Q - What is the history of Energy Manufacturing Company?
A - Energy was founded by a family in east-central Iowa in the 1940’s. Since then, the company has designed and manufactured a variety of products. Most, but not all, were and are related to hydraulics. These included truck hoists, boat trailers, hydraulic pumps, hydraulic valves, hydraulic cylinders, hydraulic power systems, and other products. The founding family owned the business until 1985. The current owners purchased the company in 2004, and are quite active in the day-to-day operations.
Q - What is Energy’s main focus today?
A - Energy is primarily a designer and manufacturer of a wide range custom welded hydraulic cylinders. It also designs and manufactures a somewhat narrower range of hydraulic valves, hydraulic pumps, and hydraulic powerpacks and power systems. Energy’s customers are mainly OEM’s (original equipment manufacturers) that design and manufacture various types of mobile and stationary (industrial) machinery and equipment. Energy also sells its products to a variety of distributors, catalog houses, jobbers, resellers, and end users.
Q - What is Energy’s product range for hydraulic cylinders?
A - Energy has designed and manufactured cylinders with bores from less than one inch (2.5 cm), up to as large as 11 inches (28 cm). Strokes manufactured have been as long as 15 feet (4.5 m). Energy has also designed cylinders with working pressures as high as 10,000 psig (690 bar). However, the company is fully capable of designing and manufacturing cylinders outside of these ranges.
Q - Those are really wide ranges! What tools does Energy’s utilize to help with such a broad product range?
A - First, Energy’s technical staff has over 100 years of combined experience in designing hydraulic cylinders and applying them in customer machines. Also, Energy uses the latest in AUTOCAD® software to help with the process. In addition, complicated designs can be analyzed in advance of the prototype stage by FEA (finite element analysis) using ALGOR® software. Finally, if any testing or validation is required, Energy has a well equipped engineering laboratory with hydraulic flow to 60 gpm (227 lpm), hydraulic pressure to 5,000 psig (345 bar), and mechanical loading capabilities to 60 tons (120,000 pounds, or 533,760 N).
Q - What are Energy’s Manufacturing capabilities?
A - Located in the Nation’s Heartland, Energy is strategically positioned for top-notch fabricating and manufacturing. Energy is in proximity to many important sources of raw materials and components. In addition, Energy is located in an area with an ample supply of skilled labor, particularly CNC machinists and welders. Also, record levels of capital investment under the present ownership / management have allowed Energy to purchase world-class CNC machining, robotic welding, and semi-automated assembly and test equipment. All of these factors add up to rapid response with high-quality products at competitive prices, resulting in outstanding value.
Q - What actions and steps does Energy take to insure Quality Assurance?
A - Energy has been and ISO 9001 registered company since the year 2000. The current registration level is to ISO 9001:2000. In addition, all of Energy’s employees serve as their own inspectors. Each employee monitors the quality of his or her own work using a control plan, and has personal responsibility for the same. Any operator can shut down a process if he or she believes it is out of control. This approach has helped Energy to consistently achieve quality levels better than 2,000 ppm, with a company-wide total cost of quality under one percent (1%) of sales.
Q - What about Energy’s Customer Service?
A - Energy’s six customer service personnel have over 100 years of combined experience with regard to Energy’s products, and the application of the same on customer machines. When customers and potential customers contact Energy, they find a “can-do and customer-friendly” attitude. In addition, in February of 2009 Energy launched a new website. This new site has enhanced features to better serve Energy’s customers, including an on-line store that allows certain purchases 24/7 using Visa or MasterCard.
Q - What are Energy’s strengths, and why should customers do business with Energy?
A - Besides all of the advantages mentioned previously, a key strength for Energy is that four of its owners are involved in the day-to-day activities of the company. This direct involvement enhances decision making ability and responsiveness. The owner-managers are also able to make long-term commitments when appropriate. All of these result in a strategic advantage for Energy over many of its competitors.