March 2022 Vol. 77 No. 3
Business
Business News
Reed Manufacturing Celebrates 125 Years
Reed Manufacturing in Erie, Pa., is celebrating 125 years of supplying the highest-quality pipe tools and vises for professional trades.
Carl Reed, scion of one of Erie’s pioneer families, along with three partners, started the business in 1896, manufacturing pipe wrenches and plumbing supplies.
In 1902 Reuben Wright of Westfield, N.Y., (a mere 35 miles from Erie), who had created his fortune by selling supplies to ‘49ers during the Gold Rush and later added lumber interests, bought the company and installed his sons to run the business. His great-great grandsons are actively involved with REED to this day: Scott, as president and chairman of the Board, and Mark, retired and a Board member.
REED tools were used in the construction of the Panama Canal. Subsequently in 1915, REED bench vises were awarded a gold medal and its pipe dies received a bronze medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, in San Francisco. A distantly related pair of Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, used a REED vise in their Dayton bicycle/aviation shop.
A defense contractor during both world wars, REED turned out stocks, dies, and pipe cutters in the Great War and wrenches, turbine buckets, and airplane engine mounts for World War II. Additionally, the REED Shaw Machine for pressing collars was installed in all Navy ships and could be found in most commercial laundries across the United States.
Exporting from early in its existence, with relationships in Europe and beyond, today REED sells into over 100 countries. Still housed
in the historic building at 1425 West 8th Street, REED remains an
Erie landmark.
From the company’s beginning, REED has taken pride in inventing and manufacturing high-quality tools that provide real solutions and that have become industry standards. These include the Quick Release Tubing Cutter, hinged pipe cutters, rotary pipe cutters, various tools for plastic pipe, and vises.
Annually, the company has made end-user driven improvements and refinements to existing tools, most recently the Pump Stick water transfer pump, Clean Ream Extreme fitting reamers, Bevel Boss pipe beveler, and Bear Hug squeeze tools, along with continuous improvements to long-standing tools.
The secret of REED’s continuing, increasing success can be attributed to its corporate culture and individuals’ commitment to exceptional performance and service. Over the past century and a quarter, the company and its employees have worked tirelessly for the betterment of Erie County, supporting dozens of organizations in categories from the arts to scouting to reducing poverty and medical causes.
Also forward thinking, REED will continue to improve its customer offerings throughout its next 125-plus years. •
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Reed Manufacturing, (800) 666-3691, reedmfgco.com
United Rentals Recognized on NSC 2022 List of CEOs Who ‘Get it’
The National Safety Council (NSC), America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate, named United Rentals, Inc. CEO Matt Flannery as one of nine 2022 CEOs Who “Get It,” recognizing “safety leaders who go the extra mile to protect employees both on and off the job.”
According to NSC, CEOs like Flannery have built their organizations’ safety strategy using four key components: risk reduction, performance measurement, safety management solutions, and leadership and employee engagement.
“Safety is a way of life at United Rentals and a core piece of our purpose,” said Flannery. “This National Safety Council recognition is a tribute to all United Rentals employees who work united for the safety of our teams, communities and customers.”
Headquartered in Stamford, Conn., United Rentals Inc. is the largest equipment rental company in the world. Offering approximately 4,300 classes of equipment to construction and industrial customers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners and others, the company has an integrated network of 1,288 rental locations in North America, 11 in Europe, 28 in Australia, and 18 in New Zealand.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
United Rentals, (833) 374-8650, unitedrentals.com
TD Williamson
tdwilliamson.com
T.D. Williamson, the global pipeline solutions provider, completed its first in-line inspection (ILI) in Kenya, using its multiple dataset (MDS) technology.
The MDS platform incorporates a variety of inspection technologies on a single platform. It is widely accepted as the most comprehensive system on the market to identify integrity threats through a single in-line inspection run.
TDW performed the inspection on a new, 20-inch diameter, refined multi-product transmission pipeline that runs 279 miles (450 kilometers) from Mombasa to Nairobi. Owned and operated by Kenya Pipeline Company, the pipeline was inspected to prepare it to meet demand for petroleum products in Kenya and the region for years to come.
The goal of the operation was to provide a baseline measurement to determine any threats that may impact future integrity, including mechanical damage, illegal hot taps, selective seam weld corrosion and material property changes such as hard spots.
Prior to the MDS inspection, T.D. Williamson and its Egyptian Channel partner, Engineering Petroleum Services (EPS), cleaned the pipeline to avoid potential in-line inspection tool performance issues that can degrade inspection data. Twelve cleaning and gauging runs were performed, totaling 3,600 km (2,237 mi) of cleaning.
All operations – cleaning, gauging and inspection – were 100-percent successful.
Liebherr USA
liebherr.com
Liebherr USA, Co., Newport News, Va., launched a new partnership with the local (Virginia Beach, Va.) Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) in a new co-op training program for service technicians.
In addition to annually hosting up to six students who attend ATI’s Heavy Vehicle Technology program, Liebherr is sponsoring the hydraulics portion of the training and supplying an L 526 wheel loader for hands-on experience in these classes.
The first group of students entered the program in January 2021. While attending the training, they became part-time Liebherr employees, working in the earthmoving and mobile cranes divisions’ repair shops, to get additional hands-on training and real-world experience on the subjects covered in the classroom.
Upon completion of the Co-op program,
ATI students can become Liebherr-certified. Eligible new hires who accept full-time employment also receive a signing bonus.
“This partnership not only helps to build a pipeline of future talent, but it also exposes all of ATI’s students to the Liebherr brand, which allows us to build a future workforce of Liebherr employees,” said Vicki Wishon, manager, Human Resources.
ALLU
allu.net
Bejac Corporation, based in Los Angeles/Placentia, Calif., is the newest dealer in the ALLU North American network.
With eight locations in California, two in Nevada, one in Arizona and one in Utah, Bejac becomes ALLU’s Western distributor, providing sales and rental of its unique attachments, as well as complete aftermarket service and spare parts, for customers throughout these states.
Since starting in 1953 as a pipeline contractor, Bejac Corporation has adapted and transformed into a successful equipment distributor. The company’s reputation for offering the right solutions for very different problems and applications fits perfectly with ALLU’s mission.
United Poly Systems
unitedpolysystems.com
United Poly Systems (UPS) is now certified to manufacture FM-approved polyethylene pipe in 2- to 24-inch diameters.
This approval means that polyethylene pipe manufactured by UPS meets the standards for use in underground fire protection applications. With the new certification, UPS now offers triple-stamped products that are NSF-, AWWA- and FM-approved.
Safe and reliable water supply is critical for underground fire protection systems. HDPE pipe is ideal for transporting water in fire protection systems, as it is resistant to corrosion and bacterial growth, and can withstand high internal and external stresses.
FM approval gives customers confidence they are purchasing a certified high-performing product from a regularly audited manufacturing facility. Triple-stamped products provide flexibility, allowing customers to inventory pipe that can account for multiple application demands.
United Poly Systems produces quality HDPE pipe in a variety of diameters for use in many industries, including telecommunications, power utility, water, electrical and oil and gas.
ML Utilities/Utility Equipment Services
mlutilities.com; lues.com
ML Utilities, a premier “one-call” solution for fleet maintenance, inspections, repair and management services to the utility sector, acquired Utility Equipment Service, Inc. (UES), based in Spring Hill, Tenn.
The purchase positions ML Utilities to better serve its growing customer base throughout the surrounding region with a wide range of mobile and shop services for utility equipment. These include aerial devices, pressure diggers, boom trucks, and digger derricks, as well as a variety of support products.
With its newest addition, ML Utilities’ team of technicians now provides services to fleet owners and customers throughout Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio.
Established in 1981, UES specializes in new and used sales, upfitting, rental, parts and accessories, shop repair, and maintenance of service trucks. As part of ML Utilities, UES complements its shop service capabilities with additional mobile field units providing ANSI inspections, annual DOT certifications, dielectric testing, hydraulic diagnostics, utility fleet repair, custom fabrication, lube and chassis services, and other solutions to the challenges fleet managers face.
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