TPT January 2022

I NT ERV I EW

Airmo Inc

on a new space launching program, it creates a sense of patriotism. There’s a sense of accomplishment when the product is delivered and the customer’s end product goes live. In today’s world, our biggest challenge is maintaining our supply chain on time. Our vendors and service support groups are being challenged with the same. All of the material used to produce our products have to be certified within a specification, meeting a unique chemistry. However, our suppliers are finding it nearly impossible to find the specified material in a timely manner. Therefore, we need to purchase material in bulk a lot of the time whether or not we need it right away. Still, it is impossible to forecast what material is needed. We’ve seen delays up to six months for material we were previously receiving in three days. n What is the worst crisis you have faced and the proudest moment during your career so far? As you can imagine, being around for 75 years there have been many challenges, both within and outside of the company, which has an impact on all of us. When there’s a severe earthquake in Asia, our customers may delay or cancel their order. That has an impact on our business. In 2007, the world was in the midst of the “great recession”. Our company is in an industrial park with many diverse industries. As the recession took hold for several years, I would see less traffic on the highways and within the industrial park. I also noticed more empty buildings within the industrial park. I was concerned of the uncertain future for our company. Because of some connections and work that I had done in my previous positions, we were able to get on the ground floor of a large program along with some other ventures where huge amounts of investments were being made. Not only did those activities help us survive that period, we grew top and bottom line at a record pace where we were making investments in capital equipment and offered quarterly bonuses. I’m also proud of our customers and employees. Our customers allow our employees to take head on challenges to be solved. From designing, manufacturing, assembly, and testing – all of us are personally involved. About a year ago, a customer called to purchase a replacement component for their product. The customer gave us the serial number of the product to ensure the right component was to be sent. When searching the serial number, we noticed the product was purchased in 1955. The product was still being used every day and our records indicated it was the first replacement component purchased. The model product had not been made in a few decades. However, we search the flat-files and found the drawings and made the component. I think there are very few companies which will support a customer with replacement components on a product that was 65 years old!

n How do you see the tube and pipe industry changing over the next ten years? Our specific sectors in the tube and pipe industry are in tremendous demand. With new interests in using alternative fuels to run through tubing, it’s going to be more important to test the integrity of the tubing prior to activating the system. Tubing is also not always circular anymore, so endforming is going to take on a whole new geometry as future tubing is manufactured. Tube expansion used in retubing is also in high demand as old heat exchangers need to be retubed for future use. Additionally, as the population increases and more utilities are developed to support more people, more tubing is going to be required for heating, water, energy and other services. This means more testing, endforming, and expanding of tubes, which is where we can help. n What advice would you give to a young person or student trying to make it in the tube industry as you did yourself? To use an old cliché, “think outside of the box.” Don’t look at tubes in a single dimension. Look at everything around you and more than likely tubes are involved in its use or how it was produced. When I first began working I did not say, “I want to work with tubes.” It was an evolution, which led me to where I am. What got me excited was the technology around tubes. A person almost needs to look at the tangents of working in the tube industry. The tube industry has the manufacturing, heat treating, bending, expanding, testing and so on. In order to do all of that, you need to understand tube behaviour. The tubes were almost an accessory to the products Airmo produces. My suggestion is to get involved with a reputable company. It does not have to be a Fortune 500 company. Join a company that has high integrity. Find a company that does things right, because if it’s done wrong and you get caught, it can get really bad. Once a person has that integrity and the company has the same values, there will be many co-workers that will want that person to succeed as well. The tube industry may at first seem dull and non-exciting. At Airmo, it’s far from it.

Airmo Inc – USA airmo@airmo.com www.airmo.com

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JANUARY 2022