After years of supplying dry diaphragm seals to a global energy firm, WIKA USA now manufactures and mounts the entire diaphragm seal system, saving this company millions of dollars each year.
Diaphragm seals separate the pressure gauge from the process media, protecting the instrument and making systems monitoring more reliable. Not long ago, WIKA USA supplied dry diaphragm seals for an international firm specializing in energy automation and control solutions. This company then assembled, filled, calibrated, and installed the DS systems in its own pressure measuring units. For quite some time, this arrangement worked well.
Full-Cycle Solution in Diaphragm Seal Systems
But then the energy management market became more competitive, and this customer started looking for ways to operate leaner. Any savings in manufacturing, assembly, or distribution could make a big difference on the bottom line. After carefully examining all its processes, the company came to the conclusion that it was more cost-effective to have someone else handle the following:
- Manufacture, assemble, fill, and calibrate the entire diaphragm seal system.
- Mount the diaphragm seal systems in the company’s pressure products.
- Send the entire assembly directly to the company‘s end-user.
By outsourcing this operation, the customer would then be able to close down its old facility in the US, thereby saving millions of dollars each year in the cost of materials, labor, and time.
Since WIKA USA already supplied this company’s entire inventory of flange seals, threaded seals, saddle seals, and sanitary seals, it was natural for the executives to approach us first and see whether we would be interested in deepening this partnership.
Diaphragm Seal Systems, Made in the USA
Having made measuring instruments and accessories for more than seven decades, WIKA has streamlined manufacturing processes across our wide portfolio. Thus, handling entire diaphragm seal systems was not a big deal. But there were two issues to consider:
- Does our facility have the additional manufacturing capacity to provide the quantity of systems this energy company needed – and within the prescribed timeframe?
M932.2C assembled diaphragm seal
- Can we meet the stringent standards that the customer has implemented for its internal processes?
After retooling our DS manufacturing procedures in Houston, we were pleased to be able to accommodate this customer’s specific requirements. WIKA USA delivered the first batch of fully assembled and calibrated diaphragm seal systems to this company’s end users in March 2021. Since that time, the customer has been able to shut down its US assembly operations. We also provide technical support, application assistance, and all the necessary repairs and maintenance.
But order fulfillment and customer service are not all that we do. Continuous improvement is one of WIKA’s corporate values, and over the past months we have worked closely with this client to streamline the process even more. For example, we have aligned parts of our procedures with the company’s, including the development of unique model codes, so that ordering is even quicker and easier.
Today, WIKA USA has essentially become a manufacturing arm for this energy customer. We manufacture and install full five-point calibrated diaphragm seal systems with capillary or direct connection options. We also offer them a suite of certificates for materials, calibration, 3-A sanitary standards, etc.
WIKA USA, Part of Your Business
We can handle so much more than just diaphragm seal systems. Regardless of the industry or your application’s specific requirements, WIKA USA has the ability to tailor partnerships for practically any customer. Contact us for information about how we can help your business save time and money.