November 2023 Vol. 78 No.11
Business
Business News
BUSINESS
Vacuworx: 25 Years of Thought Leadership
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Vacuworx founder Bill Soloman attributes nearly three decades of leadership in vacuum lifting technology to a dedicated team, responsible growth, continuous improvement and passion for industry-leading products and services.
When the Tulsa-based company started in 1999, its 8,500-square-foot shop produced only a few product types, including its flagship RC Series lifters that handle virtually any type and diameter of pipe length effectively, with no need for chains, slings or hooks.
The foundation for Vacuworx was established as major advancements in protective coating technologies were being rolled out – and having tremendous impacts – on traditional methods used to handle oil and gas pipes.
Solomon and his wife, Christy, continued developing their original idea to create a faster, safer and smarter way to lift and move heavy, bulky objects. Their goal has always been “to protect people by keeping them out of lift zones and removing them from other places, where they don’t need to be.”
Evolution
Over the past 25 years, the company has evolved, while holding 100-percent to its original mission and values.
It now has a state-of-the-art, 155,000-square-foot U.S. headquarters and manufacturing facility with more than 60 employees and the advantage of all in-house precision machining and custom fabrication. It also developed a global network of qualified vacuum lifting equipment dealers – across six continents – and a customer base extending around the world.
Vacuworx vastly diversified its products and capabilities to match louder calls for greater safety, throughput, durability and longevity across a range of sectors. From the original RC and MC Series to compact and versatile SL 2 lifters, PS 1/PHD machines and more, today, Vacuworx offers the most useful, reliable, service-and-support backed line-up of machines for compact, mid-range and specialty lifting scenarios in the world.
Vacuworx material-handling systems have also proven effective in all unusual types of industrial situations, tight or confined workspaces, expansive outdoor environments, rigorous weather, and diverse field conditions. This includes applications where safety and precision are imperative, such as concrete road barriers, solar panels, burial vaults and electrical transmission and distribution poles.
Word-of-mouth testimonials, and countless videos and images, have spread Vacuworx’s story organically.
“We were in the right place at the right time,” Solomon explained. “It didn’t just happen overnight. One contractor would see the benefit of our product because another contractor was using it. ‘Where did you get that? We need one of those.’ That’s how we got started.”
Connecting the dots
Solomon’s company and the industries it serves have come a long way since 1999 – including the accelerated rate of pipe handlers’ adoption and utilization of vacuum lifters in the past 10 years, alone. Ultimately, vacuum lifting has left an indelible mark on pipe-handling.
Now rented and sold in over 25 countries, Vacuworx systems have become one of the best-recognized innovations in vacuum lifting equipment and its increasing versatility.
But it didn’t stop there. The company also focuses on customer service – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – and offers quick access to technical support and parts; a complete inventory; a full line of sales and rental options; and strong North American supply chain business relationships.
By listening to customers, the company continues to evolve and improve, developing new material lifting solutions for a growing number of established markets.
“We’ve gotten through some extraordinary things,” he said. “We are going to get on the phone. We’re going to get on a plane. It’s part of our covenant with our customers. You can get a hold of somebody to help. We’re going to be available.”
For Solomon, this often equates to helping customers “connect the dots” – with access to the right engineering conversations, demonstrations, or compelling visual representations of lifters in action.
“Everything about what we are trying to do ties back to continuous improvement and growth in areas where we can make a difference,” he said.
Peering into the future
Looking ahead, Solomon can see engineering even more products with the demonstrated ability to outperform traditional lifting and handling methods, safely and cost-efficiently.
In preparation, he is considering even faster, safer and smarter machines that will be put to work by qualified operators in even more semi-autonomous and fully manufacturer-supported lifting and handling operations.
Vacuworx lifting systems are already adaptable to multiple applications and host machines, such as modular systems for heavy-duty manufacturing, battery or electric systems for various in-plant or field operations, and an alternative system for using anchors and chains when handling precast.
In light of the 25-year milestone, Solomon reflected on his years building Vacuworx and reminded himself that while focusing on what’s next is important, so is remembering where it all started.
Material handlers of all sizes come to Vacuworx for not only the safety aspects and labor-saving benefits, but also to uncover advantages associated with a superior level of service and support.
“When we enter a new market, sometimes it’s hard for people to believe that our lifters are as safe and easy to use as we say they are,” said Solomon. “But we’re in our 25th year, and we welcome the opportunities to prove what we say is what we do.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Vacuworx, (918) 259-3050, vacuworx.com
Grundfos Celebrates 50th Anniversary of US Operations
Grundfos, a global leader in advanced pump solutions and water technologies, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of U.S. operations. The nearly 80-year-old Danish company began U.S. operations in 1973 and now has 13 offices and manufacturing facilities and employs nearly 1,700 employees.
In 1944, founder Poul Due Jensen began Grundfos out of his basement in Denmark. The company quickly expanded across Europe and other countries and in 1973, Einar Cook, a Danish-American from Fresno, Calif., visited the Grundfos office in Denmark and was amazed at the quality of the deep well turbine pumps and returned to the U.S. to use them on his farm. Cook then imported a few pumps to sell in his farm equipment dealership and the U.S. business was born.
Over the next 40 years, the company opened offices in Allentown, Penn., Kansas City, Kans., and expanded the California office. In 2006, Grundfos began a transformative time of growth by acquiring marquee brands like PACO, Peerless and Yeomans. From there, Grundfos opened its PES facility in Brookshire, Texas, in 2009 and a water technology center in Fresno in 2011. The following year, Grundfos established the U.S. headquarters in Chicago and launched the water conservation project in Fresno.
In 2022, Grundfos relocated its U.S. headquarters to a first-of-its-kind, environmentally sustainable building in Brookshire, Texas. The 45,000-square-foot facility is the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified v4 Platinum new construction in Texas, according to the Green Building Information Gateway. The building uses zero fossil fuels, harvests, and stores 873,183 gallons of rainwater annually and provides 62% total energy cost savings compared to a typical commercial building.
“To Grundfos, every drop of water symbolizes a promise for a better future,” said Poul Due Jensen, CEO of Grundfos and grandson of the founder, “Each day, we’re driven by a commitment to making a positive difference for our customers and communities by addressing the globe’s most critical water and climate concerns with groundbreaking, energy-efficient solutions.”
Building on 50 years of excellence, Grundfos continues to lead the industry with its transformative water solutions and innovations in groundwater; wastewater treatment; and commercial, industrial and residential applications. The company is not only committed to offering energy-efficient water and digital solutions but will continue to do so in a way that drives significant impact on some of the world’s most critical sustainability challenges.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Grundfos Pump Corporation, (281) 994-2700, grundfos.com/us
120Water
120water.com
Continuing to develop its network of statewide and multistate partnerships, 120Water was selected to manage the data and submittal of Georgia’s lead service line (LSL) inventories.
The state’s procurement of 120Water’s software grants all Georgia water systems individual licenses to access the Public Water System (PWS) Portal, which serves as a centralized database to store, format, and submit LSL data in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) and federal and state reporting requirements.
LCRR requires utilities nationwide to compile a location-based inventory of service line materials by October 2024. This mandate introduces time and resource burdens, as many water systems – especially small, rural systems serving populations of 10,000 or less – lack the infrastructure needed to keep digital records and submit inventories in the required format.
To help alleviate the encumbrance, 120Water’s PWS Portal provides a standardized tool to validate and manage LSL data before it’s uploaded to the State Dashboard for ongoing compliance management. Submissions are automatically validated upon import, at which point the state will have the opportunity to review and approve service line inventories that can be published on the Public Transparency Dashboard.
120Water is the comprehensive solution used by water professionals across the country to manage critical lead and drinking water programs. Comprised of secure Cloud-based software services and point-of-use kits, 120Water’s solution provides tailored workflows for complying with lead and water quality programs to protect public health.
Working with hundreds of utilities across 41 states, 120Water is in the process of inventorying over 3 million service lines that impact more than 10 million individuals. Its team of water, policy and technology experts have supported over 8,000 sampling events, partnering with the National Rural Water Association (NRWA), water systems and various government to protect public health and provide clean drinking water to all communities.
BOND
bondbrothers.com
BOND Civil & Utility, a wholly owned subsidiary of BOND Brothers Inc., created a new division that expands the company’s offerings with additional, self-perform capabilities. BOND Trenchless provides a more vertically integrated value proposition to clients, such as investor-owned utilities (IOUs), gas transmission companies, power, and energy developers.
In support, BOND has brought on an experienced leadership team to guide the Trenchless division: Bryce Carson, vice president; Colin Harris, director; and Cole Byington, trenchless engineer. This new team will work in concert with BOND’s existing leadership by merging the collective and complementary expertise to enhance the overall value for clients and staff alike.
BOND Trenchless is focused on delivering turnkey services inclusive of front-end engineering designs (FEEDs), complete design packages, and project execution for horizontal directional drilling (HDD), jack and bores, and guided bore technologies.
“This has been a long time coming for BOND Civil & Utility. We’ve been deeply involved in infrastructure upgrade and development projects for years now, and continuously seek to minimize the disruption to our neighbors wherever we work,” said Kane Cuddy, president of BOND Civil & Utility.
Comments