinery/equipment, and biofuel markets.  Over the past 70 years, Cim-tek has continued to perfect their design and expertise in fluid filtration applications.  From water detection/removal products to top-of-the-line filtration efficiencies you will find it all when in need of a solution filter.

History

A. Richard Ayers developed a product named "Pre-Vent" in 1956.  The "Pre-Vent" is, essentially, a fill cap with a pressure/vacuum release that reduces the amount of evaporation in gasoline storage tanks.  Furthermore, the Pre-Vent helps maintain a higher quality of the stored fuel.  Think of it this way - you fill up a gas can at the station, put the cap back on, and put it in the back of your truck.  On the drive home, you hit a few bumps, take some sharp corners, and tap the brakes a little too hard at a stop sign and come to a jolting halt.  Then, when you arrive home you pick up the can and place it on your garage floor only to realize that the can is slightly bulging.  To alleviate this pressure you open the cap and an abrupt "pssssst" is exhausted from the can.

Even at rest, gasoline (or other solutions) will continue to build pressure inside of an air-tight vessel, tank, or storage container - unless you alleviate the pressure.  This is exactly what the Pre-Vent cap does - it alleviates pressure - without the need to remember and manually perform the task on a schedule.  Now back to the history lesson...

Richard needed a manufacturer to construct his new design so he founded Central Illinois Manufacturing Company (CIMCO) in Bement, Illinois.  Over 70 years later the Pre-Vent cap is still being manufactured by CIMCO.  Richard continued his research on fuel filtration - as requested by a large petroleum distributor.  In 1958, the "Clean-Flow" filter was introduced.  The Clean-Flow was followed by the "Gas-O-Line" series which is now known as the 200 Line Filter.  Later, down the road, CIMCO established the trademark name Cim-Tek Filtration.  The company continues to be operated as a family-owned business.

Innovation

Throughout the years, Cim-Tek continues to innovate their current product lines and research/develop new products.  However, to note that some of their original products are still industry leaders is remarkable.  It is a testament to the quality and the foresight of the engineering, design, and manufacturing of the original staples such as the Pre-Vent cap and the 200 Line Filter.  Filtration is a necessity in all markets across the world.  And you can bet that Cim-Tek intends to continue to be a worldwide leader in offering that necessity.

As we continue to grow in the petroleum/fuels industry we want to highlight a long-standing and well-respected partner in Husky.  We use many Husky nozzles in our own manufactured products such as our diesel transfer units.  Quality, assurance, and dedication are all fantastic descriptors of this wonderful company.

Husky has been serving the petroleum industry for over 70 years.  Husky has hung its hat on developing ground-breaking products such as American-made fuel nozzles, hoses, safe-t-breaks and accessories, and oil/lube products.  Extremely dependable customer service not only supports, but compliments the Husky brand.  The company headquarters is in Pacific, Missouri which is in the surrounding St. Louis area.

Safety, Quality, Customer Loyalty, Team Building, and Productivity are the five pillars which Husky focuses on daily to ensure that the Husky brand exceeds expectations.  A constant recognition of the past helps keep this proven industry leader at the top.

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Shortly after World War II, Eugene Sutcliffe designed the first gas guard in his home.  The design originated to protect car exteriors from scratches when fueling.  Soon after this new product began to gain momentum Sutcliffe was designing fuel nozzles that would revolutionize the petroleum industry.

Sutcliffe traveled from gas station to gas station, across the country, selling his products out of the back of his car.  He was always accompanied by his dog - a husky.  He made it a point to bring his companion along on sales calls to portray the message of dependability, intelligence, and steadfast trustworthiness.  This is the unique story of how the brand logo, and company name, came to be.

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Roughly 70 years later Eugene's son, Grenville, heads the company and continues the tradition that was long ago started by his father.  A tradition that embodies the admirable characteristics of a canine companion - dependability, loyalty, endurance, and trust.  Here is Grenville explaining one of Husky's American-made nozzles.

Raven was founded in Sioux Falls, SD in 1956.  The company originated as a designer and manufacturer of high-altitude research balloons to solve challenges related to space exploration.  From that single product line, they have evolved into an extremely diversified technology company.

Raven Applied Technology

Raven Applied Technology was created in 1978 and has helped to create, define, and redefine precision agriculture practices and technology.  In today's agriculture industry when the topic of precision agronomy comes up - there is no doubt that Raven Industries will be discussed, as well.  The two go hand-in-hand.  From field computers, application controls, guidance/steering/wireless connectivity, and cloud-based data management, Raven is at the cutting edge of some fascinating technology.

This innovator offers tremendous resources to the industry, as well.  For instance, take their technical support website Ravenprecision and recognize the amount of information that is available at your fingertips. From locating dealers, product support, to groundbreaking news you will find it all here.

Drones

Raven Applied Technology announced a partnership with AgEagle Aerial Systems early this year.  AgEagle Aerial Systems is a leading provider of unmanned aerial systems technology that is used in precision agronomy.  Drones are becoming more of the farming community and faster than one would think.  Raven has aligned themselves as the exclusive distributor for AgEagle and their RX60 fixed-wing UAV.

During flight, the RX60 captures aerial images of the field and can identify crop health in each and every field it passes over.  This is accomplished through special camera lenses and software that can correlate crop pigmentation into plant health.  For instance, one measure of plant health is the amount of green pigmentation that is present in the plant.

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If the plant has more of a yellowish hue this identifies with nitrogen leach or nitrogen deficiency.  A farmer can easily see this when crops are smaller.  However, when crops get above shoulder height it is extremely difficult to monitor this - that's where UAVs come into the picture.

Many people in the agriculture industry recognize the actionable data that drones can provide.  For this reason, many people understand that drones will continue to impact the agriculture industry and Raven feels that they are aligning themselves in a great position to re-solidify their position as a cutting edge technology provider.

Hypro-Shurflo is actually a subsidiary of Pentair.  Pentair is a parent company that delivers industry-leading products and solutions all over the world, specifically in the liquid handling, thermal management, and equipment protection industries.  The Hypro name has been known and trusted for the last 65 years.

That being said Hypro has a product mix that is focused on higher end capacity flow applications.  Hypro was also the first company to come out with piston pumps originally used in the carwash industry.  The old dinosaur pumps of the early 1970s have evolved into the plunger and piston pumps of today’s market.  Hypro is also largely relevant within the Agricultural industry.  Sprayer pumps, transfer pumps, spray nozzles, strainers, fittings, and much more can all be found with the Hypro name stamped on them.

Recently, Hypro has come out with their ForceField pumps to help combat seal failure in centrifugal sprayer pumps.  It is designed with the mindset of a maintenance-free wet seal chamber.  The wet seal chamber is self-regulating and does not require the operator to monitor the pressure to ensure the pump seal is constantly engulfed in the lubricating fluid.  Hypro boasts the self-regulating and monitor-free design over competitors such as Ace Pumps and their Oasis wet seal design.

KZ Valve is based out of Ashland, NE and was started by two brothers Keith and Kevin Ziegenbein.  They two brothers created their first product, the Hydra-Halt, to be used on their family farm.  The Hydra-Halt was an instant success as it replaced manual valves on fertilizer applicators with a new hydraulic remote control.  Customers still preferred to have an electric valve.  At the time, existing electric valves were solenoid type - not as dependable of a valve type the market demanded.  Thus the electric ball valve was born - and KZCO was the first to introduce this new piece of equipment into the industry.

In 1982 the Electra-Halt was introduced.  It took four years of research to get to the product release and it was well worth the investment of time and resources.  The Electra-Halt revolutionized the industry and 10 years later in 1992 the Electra-Halt 2, or EH2 for short, was introduced.  Since the inception of the EH2, it has evolved into thousands of new valve types, sizes, motors and wiring options.

Then in 1997, the EH3 and QC3 were added.  This allowed KZCO to essential offer valve option configurations that touched the million mark.  Over the years, KZCO has continued to expand its product line and offerings.  Their engineering philosophy of "Form follows function, and price follows quality" continues to direct their overall goal to bring quality products to an ever-changing industry.  KZCO recently celebrated their 40th Year Anniversary in 2016 and plan to continue their commitment of excellence and quality for many years to come.  Don't hesitate to contact us should you have any questions about this amazing manufacturer.