Elevate Efficiencies
MPQ EX Drive Means Longer Life
MUNCIE POWER QUARTERLY
MUNCIE'S JOHN RINKENBAUGH INTRODUCES MUNCIE’S NEW SHAFT EXTENSION ALSO INSIDE: CEO’S CORNER:
FIVE WAYS TO LIVE YOUR VALUE & BRAND PROMISE
BEST PRACTICE:
NEW TRUNNION CYLINDERS
“ALL OF US THINK ABOUT THAT OPERATOR IN THE FIELD AND WHAT HE GOES THROUGH TO MAKE HIS BUSINESS WORK."
– NICK SCHMIDT
ASSISTANT TO PRODUCT MANAGER
THREE KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL TRADE SHOW
MANAGER Q&A: ESTABLISHING A NEW LOCATION
GET TO KNOW US: THE VALUE OF TEAM AND FAMILY
ALSO INSIDE: GET TO KNOW US: EMPOWERING OUR EMPLOYEES
MANAGER Q&A:
TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS GROUP: INNOVATIVE SYSTEMS
BEST PRACTICE:
CUSTOMER SERVICE: BEYOND THE PHONE CALL
CEO’S CORNER:
FIVE TIPS TO MANAGING SUCCESS AND GROWTH
2014 2015- -ISSUE ISSUE TWO ONE
\\\\\\\\CEO’S CORNER RAY CHAMBERS Chairman, CEO & President Ray Chambers was named Muncie Power Products President in 2009 and added the titles of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board in January 2012. He joined Muncie Power Products in 2004 as Vice President of the Tulsa, Oklahoma Division. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Wesleyan University and a Masters degree from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma. He is a thought leader and visionary within the industry.
Five Ways to Live Your Value & Brand Promise 1. Value provides true focus
3. Be choosy about with whom you align
2. Fund the promise
4. Beware of philosophy drift
Only our customers define value. However, not all customers may fit your company. Knowing who you are and what your real value proposition is should focus your entire organization on delivering on your brand promise.
By now you are most likely past your budgeting process but it never hurts to look back and ask yourself if you are appropriately funding your brand promise. If not, you are more likely going to fail to deliver or, even worse, drift from your value proposition. Straying from your value proposition can be detrimental to your brand promise, leading to the acceptance of customers who seek only price reductions or the election of suppliers who operate on price alone. Suppliers such as these cannot deliver on supplying quality nor reliable goods and services.
Choose carefully who you align your brand with in the marketplace. If you don’t choose correctly, by default, your customers / suppliers can brand your company for you and that is never good.
It’s all too easy to chase a big order and fast profits with a potential customer that will denigrate your company brand in the long haul. Stay true to your philosophy and your customers will stay true to you. 5. Bake it in
Constantly and consistently remind each other of what got your company where it is today and what you stand for. Bake it into every departmental document and every brand effort you make whether internal or external. Most importantly, live out your brand promise every day. Everyone is watching, and that is the best teacher of all.
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BEST PRACTICE
Three Keys to a Successful Trade Show Muncie Power Products participates in up to 20 trade shows each year, so it’s no surprise that the team putting them together has it down to a science. George Halleck and Nancy Ettel offer their expertise from 28 years combined experience on what it takes to make a trade show successful.
\\\\\\\GEORGE HALLECK Vice President - International Marketing Manager
\\\\\\\NANCY ETTEL Exhibition Coordinator
Details, details, details The centerpiece of any trade show appearance is the display booth. But before the booth can be set up at the exhibit site, there is much to be done. Booth space must be reserved, electrical and internet services ordered. There are also show credentials, lead retrieval services, freight logistics, furniture, carpet, drayage and cleaning services that need to be ordered. The longer you wait to order any of these, the greater the costs. But perhaps one of the biggest challenges is scheduling hotel rooms and coordinating travel, Nancy notes. Some hotels are booked two years in advance. But even an early reservation cannot save you from the occasional complication. “One year we had reservations and a month before the show, we found out the hotel would be closing. We eventually found rooms, but it wasn’t easy.” It is also critical to coordinate with the booth staff regarding new booth features, products displayed, lead retrieval systems, Internet access
and any additional materials that will be used. During the show, Muncie Power’s marketing staff remain in the booth to assist customers, directing them to appropriate products or display features that meet their specific needs. Muncie Power often sponsors trade shows, which comes with a host of other requirements and deadlines. There are ads in trade publications to be placed, logos and information about the company to submit. Be flexible Muncie Power’s new booth can be adjusted to fit several booth sizes from 200 to 2,000 square feet. Being adaptable is key, George says. For each show, he has to determine what products we are going to display. “We pick and choose from about 70,” he says, “gearing the products toward the type of show it is.” Transportation of display products has been made easier with the help of an in-house 3D printer. Display pieces produced with the printer now weigh a fraction of the actual products and they look “just like the real deal.” Be there We attend each trade show from the first day of set up (it takes about three days to set up the booth) until the last crate is packed. “It’s important to be there so that if a problem arises, it can be taken care of immediately,” said George. He recalled a show when upon arrival, they were told that Muncie Power would be a part of several other corporate displays. That meant more materials needed to be created and printed…fast. “I was on a first-name basis with everyone at Kinko’s,” George said with a laugh.
EX DRIVE MEANS LONGER LIFE A recent design change in Muncie Power Products’ PTO shaft extensions and associated 10-bolt PTOs utilizes the latest technology to strengthen one of the company’s top performers.
\\\\\\\JOHN RINKENBAUGH Director of Engineering
“The current EX Drive should have an infinite life,” said John Rinkenbaugh, Director of Engineering. “Customers expect the PTO to be an extension of the transmission. The technology exists for transmissions to exist for around 10 years and customers shouldn’t have to replace the parts.” The latest PTO shaft extensions
MORE ABOUT JOHN... With a background in the trucking and heavy equipment industries,
Power Products when he joined the team in Tulsa as Director of Engineering more than six years ago. He has bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University. Rinkenbaugh, who has worked for John Deere Coffeyville Works, Rockwell Automotive and Funk Manufacturing, grew up working on cars, and he said he knew that he wanted to be a transmission engineer from the time he was in the 7th grade.
The shaft extensions are available for both clutch-shift and constantdrive PTOs. In addition to benefitting Muncie Power’s customers, the redesign has improved manufacturing efficiency.
“The most exciting part of the job is developing a new product and proving that it is so much better than the last one.” - John Rinkenbaugh
John Rinkenbaugh brought years of technical experience to Muncie
equipment, dump bodies and ice and snow control vehicles, provides the means to direct mount large hydraulic pumps using one of the company’s PTOs. When envelope space around the PTO aperture is limited, the new EX Drive moves the pump-mounting flange to the back of the transmission for easy installation.
feature a wet-spline design, which enhances the spline durability for a longer life. The wet-spline application minimizes the wear often encountered with continuously powered applications. The reconfigured drive is less complex and stronger, which will improve its reliability for the consumer. “The housing system was cast aluminum on the old model. The new one is steel,” Rinkenbaugh said. The new product, which has practical applications for refuse trucks, utility
“The old one was limited in life and difficult to manufacture, which made it more costly,” Rinkenbaugh said. The design change means easier factory assembly and quicker shipping and delivery. Rinkenbaugh credits the changes to Muncie Power’s investment in technology. “The design tools are much more sophisticated now. Things can be determined more accurately and it’s easier to predict safety factors,” he said. “The design tools are more accurate, which means manufacturing is more accurate.“
EX DRIVE SHAFT EXTENSION Patent pending bracket design allows for axial movement of EX Drive due to thermal expansion.
Center of gravity is toward the PTO reducing overhung loads on the transmission. Rotatable mounting flange rated for direct mount pumps weighing up to 110 lbs.
The company’s reputation for quality and commitment to technology has enabled Rinkenbaugh to attract some of the industry’s most promising young engineers. “I’m looking for people with mechanical intuition who want to do design and engineering, not people who are looking for an alternative to being a math teacher,” he said. The company’s investment in updating hardware and software makes the job environment more attractive, but Rinkenbaugh seeks new hires that have a real passion for the industry itself.
“We want people to come to work because of the work itself,” he said. For Rinkenbaugh, the success of the PTO shaft extension redesign is proof that the company’s investment in technology and a top-notch engineering staff has been valuable. “The most exciting part of the job is developing a new product and proving that it is so much better than the last one,” he said.
KEY BENEFITS OF EX DRIVE SHAFT EXTENSIONS Fits the popular Allison 3000 and 4000 series transmissions.
Direct mounts large gear or piston pumps and replaces driveline, which cuts installation time.
Replaces frontengine drives, eliminating the cost of front mounting.
Improves performance because the pump is closer to the oil supply.
Places the pump under the truck, which is safer.
Has four output options for popular pump models (S.A.E. B, BB, C and DIN 5462).
\\\\\\\\MANAGER Q&A
Establishing a New Location Matt Strahan oversees the daily operations of the company’s 12,000-square-foot facility in Visalia, California. Making the cross-country move was a big decision for Matt and his wife, Leilani. But he said they both decided the region would offer great opportunities — including access to mountains and the ocean — for their young son, Elijah.
\\\\\\\MATT STRAHAN Warehouse Manager
After working for Muncie Power Products for 10 years, Matt Strahan recently made a big leap from his home state of Indiana to California to become warehouse manager of the new Muncie Power plant in Visalia in the heart of San Joaquin Valley.
How does the Visalia site fit into the Muncie Power’s structure? The plant is our largest outside division except for Muncie and Tulsa. It’s a distribution warehouse and we are here to support our customers. Although I am mainly focused on the West Coast, I am also the last stop for the company’s customers. I serve clear to the East Coast at night. A guy can call me when the Midwest offices are closed, and I can still get the product out the same day because of the time difference. When the sales floor closes in Muncie, that’s when things pick up here. What was the most rewarding part of establishing the new location? I started setting up the warehouse from day one. It’s really my baby. From the ground running, we got to implement our “Lean” philosophy. I was able to set up the exact vision I had without any obstacles. It was a blessing to get to set up everything the way I wanted things, instead of having to change things already in place. I have grown up with the company and I wanted the site to reflect the things I have learned and loved. Is being so geographically far away from the crew in Indiana a challenge? It really has not been difficult because I have a really strong supporting cast from the Muncie Power team. Any time I ever have a question, they are just a phone call away. Everyone’s willing to help me. That supporting cast and team has made it an easy warehouse to open and run. I have never been treated like I am bothering anyone. I could list a thousand names of people to thank.
As a manager in a new location, how do you impart the company’s mission to new employees? I have one employee and we are a real team. He says every day that he has never worked for a company like this. It is easy going, but we also want to educate our people. We are a company that focuses on teamwork. We are not coming at each other and competing with each other. It’s all about what can I do to help you serve the customer. You never have to be afraid to ask questions. I still learn new things about our product line and it is important to continue to learn, take notes and figure things out. How has business been at the Visalia site since it opened in April 2014? We have exceeded our initial projections and that’s a nice feeling. In fact, we have managed to go beyond our initial goal the very first month and we have increased every month since. Was the move from Indiana to California a culture shock? I grew up on a family farm. I’m not really a big city person. But we are not in Los Angeles or some place like that. It’s basically a rural area about three hours north of L.A. It’s a nice little town, just a little bigger than Muncie. The mountains are 1-1/2 hours away, and you can go to the beach in about three hours.
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get to know us
BEN GILLUM Product & Applications Specialist A Muncie Power Products team member since 2007, Ben Gillum recently began training as a product and applications specialist. Gillum started out with the company as a shipping and receiving clerk and has worked in the CS assembly cell and as a customer service manager. A native of the Muncie area, Ben and his wife, Pamela have two sons, Christian, 13, and Sebastian, 7.
The Value of Team and Family Whether he is coaching Little League or learning the ropes of his new position, Ben Gillum is committed to the team.
you have to know how the products work and how to fix them, in addition to understanding sales,” he said.
Since he first stepped though the doors at Muncie Power Products seven years ago, Gillum has been a strong contributor to both the company’s customers and his fellow employees.
Gillum credits the culture at Muncie Power with keeping its employees educated on current products and new developments.
“I knew when I applied at Muncie Power that I was looking for a place where I could spend the rest of my career,” he said. Gillum first heard about Muncie Power through his mother, Julie Hatfield, who works in the company’s payroll department. “She had been here for a couple of years, and she told me I would really like this place and I should try to get it. I had worked all kinds of retail before I landed here. I was about to start a family and I wanted more stability and good benefits,” he said. Once he came on board, he learned the company had more to offer than financial stability. “We truly are like a family here. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s true. You come in every day and everybody wants to know how you are doing. We all have to be in tune with each other to do our jobs, especially in customer service,” he said. In his most recent position, a job he is taking over from Pat Goul upon his retirement, Gillum will serve as a liaison between the customer service and engineering departments. “All the customer service people need to be able to talk about our products and troubleshoot. Like the engineers,
“Continuing education is crucial, which is why I think my job is important. There is a lot of new product development that goes on, and not just with our products. Every little change that goes on with trucks that use our products, someone has to know about. There are always questions,” he said. Gillum appreciates the corporate initiative to keep employees up to date on the latest developments in the industry. “Our training is excellent. It’s not unusual for the customer service team to come in early and have an engineer really explain a new product and answer questions,” he said. “The best part is that everybody is comfortable enough to ask questions, and everybody is committed enough to help other people understand.” When Gillum isn’t working or helping his children with their sports endeavors, he still manages to find time every now and then for one of his first loves — music. “We are currently looking at more land and a bigger house. One advantage would be that I haven’t had my drums set up in my house in three years. They currently are set up in my father-in-law’s garage,” he said. He is proud that his oldest son is learning to play the bass guitar and his youngest is interested in the drums. “I’m ready to start the family band,” Gillum jokingly added.
Member of the Interpump Group Š Muncie Power Products 2015 Issue 1