Tough OE quality control standards ensure top-performing fuel pumps
Demonstrating its commitment to providing “unmatched customer support,” Airtex Fuel Delivery Systems reports that installers and retailers would be amazed if they viewed the plant’s entire production cycle from start to finish.
“I think it is important for a visitor to see the complete process of manufacturing a fuel pump to shipping it out the door in order to fully understand the time and dedication that is built into each pump to assure the end user receives a top quality Airtex fuel pump,” says customer support supervisor Kelly Slover, who oversees orders coming in via phone, fax and EDI.
She also processes return requests and works closely with the customers and sales force to provide information to help their businesses run smoothly.
When giving advice to new staff members coming on board, Slover encourages them to “always be respectful to the customer as well as your fellow employees. There is always room for improvement. Take your time and strive to do your best.”
Slover has been with the company for more than 17 years, inspired by her mother who worked in the sales department for 27 years.
Eighteen-year veteran Ralph Barbre is a third-generation Airtex employee; His father was a tool and die maker, and his grandfather also worked there.
Serving as the company’s test equipment coordinator, Barbre’s responsibilities include designing, building and maintaining the testing equipment to ensure that each fuel pump meets and surpasses OE standards for fit, form and function.
Each unit must pass strict testing specifications and multiple quality checks before it is packaged and shipped, he points out. Servo cylinders and vision systems are among the elements being utilized.
“I’m proud of all the different tests we design and build,” says Barbre. “Each presents its own challenges, and there is no better feeling than to walk by the production lines and see the testers – which just weeks before were a pile of parts on my bench.”
Barbre urges new hires to heed the knowledge imparted by their colleagues. “There are a lot of experienced people that work here. Listen to them and you will learn a lot,” he says.
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