Month: November 2024

In an industry where conformity often prevails, IDEX’s Gast Manufacturing is boldly stepping forward to challenge the status quo. After a century of innovation, this pneumatics leader embraces transformation while honoring its rich heritage and history.

Breaking Free from Convention

The familiar uppercase block letters that once defined Gast are giving way to something modern and refreshing. The new identity features sleek, lowercase letters wrapped in vibrant green. This visual statement captures the company’s forward-thinking spirit while respecting its foundation and underlining its commitment to sustainability.

More Than Meets the Eye
Senior Marketing Manager Jill Gorzynski explains, “Our brand identity is not only visually engaging; it’s straightforward, unified, and bold. It brings a fresh, recognizable face to Gast that transcends marketing alone. It redefines our brand positioning, surpassing colors and logos to embody our quality standards and sustainable efforts. It reflects our strategic direction and ambition to lead without contest.”

Moving with Purpose

At the heart of this transformation lies a powerful new tagline: “Move with Purpose.” These three words encapsulate everything Gast stands for—deliberate action, strategic vision, and unwavering dedication to excellence. It’s a philosophy that guides every aspect of their operation and echoes their mission: “To provide the highest quality air-moving products and solutions, backed by exceptional customer support and service.”

Innovation that Improves Lives

In collaboration with Airtech on the Performance Pneumatics platform, Gast transforms essential industries through advanced pneumatic solutions. Their innovations impact countless lives daily, from powering vital medical ventilators and oxygen concentrators to enhancing dental care and improving food service operations. This aligns seamlessly with IDEX’s mission of creating “Trusted Solutions, Improving Lives™.”

This rebrand isn’t just about a new look—it’s a commitment to a future where purpose-driven innovation leads the way, and every solution is crafted with intention.

The Bigger Picture

Gast’s team activates its brand identity daily, making it a living and breathing part of everything they do. This empowers them to leave a significant mark across continents and sectors, truly defining Gast’s essence. They remain resolute in sustaining the highest quality standards and pursuing initiatives supporting a sustainable future.

AWG Fittings reimagined the most successful nozzle sold in their home country of Germany and are now seeing strong order growth from customers across Europe.

AWG’s Turbo Spritze has been a dominant firefighter nozzle for German fire departments for more than 20 years. With adjustments to flow rates, the addition of available couplings used in other markets, and a rebranding as TurboStrike, the team is experiencing success pursuing new global market opportunities, beginning primarily in Europe.

“We only launched a few months ago and we have exceeded our AOP (annual

 operating plan) in each month since the launch,” AWG Senior Product Manager Marvin Willrich said.

TurboStrike’s unique design, featuring spinning teeth and a fixed sprocket, creates a filled hollow jet that optimizes extinguishing effects, especially at wide angles. This hollow jet generates overpressure at the center of the spray cone, pushing flames away from the operator rather than drawing them in, enhancing firefighting efficiency and significantly boosting operator safety.

Designed to deliver high quality and affordability, TurboStrike features versatility and superior performance at an exceptional value. Constructed from durable anodized aluminum, the nozzle is designed to be corrosion-resistant and reliable over time, even when exposed to firefighting suppression foams or extreme temperatures. It is also lightweight, minimizing firefighter discomfort.

AWG manufactures all its products at its facility in Ballendorf, Germany.

One of the more unusual trophies you will ever see – a brain with knowledge arrows pointing outward – is now on display at Millux, a unit of IDEX in Wijchen, Netherlands.

A team from Millux – a leader in micro-precision laser processing – earned the recognition for their “Laser Ablation and Drilling” presentation at the Manufacturing Knowledge Centre’s Manufacturing Technology Conference in the Netherlands earlier this year.

The conference brings together inventors and manufacturing experts to share ideas about manufacturing techniques.

The team presented about how using metal ablation and

 drilling with ultra short pulse lasers avoids microcracks developing in the material, and no melt pool is formed that could 

lead to different material properties on the surface.

Millux R&D Engineers Raph Pieters and Jochem Peeters presented the pros and cons of laser ablation from the conference stage. Colleagues Walther Goethals, John Lubbers and Martijn Scholten presented a poster to conference attendees on the show floor.

A ten-member jury, consisting of professionals from Thermo Fisher Scientific, ASML, Bosch Transmission Technology B.V. and Wilting (last year’s winner), were unanimous in their opinion that Millux deserved the award.

The latest cohort of rising IDEX leaders completed the Business Leader Excellence (BLE) program this month, learning to navigate the complexities of the General Manager (GM) role and how to effectively lead IDEX’s three imperatives – growth, execution and premier culture.

The participants selected for the six-month program engaged in a variety of experiences, both at the IDEX Corporate Headquarters and two IDEX manufacturing facilities. Internal IDEX Leaders, including IDEX CEO & President Eric Ashleman, led sessions throughout the program. In the first week, key sessions included growing talent and teams, GROW Coaching and panel discussions.

“We aim to help leaders form a clearer perspective about who they are as a leader, while developing skills that will allow them to advance further in their IDEX careers,” said Shauna Schoeder, Vice President of Global Talent. “Successful graduates of BLE are better equipped to accelerate team performance and grow organizational talent.”

In the second week together, the cohort gathered at Warren Rupp in Mansfield, Ohio (USA), to focus on the IDEX Operating Model in action, based in part on the business unit’s IDEX Award for Disciplined Execution this year. Warren Rupp GM David Llewellyn and Viking Pump President Ben Green shared insights on effectively leading through the IDEX Operating Model and

 empowering their teams to utilize it optimally. While in Mansfield, the cohort was able to volunteer with the YMCA of North Central Ohio through building mini golf courses to support youth of the local community.

In the final week, the Water Platform team hosted a discussion about Customer Obsession, and Fluid Management graciously hosted the cohort during the session, Leading with a Growth Mindset led by Krishna Ranganathan President of the Performance Pneumatics Technologies platform and IDEX Foundation.

“My time in the BLE program was an incredibly enriching experience both professionally and personally. The content and the experiences that senior leaders and the talent team shared with our cohort was invaluable and will be helpful for applying what we have learned now and in the future,” Fluid Management General Manager Lisa Matsen said.  “Overall, it was a great experience and one that I will look back on with gratitude and pleasure.”

“I plan to incorporate more of GROW coaching tool into my leadership approach and focus on team and talent development,” said Stuart Li, General Manager, Richter East Asia. “One area where I identified to improve is the delegation and coaching skill. I already started to practice in daily work to convert from an effective leader leading to deliver result to a servant leader supporting to grow.”

BLE is part of the IDEX Academy programs led by IDEX Corporate Human Resources’ Global Talent Development Team.

Viking Pump, Inc. in Cedar Falls, Iowa (USA) capped off their summer as champions. The leader in positive displacement pumping solutions took home the First Place Grand Marshall Trophy for the local 2024 Sturgis Falls Parade.

The theme for this year’s parade celebration was “Making Memories.” Viking Pump has been a part of the Cedar Falls community since 1911 and aimed to showcase the memories they created throughout the years. Account Coordinator Teresa Paulsen led the effort, with the assistance of 11 other employees, to plan, design, and build an impressive float in seven weeks.

The float was designed as a large Polaroid camera with a picture emerging from it. Surrounding the edge of the trailer were various sized parts and pumps, displaying historical pictures.

The Grand Marshall Trophy included an award that is now proudly displayed in their corporate office, along with a $500 cash reward. The parade committee donated the prize money to the Cedar Bend Humane Society, an open-admission, full-service animal shelter that accepts any animal, regardless of age, breed, behavior, or health.

IDEX Fire & Safety employees joined with their marketing partner Fire Department Coffee to help support those providing relief to the people of western North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene.

As part of its efforts to give back, Fire Department Coffee has a Rosenbauer America disaster response truck that includes, among other things, a clothes washer and dryer, and a shower with water heater, to help relief workers get cleaned up so they can continue their valuable work. That includes first responders, many of whom have been working tirelessly since torrential rains from the hurricane caused destructive flash flooding.

Joining the Fire Department Coffee team at various points were IDEX teammates Director of IDEX Fire & Safety North American Marketing & Communications Brent Warwick, Marketing Manager Britt Hawkins, and Marketing Project Manager Lauren Ploof, along with members of their families.

“Serving first responders in the North Carolina mountains in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene is in line with our purpose and mission at IDEX Fire & Safety. And getting to do that alongside our strategic partner, Fire Department Coffee, and two of my kids made it matter even more,” Brent said.

Britt added, “These people faced extreme devastation, yet their tenacious spirit showed through. A kind word, a smile, and a little distraction with a hot cup of coffee was a breath of fresh air for these folks. I am so humbled to have been a small part of it and hope that I may have a picked up a little bit of their spirit to take home with me.”  

IDEX Fire & Safety’s partnership with Fire Department Coffee includes our products being featured in their funny social media videos about life as a firefighter. Aside from selling coffee, they also give back to sick and injured firefighters.

“The whole purpose of this project is to protect people’s dignity, the communities affected, and the first responders,” said Randy James, Director of Brand Relations for Fire Department Coffee. “The truck is a dynamic piece of equipment that we utilize when people lose their basic needs. We want to provide a place for them to take a shower, have food, dry clothes, blankets, and so much more. We want to give them a cup of coffee, have a conversation with them, listen to them, and thank them for all they do.”

Hurricane Helene hit on Tuesday, September 24, and its path of destruction not only harmed buildings and roadways, but families, friends, and loved ones across many states. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia felt the effects of Hurricane Helene as did the rest of the country as many were left to worry or called to help fight the aftermath.

Mott, which joined IDEX through acquisition last month, this week officially opened its latest manufacturing facility, which produces components used in the production of “green hydrogen.”

The new facility – Mott’s third in the Bristol, Connecticut, area – quadruples its production capacity for custom-designed, ultra-thin, porous metal sheets, which are a critical component in the generation of green hydrogen, a low-emission fuel essential for the world’s energy transition.

Global demand for hydrogen is expected to increase fivefold by 2050, yet less than 5% of the world’s hydrogen is produced sustainably. Mott’s titanium Porous Transport Layers (PTLs) are among the smoothest and thinnest in the world, allowing for efficient and cost-effective production of green hydrogen.

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont attended a press conference and ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday, alongside Mott President Boris Levin. The senator and governor each sang the praises of Mott as a creator of manufacturing jobs that support a variety of critical industries, including clean energy, semiconductor, defense, and healthcare.

Mott recently won a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to accelerate design and manufacturing of the next generation of PTLs. These next generation PTLs are expected to help drive down the cost of clean hydrogen, consistent with the federal government’s “Hydrogen Shot” initiative to “reduce the cost of clean hydrogen by 80% to $1 per 1 kilogram in 1 decade,” by 2030. 

The facility will also serve as a center of excellence, allowing Mott to rapidly prototype filtration technology for its customers in clean energy, semiconductor, defense, healthcare and other industries.

“This new facility will continue to position Mott as a leader in clean energy development, and add to Connecticut’s strength as a home of innovation and manufacturing,” Levin said. “When combined with our recent $10 million grant from the Department of Energy, this expansion will allow us to quadruple our production capacity and serve more customers in the rapidly growing green hydrogen industry. We could not have gotten here without our tremendously committed employees, who produce world class technology and go above and beyond for our customers every day. We are also grateful to Governor Lamont, Senator Murphy, and our entire Connecticut Congressional delegation for their strong support.”

“Increasing production of green hydrogen—hydrogen power created using renewable energy sources like wind or solar—will help us tackle the climate crisis, create good-paying jobs and lower energy costs for consumers,” Sen. Murphy said. “Mott’s new clean energy facility is another example of how Connecticut is leading the way in clean energy engineering and manufacturing innovation, and I look forward to seeing their continued growth in our state.”

The U.K. government’s Defense Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) recently honored Godiva, a unit of IDEX and a global leader in emergency services equipment located in Warwickshire, England, for its unwavering commitment to the Armed Forces community.

The Silver Armed Forces Covenant Award acknowledges an employer’s pledge to ensure that individuals who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, along with their families, are treated with dignity and respect within the organization. This accolade highlights Godiva’s ongoing dedication to creating job opportunities, support, and development for veterans, reservists, and their families.

This significant recognition was accepted by HR Manager Megan Easley, and British Army Veteran from Air Commodore Adam Sansom at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Godiva takes pride in the progress made so far and is dedicated to enhancing their support moving forward, in partnership with the SERRVE Employee Resource Group (ERG).

The ROOTS Program is an employee-driven initiative dedicated to discovering ways for employees to assist those in need within the Cedar Valley.

Established in Cedar Falls, Iowa (USA) by Viking Pump, a division of IDEX, ROOTS supports existing non-profits in enhancing their missions and broadening their impact.

Discover more about Viking Pump’s ROOTS Program and explore how Viking Pump collaborates with essential organizations in the Cedar Valley to contribute to the community.