The IFH Group was established in 1945 as King’s Weld Shop of Rock Falls, Ill., a small weld repair shop. It was incorporated in 1966 as J. L. King Co. Inc., taking on fabrication work. As the company grew, its name was changed to Sauk Valley Equipment Co. The balance of the building where the […]
Mobile Hydraulics Blog
Manufacturer insight: Continental Hydraulics
In operation since 1962, Continental Hydraulics is a manufacturer of hydraulic pumps, valves and power units used in some of the most hostile environments imaginable—most recently 5000-ft. under the sea, to help the BP oil spill effort in the Gulf of Mexico. The company formerly operated as a division of Continental Machine Inc., whose parent […]
Why we won’t kill the Imperial System
Back in grade school, we were told that the Imperial System was a thing of the past, that eventually we’d be living the Metric System life, with all it’s base-10 logic built right in. We’d be just like the rest of the world. But those predictions have proven about as accurate as the flying cars […]
Not fluid power, but some powerful fluids — Hurricane Sandy update
I’m used to writing about fluid power of the motion control variety. But this week, I’m reminded of the unassailable power of even unpressurized water—especially when it decides to come into my finished basement and ruin almost everything. Ah, Hurricane Sandy, you’ve been a maddening thing, even here in Ohio, hundreds of miles from the […]
Safety should be at the forefront of hydraulics
I had a nice chat with Greg Brown of RYCO Hydraulics at MINExpo last month, and it all revolved around safety. Greg was showing me their Crocbite product, an ingenious product for connecting large hoses that are frequently used in longwall mining applications. Instead of the traditional “staples” that connect large hoses, RYCO designed a […]
Obama vs Romney on manufacturing, trade
As a non-partisan service to readers, following are unedited position papers from the Obama and Romney campaign websites on each candidates’ views on manufacturing and trade issues. You may visit the campaign websites yourself at http://www.barackobama.com and http://www.mittromney.com to dig deeper. We welcome any feedback or opinions on this election and what it means to […]
Mobile hydraulic company focusing on U.S. manufacturing
Tennessee-based Bailey International LLC is well-known in the mobile hydraulics market, thanks to their wide variety of products, especially hydraulic cylinders. Over the past couple of years, the company has made capital investments in excess of $1 million to bolster production capacity. A robotic welder added in 2011 enables more consistent output and weld quality […]
Manufacturer insight: HydraForce
Chicago-area manufacturer HydraForce was founded in 1985 on the principles of offering the highest quality products and what the company calls “unparalleled customer service.” Seeing a gap in the marketplace, founders Jim Brizzolara, Dick Fontecchio, and Ron Reuter sought out advice from industry insiders and took aim at the cartridge valve market with innovative designs.
Questionable economy pushes NFPA conference to record attendance
The annual NFPA Industry and Economic Outlook Conference, held this year at the Oak Brook Hills Marriott in suburban Chicago, hit an all-time record of attendance with 312 pre-registered attendees. Driving that number was the uncertain economy—manufacturers are eager to hear where business pressures will come from over the coming years. Brian Beaulieu, CEO, Institute […]
MSOE’s Fluid Power Institute celebrates 50 years
Say “fluid power education” and one of the first things that pops into my head is the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
