Manufacturer of Vacuum Pumps

Background
 The firm is a manufacturer of industrial grade vacuum pumps, located in Brooklyn, NY. In recent years, foreign manufacturers have become major competitors in the firm's markets, and in some instances, have gained disproportionate shares of the market segment. Basic reasons for the wide acceptance of imported vacuum pumps include a smaller physical size and lower price with higher speed designs.

Assistance Provided
The NYS TAAC completed a diagnostic review for the firm that concluded the danger from imports was indeed real and becoming more intense. An adjustment proposal was developed to address areas of weakness for the firm in competing with foreign manufacturers.

New product development was the strategy chosen to help the firm recover from the adverse effects of lost market share. A scope of work was developed to assist the firm in the development of a new state-of-the-art vacuum pump line. The project addressed all issues from preliminary engineering specifications - through prototypes and debugging - up to and including a supplier list for required parts.  A qualified industrial engineering consultant was selected and the project proceeded smoothly.

Project Results
The firm has successfully fabricated and tested  the new vacuum pump. The new pump has all the advantages of the imports, smaller in size and with higher speeds, but adds designed in durability which is lacking in most imported products. This new pump will allow the firm to again compete in market segments that were previously lost.