Category: Company News

Throughout the first half of 2024, IDEX businesses have displayed an increased commitment to maintaining a safe workplace and minimizing the impact of our operations to the environment. 

Our combined efforts are yielding results. At midyear, we have reduced total recordable injuries by 30%, compared to the first half of last year. IDEX teams worldwide also reduced injuries that resulted in more than a day away from work by 50% compared to the same period last year.

“Our teams should be commended for their outstanding work increasing our collective focus on safety. While these improvements are meaningful, we must continue to build the capacity of our defenses against safety hazards as we continue to reduce workplace injuries,” said Aromake Afiegbe, Senior Director of IDEX Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S).

See what your fellow colleagues across the globe have applied to work towards our shared goal of workplace safety and reducing workplace incidents and injuries. While the examples below only reflect a small portion of all the hard work our employees dedicate to this effort, we hope that there are takeaways you can apply to your local teams.

IDEX Health and Science – Safety Week

Each site under our IDEX Health and Science (IH&S) umbrella participated in their first-ever “Safety Week.” Throughout this eventful week in June employees demonstrated teamwork, effective communication, and proactive participation.

Safety Week Events included:

Monday – Ergonomics. Focusing on designing and arranging workspaces to optimize efficiency and minimize strain on the body.

Tuesday – Interactive Workshop. Applying safety skills at a mock workstation. 

Wednesday – Slip, Trip, and Fall Incidents. Each site developed an obstacle course where participants identified hazards and prevention ideas. 

Thursday – Hand Safety. Employees were given strategies to prevent injuries. 

Remote employees had several activities as well, including submitting pictures of workstations so that Environmental Health & Safety professionals could provide feedback to improve safety in their work environment. See the graphics and flyers used to engage employees here.

Each site wrapped up the week with a celebration to recognize their hard work and commitment to prioritizing safety and well-being at IDEX Health & Science.

LouwersHanique – Chemical Park

Known for their use of glass or ceramics for innovative solutions, LouwersHanique – part of Muon Group in the Netherlands – successfully implemented a new “chemical park” to enhance safety and efficiency.

Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Coordinator Raphael Schmitz, and Warehouse Manager Nick Los joined forces to raise safety awareness among employees about the need for establishing a new space for the proper handling and disposal of chemical waste.

This HSE project has not only addressed significant structural issues but has also led to a new era of engagement, productivity and environmental responsibility.

IDEX India – World Environment Day & Safety Week

IDEX India celebrated World Environment Day on June 5 with visual displays, quizzes, a day of programming and gifts. Celebrated annually by the United Nations, World Environment Day encourages awareness and action for the protection of the environment.

In addition to in-person programming, the IDEX India team also put together a guide on how to lead an environmentally conscious lifestyle. Check it out here.

Additionally, IDEX India led a Safety Week that included eight separate events that saw nearly 400 total participants.

Viking Pump – Process Improvement

Employees of the pumping solutions giant Viking Pump in Cedar Falls, Iowa (USA), recently identified a problem, proposed a solution and implemented it with the support of their leadership team.

An operator is frequently responsible for emptying

a five-gallon bucket of paint, which can lead to discomfort from having to perform it in a non-ergonomic way.

Operators came together to create a device that mechanically flips the bucket, allowing employees to maximize their time and scrape out the remaining paint at an ergonomic height. 

Fluid Management – Safety Day

In honor of June’s Safety Month, Fluid Management in Wheeling, Illinois (USA), hosted a safety training day to educate, engage, and empower all employees to maintain a safe workplace. The event was made possible by their guest trainers who joined to share their expertise on maintaining safety both at work and at home.

Pulsafeeder – Leader Safety Training

Pulsafeeder’s Next Level Leaders (NLL) attended four sessions of Safety Leadership Training developed and hosted by internal leaders at their site in Punta Gorda, Florida (USA). 

The goal of the experience was to drive behavioral changes and improve the way people managers think of safety at their business and their responsibility to their teams.

Airtech – EHS Program Improvements- Stormwater discharge & Safety Shoes

Based in Rutherford, New Jersey (USA), the pneumatics experts at Airtech are revamping the EHS programs applicable to their site. Among the critical programs developed and released is a new Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program for their site. It includes industry best practices to help ensure that contaminated stormwater does not enter the storm drains and pollute the environment.

Additionally, they have instituted a facility wide Safety Shoe Program which includes an area dedicated to Personal Protective Equipment awareness with a focus on safety shoes.

BAND-IT – Safety Week

Based in Denver, Colorado (USA), Band- IT held its first safety week in over 5 years in April. Activities included hands on fire extinguisher training, a “safety issues” scavenger hunt around the facility and safety trivia to reinforce their learnings.

Research into the viability of carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) in contributing to global climate reduction targets will benefit from a specially modified prover produced by Flow Measurement Devices (FMD), a unit of IDEX based in Phoenix. 

FMD recently developed and produced the prover – a system that provides calibration for flow meters – for TÜV SÜD National Engineering Laboratory, which is building the first UK national standard liquid dense phase CO2 calibration facility in East Kilbride, Glasgow, Scotland. 

While this carbon capture application may be an emerging market, the development of provers capable of measuring at lower temperatures also has applications in the growing market of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG).  

“The TÜV SÜD focus will be on building a facility to run accurate R&D tests with CO2-rich mixtures for flow measurement and sampling systems. This will provide the necessary traceability and research capabilities which will ensure accurate fiscal flow measurement across the CCUS chain,” according to TÜV SÜD. 

Accurate measurement of transported and stored CO2 is key to potential viability of carbon capture. CO2 can be captured from sources like chemical plants or other industrial sources. Properly compressed, CO2 becomes “dense phase,” which demonstrates properties of both a liquid and a gas. Transported by pipeline, ship, rail or truck, it can be used in various applications, or injected into deep geological formations, such as depleted oil and gas reservoirs or saline aquifers. 

The FMD-007 prover features flow rates up to 700 gallons per minute (GPM) and is designed for proving standard liquid dense phase CO2, or calibrating meters under flowing liquid CO2 conditions. CO2 needs to be chilled and/or pressurized to maintain its liquid state. TÜV SÜD will perform meter testing/verifications in a lab that is capable of both high pressure and low temperature CO2 testing. 

FMD-007 

Prover Temperature Range: -50° to 120°F (-45° to 49°C) 

Prover Pressure Rating: 1500# ANSI = 3600PSI (248.2BAR)  

Flow MD engineers and manufacturers technically differentiated “unidirectional captive displacement provers,” also called “small volume provers.” In a market where slight inaccuracies in flow meter measurements at transfer points can result in enormous payment discrepancies for customers, Flow MD’s calibration products serve a critical application. 

With the support of the IDEX Foundation, Hale from IDEX Fire & Safety was empowered to partner with Camp Amigo, a remarkable summer camp designed specifically for children who are burn survivors in the state of Florida.

Like many of our teams across the organization, Hale remains committed to volunteering within their local community and this month they gathered a group of employees to donate supplies, make goody bags and host lunches for the campers for a week of their fun filled summer.

Camp Amigo is vital to the Northern Florida community. They provide healing support, educational resources and various exercises to build resilience. The IDEX Foundation generously donated $7,500.00 to support this organization and the Hale employees in their efforts to coordinate their week-long event.

The Hale team, renowned for specializing in some of the world’s best fire and safety equipment, is dedicated to providing high-quality, comprehensive solutions that solve mission-critical problems, save lives, and make the world a better place.

We are proud to share the success of iPEK at a recent charity run. The business located in Germany was a proud sponsor and participated in the run raising 800 EUR for Herzenswünsche Allgäu e.V. and the children’s hospice St. Nikolaus. Both organizations offer unique youth services that support families during hard times.

The event saw 12 enthusiastic participants from the iPEK team tackling both the 5.5 km and 10 km routes. Several runners achieved impressive results, showcasing not only their physical endurance but also their dedication to supporting causes that make children smile.

The feedback from participants after the charity run has been overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing a strong desire to join events like these again next year. This enthusiasm reflects iPEK’s commitment to making a difference in their local community.

iPEK is one of the leading global players covering a wide product range in the field of sophisticated high-quality pipeline inspection systems.

For the past year, one of the playgrounds at the Rochester Childfirst Network has been closed due damage created during a new roof installation. Kids served by the early education nonprofit will soon be able to swing and climb again thanks to team members at IDEX Health & Science in Rochester, New York.  They recently fixed the damage done by large machinery and mulched the entire area to the proper depth.

The IH&S team has partnered with the Rochester Childfirst Network for the past eight years. The charity focuses on equity in early education. Rochester Childfirst Network believes in the inherent potential of every child, regardless of their background or needs. They promote equitable access to comprehensive services by providing innovative early care and educational programming for young children and their families in a safe, diverse, and nurturing environment.

The charity is located on an oasis of 5 acres in the middle of the city. Many of the children live in apartments without green space and this gem focuses on nature-based play to inspire curiosity and learning.

The Rochester team helps weed, clean, and mulch the playgrounds and outdoor spaces regularly, resulting in a total of 100 hours volunteered this past year. They also focus on reviving the sensory garden located within the school’s inner courtyard. This is a calming space meant to help ground students who may be dealing with sensory overload.

The team at IH&S is continuously grateful to the IDEX Foundation and Rochester Childfirst Network for all that you do to make a difference in everyday lives.

The Community Champions team at Precision Polymer Engineering (PPE) has been hard at work building beehives and planting flowers and vegetables as part of their Community Garden project for 2024.

The beehive installation involved the construction of two hives and the re-location of a bee colony to a new home at their manufacturing facility in Blackburn, England. The wider community garden project required building three raised beds, planting nectar-rich cottage garden flowers and native wildflowers, to ensure their new residents have plenty to keep them occupied! 

There is also the prospect of delicious PPE honey later on in the year, the sale of which will be rolled into supporting their ongoing relationship with Blackburn Foodbank.

“It’s been a fascinating project to be involved with,” said Donna, Marketing Communications Manager and member of the Community Champions team. “I’m pretty sure none of us had any prior experience going into this challenge, but having the opportunity to learn about beekeeping and get stuck into the build process has been fantastic. We can’t wait until our new friends are settled in their new homes, and hope they’re buzzing with excitement at the habitat we’ve all helped to create!”

The creation of this Community Garden is part of a wider initiative across all IDEX Corporation businesses to enrich our local working environments and do what we can to support and improve our local ecosystems. IDEX Health & Science in Rochester, New York, first planted their community garden in 2021 and they are now entering their fourth growing season, with employee volunteers sharing the harvest with their colleagues.

Earlier this year, employees at PPE in Blackburn spent a sunny day vegetable planting and expanding their communal space. So far, they’ve planted peas, potatoes, strawberries, onions, beetroot, radishes and tomatoes. They’ve also added picnic benches and a compost bin on-site. They are now working on adding organic nourishment to their soil. (They are currently in the market for alpaca poop.)

This endeavor comes following the installation of solar panels across the entirety of the facility, cutting PPE’s carbon footprint significantly. Keep a look out on PPE’s LinkedIn page for the latest from all of their Community Champions projects. We hope you feel inspired to initiate your own community garden at your location business.

After three years of determination and innovation, SFC KOENIG China celebrated the launch of their Local Pull Expander Assembly Line in April.

The long-term project demanded testing over 30 different local supplier parts and equipment for quality assurance, producing ten different versions of the assembly line layout. Now, SFC KOENIG China has locally produced a high-quality sealing solution that enhances service and agility for a dynamic Chinese market.

Previously, SFC China had no production line for pull type expanders. They were only produced in United States and Switzerland. By producing the majority of product in their same region, SFC reduces reliance on any single production site while improving the ability to react rapidly to regional volume fluctuations. This strategy also offers an additional layer of risk mitigation from supply interruptions caused by natural disasters or other unforeseen occurrences.

SFC KOENIG & BAND-IT President Anton delivered an opening speech at the facility in Xiang Cheng District, Suzhou, China to mark this exciting moment for all employees. Project leader Juha introduced the new assembly line in detail and led tours for all attendees.

Despite facing various obstacles, such as COVID-19 restrictions, market fluctuations and global logistics interruptions, the production team never gave up and insisted on finding solutions with guidance from leadership.

Today, SFC KOENIG China uses their new assembly line for all production and quality processes. They’ve also passed the first official customer audit with high score and received their first official customer order as well.

Pull type expanders are used in a wide range of industries applications and markets, including fluid power and hydraulic segments, automotive, commercial vehicle and off-road applications.

SFC KOENIG produces engineered, high-performance metal-to-metal sealing and flow control solutions for applications with high quality and performance standards. Their expanders, flow restrictors, check values and other products are used in automotive, aerospace, medical and other applications. 

At IDEX, we’re not just about creating trusted solutions that improve lives. We’re about igniting progress that resonates within our communities, safeguarding the heroes who protect us.

This goal was brought to life last month at FDIC International, one of the largest gatherings for firefighting professionals, held each spring in Indianapolis. There, IDEX Fire & Safety didn’t just participate, we led the charge in Fire and Safety innovation.

On spotlight this year was our SAM™ Integrated Total Water Control System. SAM is an automated flow control system that manages the truck’s pump, tank, intakes and discharges.  With its touch screen display and speed of use, this technology has been setting new benchmarks in firefighting for over half a decade.

At our outside booth, we kicked things off with a live face-off. It was old vs. new – a traditional mechanical truck pitted against one armed with the newer SAM system. It was here that attendees had an eye-opening glimpse into how technology could change their pumping operations.

The crowd was all buzz at the SAM Challenge, and our very own Gurmeet Kharbanda from Corporate IT – Digital Transformation & IoT Enablement (with no firefighting experience) decided to step up to the challenge.

Despite Gurmeet being a newcomer to fire trucks, his attempt operating the old mechanical truck was impressive. But, when he switched to the SAM system, it was like witnessing a revolution in real-time. He began flowing water at 1 minute and 28 seconds—compared to 3 minutes and 25 seconds on the mechanical.

Gurmeet’s trial with the SAM wasn’t just faster. It was a stark revelation. It underscored our promise of efficiency demonstrating how intuitive and impactful our solutions can be, especially when every second counts.

Seeing Gurmeet, with no prior experience in commanding fire trucks, take to the SAM system with such ease was a testament to its user-friendly design. It was so powerful, in fact, that it had Gurmeet joking about a switch in careers!

While the SAM system caught most of the limelight, it wasn’t the lone hero of the show. Every initiative showcased our unwavering commitment to pushing boundaries with tech that’s not just advanced, but also approachable and profoundly effective. The challenge wasn’t just about beating the clock, it was a tribute to our continuous innovations, integrated solutions, and simple design.

IDEX Fire & Safety’s trusted brands in North America include Akron Brass, Hale, and HURST Jaws of Life, all of which serve first responders with equipment for the rescue scene.

The new biopharma grade MP350 Microlyser™ processor from Microfluidics, a unit of IDEX Material Processing Technology (MPT), won the Biotech Innovation Award at the Interphex global pharmaceutical and biotechnology conference in New York City this week. 

The MP350 Microlyser™ processor is designed for production scale cell disruption, which is used in the manufacturing of many biological products such as antigens for vaccines, and viral vectors that deliver genes for next-generation gene therapy. Cell disruption is the process of breaking open (lysing) cells to obtain the intracellular fluid (lysate) and valuable intracellular components. 

Microfluidics’ newest processor was launched in India at the PMEC show in November 2023 and its appearance at the Interphex show was its first outing in the United States. 

According to Interphex, “The Biotech Innovation Award acknowledges an exhibitor’s innovative application to a given product or service that not only addresses an industry need but does so in such a way as to exceed previous standards or applications—thereby making the given process simpler, smoother, or easier to navigate.” 

This new technology was jointly developed by the IDEX MPT teams in both India and Westwood, Massachusetts (USA). The launch is the result of two years of dedication across Microfluidics’ engineering, manufacturing, application, and marketing teams. 

“I’m very proud of the collaboration between our teams,” Microfluidics’ Director of Machines Steve Mesite said. “The final product is extremely well-designed and functions exactly as desired. This innovation offers a great opportunity for Microfluidics because it enables growth into biotech scale up opportunities that we didn’t have in the past.” 

How is Microfluidics’ Solution Different? 

Microfluidics’ Microlyser™ technology is a new hybrid approach to cell disruption, pairing Microfluidics’ proprietary Interaction Chamber™ with a unique sanitary electric pumping system to create an unprecedented production scale solution. 

Their engineering and application experts worked tirelessly for two years to create this revolutionary biopharma technology, which achieves maximum yields, improves product quality, and delivers optimum yields in production scale cell disruption for a wide range of cells.  

“The Microlyser™ project was a great experience as the team from India & U.S. collaborated to develop a technology which fills in a critical customer need. The way the team worked together is a great example of the IDEX Difference in action,” Dhiraj Pandit, Managing Director, MPT Asia, said. 

“I am so proud of this team for their phenomenal work in successfully developing the Microlyser™ technology,” Daljit Singh, Sales Director- Microfluidics said. “The team displayed amazing collaboration and partnership approach in handling project’s complexities with a positive mindset, which was key to success. It was an honor to be part of this great team.” 

Learn more about their innovative solutions at www.microfluidics-mpt.com.