Muncie Power Quarterly

MPQ

MUNCIE POWER QUARTERLY

Elevate Efficiencies

MUNCIE'S 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

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 - ISSUE TWO

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BEST PRACTICE

Customer Service: Beyond the Phone Call

RAY CHAMBERS Chairman, CEO & President

Customer service starts over the phone.

But what differentiates Muncie Power is that it doesn’t end there.

Ray Chambers was named Muncie Power Products President in 2009 and added the titles of Chief Executive Officer

\\\\\\\HOMER DARNELL

and Chairman of the Board in January 2012. He joined Muncie Power Products

Field Technician Manager

in 2004 as Vice President of the Tulsa,

Homer Darnell started working at Muncie Power in 1988 as a bench assembler. He later was promoted to crew leader, moved to the Warranty department, and later to the field service group. Today, he is a Field Technician Manager. Homer is a native of Indiana and loves motorcycles. He is also a race car enthusiast and spent 15 years as a hobbyist stock car competitor.

Oklahoma Division. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Wesleyan University and a Masters degree from Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma. He is a thought leader and visionary within the industry.

At Muncie Power, service starts with a team of customer service specialists.

By now, your strategy for the year is in full swing. You are most likely busy implementing several related initiatives to support this strategy. Here are a few things I am trying to stay focused on at this point in the year:

More than ever, now is the time of year you have to remind those around you to keep their eye on the target.

We often get so consumed by daily issues and need to be reminded of the direction we are headed. We also need to keep in mind what we decided to do last year to achieve our strategic goals. Keep the big picture in mind to provide hope and direction, and don’t be consumed by the daily demands.

2. Mitigate stress for yourself and others

If you have planned and executed well, you’re really busy right now with a growing business. But growth breeds stress. A good environment means your people will be more effective. Stay close and supportive of one another during these times. Stress is going to be present when you are really busy – and by the way, that is when errors and problems often occur. A good work environment drives process improvement and problem prevention.

Remember, the best TEAM wins.

3. You have a lot going on

Don’t let the customer get lost while you are focused on your individual initiatives. Disruption can be part of major initiatives but we should minimize the effect on the customer.

4. It’s not too soon to begin thinking about building on your current strategy

Give yourself time to analyze the elements of your current strategy and measure the results. Don’t wait too long to begin discussions about growth opportunities for next year. Time goes by quickly.

5. Work / life balance is important

Be very intentional about spending time with your family and being a part of their lives. Let’s face it, they really are more important than our work. Remind them of that by your actions. Also, don’t let your busyness cause you to neglect giving back to your industry and community.

There’s no better opportunity to be generous with your time and resources.

Field calls vary by season. Winter means more field visits. Typically, we’re on the road 70 percent of the time through the winter months and about 40 percent of the time in the summer. We also do diagnostics and remote repairs from the office when we can.

The key to an effective field service strategy is understanding all the equipment and how the components work. We make a point of being familiar with the new products being sold and the all operational aspects of them.

Five Tips to Managing Success and Growth 1. Verbally reinforce your strategy

With hundreds of products in our portfolio, we know there will be times when nothing replaces human intervention and that’s why we staff our field service department like we do. When a problem cannot be solved over the phone, we go directly to the customer.

A call goes first to a customer service manager. If it cannot be resolved at that stage, it is elevated to a product specialist. If the issue still cannot be fixed, the problem is elevated to the field service department.

What’s key is that we have multiple people involved all along the way who are well qualified to solve any customer service issue. Our goal is to resolve any issues quickly and efficiently.

Muncie Power has thousands of purchase points throughout the year.

Less than one percent of our actual material sold is deficient in any way. The number of field service calls actually represents a very small percentage considering the volume of materials going out the door each day.

And, no customer is too small.

We don’t limit our field calls to large customers. We will go see an end user at “Bob’s Garage” in Toledo, Ohio, if he needs us, too.

COMMON T Y P E S OF F IE L D C AL L S Noise:

Usually, noise issues come from a service truck that is equipped with a power take-off. It may be a noise that the operator is not used to hearing.

Normally, it’s caused by a gear backlash or the PTO is mounted too tightly to the system. Typically with these types of calls, it’s something that the customer has not dealt with in the past.

Lack of performance:

Usually, these complaints mean a particular component is not meeting specifications of the truck manufacturer. It may be something on the pump side with the hydraulic flow system or there isn’t sufficient pressure to get the job done. Again, we can step in, diagnose the issue and solve the problem while teaching them how to troubleshoot the system as well.

Heat issues:

Heat issues are normally caused by the design of the chassis. It could be a variety of things ranging from an incorrect size for a hose or pump, a design error or the fact that the components are undersized. We’ll hook up a flow meter and use our pressure and vacuum gauges to compare the components to the specs that the design engineers recommend.

Wiring issues:

Wiring problems generally come down to the customer not being familiar with the truck or PTO or they could be installing it for the first time. If there’s a problem, it’s generally because they are not familiar with something that has been modified or improved.

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Elevating Efficiencies with Muncie’s Trunnion Cylinders \\\\\\\NICK SCHMIDT

Assistant to Product Manager

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Purdue University Latest Project: Trunnion cylinder design Trademark: Home schooled, quick study, and loves finding the solution to puzzling problems.

A new trunnion mount cylinder is available from Muncie Power Products that is more compact, faster, and stronger than the ones currently on the market. This unit does not require as large of a dog-house and, in some cases, does not require one at all, which gives the truck more room for hauling.

It’s also a nice complement to the pinpin cylinder that was introduced this time last year, said Nick Schmidt, an assistant to the product manager at Muncie Power.

The single-acting telescopic cylinders provide performance and value through advanced machining and the use of proprietary seals to deliver extended life without the need for adjustment.

The cylinders have been engineered with machined hard stops to guarantee reliable stopping at the end of every stroke. The bore size of the final stage is larger but the average displacement of the stages has been reduced. This allows Muncie cylinders to require less oil than those of its class which ultimately leads to faster cycle times and the ability to lift more with the final stage using the same amount of pressure.

The trunnion mount, however, offers specific advantages.

“This design is very different from the standard telescopic cylinder,” Schmidt said. “First, you’ll notice that it does not mount the same as the typical pin-pin cylinder, but the trunnion cylinder still offers many of the same features as the pin-pin design.”

Muncie’s stages are one solid piece of steel that’s made with molten steel and a form. The process eliminates the weld seam used in common tube construction, thereby making it more durable.

The machining process has specific advantages so that Muncie can decrease the overall package size

without compromising the structural performance of the unit.

The stages of the cylinder are machined externally and internally. This allows for solid stops, which are an integral part of the stage. You can expect a long performance life of the seals due to this close tolerance, and the fact that the stages are precision ground for smoothness.

The combination of the close tolerance from the machining, the solid stops, and the amount of overlap of the stages make for a rigid cylinder and a more stable design than you will find anywhere else.

“Our design starts as slightly smaller in diameter for the first couple of stages,” explains Schmidt. “When you get to the final stage, it’s just as big, if not bigger, than other designs. If material is stuck in the bed, you want your cylinder to have enough capability to lift and release the load. Ours does.”

Once we’ve done all that, the outer cover is attached which gives the trunnion mount one of its distinguishing features.”

Muncie offers 21 different pin-pin cylinders and 14 trunnion mount models. The newest trunnion design allows for more cubic feet of material in the truck. The housing that covers the cylinder adds another level of protection, extending the life of the cylinder and aiding in wiper and seal performance.

Schmidt points out that at Muncie, the manufacturing philosophy relies on a simple premise: fewer components mean fewer opportunities for something to fail.

“If I was to disassemble a cylinder, our competitors’ use more components per stage than what we do,” Schmidt said. “We keep the customer in mind each step in the process,” Schmidt said. “All of us think about the operator in the field and what they go through to make their business work. We want to keep them working and that means keeping our components working efficiently and for as long as possible.”

THE CYLINDER Industry standard trunnion mounts

Protective cap* Lower bearing supports Machined solid stops*

Precision machined and ground stages Protective cover

Guide with rattle buffer

Upper bearing supports High pressure seal

Machined solid stops* Wiper

Speed matters, too.

“Since our overall package is smaller, it actually makes our cylinder operate more quickly, which makes the stroke go faster than our competitors,” he said.

“For some businesses that makes a big difference. It boils down to runs per day that can make them more efficient with their time.”

The 25-year-old design has been used extensively in Europe by several companies within the Interpump Group, and has been modified by Muncie to better suit the needs of the American market.

“It’s a blend of the European and American designs,” Schmidt said. “Our cylinders are built somewhat differently.

Because of the way the stops are machined in, we have to assemble the stages from the bottom,” explained Schmidt. “We start with the housing, slide in the next tube, then the next.

Final stage chromed

* Feature not available on 3.5 and 4.5 series cylinders

OVERVIEW Muncie Trunnion Mount cylinders not only offer the mounting style that allows for increased capacity in the dump body by allowing for significant reduction or elimination of the dog house but also many other features.

With the strict machining tolerances, solid stop contact faces* and larger overlap between stages the Muncie cylinders are one of the strongest and most stable cylinders on the market. * Feature only available on 5.5 - 7.5 series cylinders

FEATURES & BENEFITS Self-bleeding design Increased stage overlap for stability and support

CYLINDER SPECS Weight

161 - 667 lbs

Max. Pressure

3.5 - 4.5 Series - 3,200 PSI 5.5 - 7.5 Series - 2,900 PSI

Requires less oil than competition Chrome plated final stage Double lip polyurethane wiper Two-year warranty

Stroke Brochure: MP14-01

90 - 194 in

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GET TO KNOW US

Technology Solutions Group: Innovative Systems What are the primary goals of the Technology Solutions Group?

\\\\\\\TERRY CRAGO

Technology Solutions Group Manager

Terry Crago is one of the veteran employees. A 35-year career at Muncie Power has led Terry to his latest post as Technology Solutions Group Manager, a role he took on seven years ago when the group was created. He holds an associate’s degree in engineering from Purdue University. He and his wife are empty nesters.

We create turnkey packages for customers. Muncie Power Products and its parent company, the Interpump Group, manufacture an array of components like pumps, cylinders, valves and power take-offs. My group integrates these components into entire systems, assembled and ready to use.

What is an example of a high-demand product?

Our main focus since we started is snow and ice control systems. It’s a complete hydraulic package that operates the plow, dump body, spreader and liquid systems on these trucks. These systems serve municipalities, counties and states across the country. Essentially, we are applying technologies through artificially intelligent controls to improve the operational efficiency, effectiveness and safety of various work truck applications.

Where do you recruit staff?

The group was formed from existing employees with a college degree in a technical background. When possible, we like to bring in college interns. It gives them an opportunity to gain experience in a real-world environment and learn the skills needed to solve customers’ issues.

We really take pride in being able to help grow and develop the next generation of our industry.

How has technology been incorporated into your products?

What differentiates the Technology Solutions Group from the rest of the company is that we’re heavily laden in controls. We design control systems that add a level of artificial intelligence to the overall work truck application. It helps to improve the efficiency of the equipment and the safety of the operator.

Empowering Our Employees It was sheer determination that landed Rex Millspaugh one of the best jobs in town back in 1985.

What has been your biggest product launch so far?

The Advantage Plus system is our most recent product launch as well as our most revolutionary product. It’s a high-tech hydraulic system for snow and ice trucks.

One of its unique features is a telematic system, called Real Time Support Link, which allows the end user to connect his system via the internet to Muncie Power.

This access allows us to interrogate the system. We get displays at our Muncie office showing us all the electrical activity of the system. It even transmits hydraulic pressures. In essence, it gives us almost all of the diagnostic tools that we would otherwise carry to the field.

Why is remote access important?

The big advantage for the customer is that there is no delay in getting help from us. If a truck is in New York and the client can immediately connect to us, we have a very good shot of diagnosing the problem within minutes.

How do you measure the success of your team?

Customer satisfaction is the top priority.

Muncie Power employs a system called Service Tracker. The engineers and technicians in our group input virtually every customer-driven problem that we hear about. This allows us to look for frequency of issues, repetition, cause and effect, and resolution. It lets us know if we need to address areas of design, installation or training. It also tracks whether we have to send a team into the field to resolve the problem or whether it was something that could be handled on the phone. We use all of this data to give the customer a better overall experience.

\\\\\\\REX MILLSPAUGH

Warehouse Operations Manager

Rex Millspaugh is Warehouse Operations Manager for Muncie Power Products, a position he has held for 18 of the 28 years he’s been with the company. Like so many with Muncie Power, Rex started in shipping and receiving.

He then moved to customer service and eventually to the Assistant Warehouse Manager position, which led to his present role. Rex is an avid hunter and amateur athlete. He and his wife, Jana, have two grown children.

“I had been calling for a while asking if there were any openings. I just kept calling. Then when I got the call back, I had actually made plans for Spring Break so I asked if I could start the following week,” recalled Millspaugh. “I started to sweat about that but was told everything was ok.”

“I was 19 when I got the call and I turned 20 over that Spring Break,” said Millspaugh, now 49. “I feel like I was raised here...in this shop, in this environment.”

Millspaugh’s early training and mentoring by people, like founder Hamer Shafer, set the stage for his successful leadership.

“Something Mr. Shafer started has really stayed with me. He had red stickers made that said ‘Your order shipped same day received,’ and we put them on the packing slip. For him, it was all about the customer, quality and presentation. If the label was not on the product correctly, believe me, there was a meeting. The customer-driven focus was instilled in my thinking from Day One. I try to convey that same philosophy throughout our current shop.”

Today, about 85 percent of all orders from Muncie Power are shipped same day or next day.

Employees at Muncie’s 45,000 sq. ft. Pershing Street plant love to be challenged and continually set new monthly records for the amount of product shipped.

Muncie Power’s shipping facility is grounded in 129 years of combined experience among the seven employees in the general assembly area. “We are blessed with such good, experienced people,” Millspaugh said, adding that there are many excellent newer employees as well.

This shipping facility sends product directly to customers but also is the supply line to distribution centers around the country. At one time, inventory was not nearly as controlled as it is today.

Technology and experience changed the way Muncie tracks inventory.

“We don’t like guessing at anything,” Millspaugh said.

“Our shipping department fills up with product and by 6 o’clock every day, it’s empty again. We work at a fast pace to turnaround orders and meet or exceed our customers’ expectations.”

But don’t think for a minute that work at Muncie Power is limited to terms like pace, turnaround or customer demands.

Muncie employees also are encouraged to take care of themselves and they are given the tools to do so.

Millspaugh is an avid pick-up basketball player, joining his 24-year-old son at least a couple nights a week for league play. But he’s not the only one. Several in the shop join him on the hardwood or take advantage of a community running trail near the plant.

“The company has brought an awareness of wellness and this shop has embraced it,” Millspaugh said. “We’ve had some guys make some amazing transformations such as weight loss, quitting smoking, and one guy who never did anything active at age 50 started strength training.”

A group runs daily, despite this year’s harsh winter.

“Muncie Power Products has bred that kind of determination and drive,” said Millspaugh, who is a runner himself. “The wellness. The empowerment. It’s part of what makes us better at work.”

Member of the Interpump Group Š Muncie Power Products 2014 Issue 2