Innovation is the Core: Husky Corporation

The Husky Corporation family of companies sets the standard for petroleum dispensing and automotive customers with the highest quality products made right here in the U.S.A. The company has developed a new video that shows what really makes Husky "A Breed Apart".

"Innovation is the core. It's what started us. It's what keeps us going today," said Husky President G.G. Sutcliffe.

The video provides an inside look at the company's product line and what makes Husky stand out from the competition. The company focuses on hanging hardware for the petroleum dispensing industry, where it holds 50 percent of the new nozzle market. Husky diversified into related transportation industries in recent years, which has permitted growth and expansion.

"What sets us apart is we remained an American manufacturer. We do all of our design work, customer service and manufacturing out of this facility in Pacific, Missouri," Suttcliffe said. "We are truly a state of the art manufacturer."

Husky has 170 employees and sells its more than 2,000 products in 63 countries.  The video includes a look inside the facility and a discussion of five pillars on which the company is built:  Safety, Quality, Customer Loyalty, Team-building, and Productivity. Learn more at www.husky.com.

In a Word: Husky!

Husky Corporation invited sales representatives to its Pacific, MO headquarters recently for a series of one-on-one sessions about the company's product line and what differentiates those products from others on the market. There were four, two-day sessions held over two weeks for reps from all Husky's brands who sell on behalf of the company. Husky is actually a family of companies that serves customers in the petroleum dispensing and automotive service industries.

The Husky Sales Summit agenda featured peer-driven interactive sessions that included product sales training, new product pipeline/updates, Quality tools discussions, Engineering, collaborative new idea generation and tours of the company's U.S. based manufacturing operations. The sessions were attended by nearly 100 people who take the word about the company's product line straight to customers themselves. There is a 'photo gallery' of more pictures on the Husky Corporation Facebook page if you want to check it out.

We also took the opportunity to ask for a quick comment from each of the reps that sums up what Husky Corporation means to them. And when we had finished, we were amazed at the variety of answers. Here's a sample.

Thanks so much to all the distributors and reps for not only stepping in front of a camera to offer their thoughts, but also for taking their extremely valuable time to visit Husky and see first-hand what inspired those comments in the first place! Husky wouldn't be where it is today without the support of our partners, employees and customers!

Husky was founded in 1947 with headquarters and production facilities in the metro St. Louis area at Pacific, Missouri. The company offers General Fueling Products including a complete line of dispensing nozzles, swivels, Safe-T-Breaks®, hoses and related accessories for fuel delivery systems. Husky Corporation operating divisions include BJE Oil and Lube products, Hewitt Aviation Fueling Products, S.U.R.&R. fluid line repair solutions, and Oil Baron Oil and Grease Stain Remover. Additionally, the company offers Benecor DEF Dispensing and Storage systems, Enevo Logistics Optimization systems and Roman Seliger Liquid Loading Arms.

Husky Corporation in the News: St. Louis Business Journal

A company that started in a basement in 1947 has achieved another milestone. Husky Corporation, which manufactures fuel nozzles and other equipment related to the petroleum industry, has reached $50 million in annual sales. The St. Louis Business Journal story about this item is available at this link - which will require a subscription to view in its entirety.

https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2018/11/29/st-louis-nozzle-company-hits-50-million-in-sales.html

Company president Grenville Sutcliffe told reporter Greg Edwards revenue had increased from about $40 million two years ago. When he joined the company in 1971, revenue totaled $375,000.

Edwards wrote this passage in the article: Husky, founded in 1947 by Sutcliffe’s parents, provides the nozzles and parts to most of the companies that own gas stations in St. Louis, and provides them worldwide to meet the specifications required in each country. “Any place in the world that has cars needs our products,” Sutcliffe said. The company ships about 2 million parts a year, he said.

The revenue information was part of an in-depth interview for an upcoming 'St. Louis Character' feature on Mr. Sutcliffe in the St. Louis Business Journal. Sutcliffe recalled in another recent interview some of his recollections about how the company started by his parents really got rolling.

Husky has 170 employees and manufacturing space of 84,000 square feet in Pacific, Missouri.

What's a Tilt Poppet? The Ultimate in Precision Fueling!

We've all been there: Filling up the gas tank while desperately trying to get the pump to stop at precisely $10.00, because that is literally all you have in your pocket to pay for the fuel! If feels like a small victory if you are able to manipulate the handle so the flow stops exactly on the number. And it feels like a small failure when you go over!

The poppet valve assembly and the lever work together to control the flow of fuel through the nozzle. Traditional designs made it difficult to stop the flow of fuel with precision.

“The previous poppet skirt operated by opening or closing the entire poppet valve seal at the same time. That situation made it difficult to start and stop fueling at the desired level,” said Husky Engineering Manager Zach Holcomb.

So Husky Engineers focused on re-designing the poppet skirt, and came up with an innovation called the Tilt Poppet; a poppet skirt that is angled on one surface. The effect of this modification is that when the fuel lever is engaged, one side of the poppet valve seal moves before the other. Fuel therefore flows through the nozzle in a much more measured way; fueling can be started and stopped very smoothly for precise manual dispensing. A slimmed-down poppet skirt design also reduces the amount of back-pressure experienced when starting and stopping the fueling process.

“Having the angled poppet skirt allows the flow to ease through on one side of the poppet valve and dispense to the penny much more easily,” Holcomb said.

This short video shows how it works.

“We know that many customers want to spend an exact amount when fueling their vehicles. There are also applications around the world where full-service fuel attendants must put only the exact amount of fuel requested into customer tanks. The Tilt Poppet is ideal for those situations,” said Husky Corporation Executive Vice President Brad Baker. “We think the Tilt Poppet will make the fueling experience more pleasant for everyone thanks to its smooth and easy operation.”

The Husky Tilt Poppet will be an included feature of all the company’s fuel nozzle designs. Contact Husky at 800-325-3558 to learn more.

New Manual Aviation Nozzle with Quick-Disconnect Option

The new Falcon line of manual nozzles, available from Hewitt, is specifically designed for business and private over-the-wing aviation fueling. Falcon comes with two spout-designs. One option features screw-in spouts. The other option features quick-disconnect spouts for easy checking of the 100-mesh filter or for applications where one must change from the duck bill spout to a round spout as is the case for helicopter fueling.

The latter option is unique to the Falcon when compared to other aviation nozzles in this category. When comparing nozzles, we believe the Falcon is a reasonably priced alternative to others you may have utilized, but one which features a tried and true Husky Corporation design.

For Jet applications, the Falcon comes with black anodized body and black hand guard wing protection. For Avfuel, the unit comes with a red anodized body and red hand guard wing protection. Every nozzle comes with swivel and either 1-1/4” or 1/2" female inlet, ground cable, and spout dust cap protectors. Detailed information is available at this web page https://www.husky.com/hewitt/aviation-fueling-nozzles/falcon/

Whether your operation is looking at new fixed-tank fueling systems, considering replacement options for your existing fueling systems, or need nozzles for self-service jet fuel tank installations, consider the new Hewitt Falcon.

Innovation, Business Growth and Teamwork Celebrated at Event

We thought we'd share a video of remarks that Husky Corporation President Grenville Sutcliffe delivered during an event in early August at the company's headquarters and manufacturing operations, along with a news release about the event. As Mr. Sutcliffe said to the gathering of employees and guests, "When we get a chance to tell the Husky story, we want to take it."

-----------------------------------------------

Husky Corporation, with a nearly 70-year track record of growth, innovation and teamwork that has resulted in industry-leading capabilities from its Missouri-based manufacturing facilities, welcomed Missouri Senator Roy Blunt for what was billed as a ‘Meet and Greet’ event focused on job creation.

Husky Corporation President Grenville Sutcliffe, whose parents founded the petroleum dispensing equipment manufacturing company in 1947, told a crowd of 150 employees, area dignitaries and guests that he is always pleased to tell the Husky story to those interested in hearing about its track record of success.

“We believe very strongly in U.S. based manufacturing. Our quality is second to none. Just ask China – where we send a lot of our products,” Sutcliffe said. “None of this company’s success would be possible without a strong and dedicated team. It is wonderful to see everyone on the Husky team working and progressing in the same direction. That’s what we have here at Husky. A great team.”

Sutcliffe led Sen. Blunt and U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (Missouri’s Third Congressional District) on a tour of Husky Corporation production facilities. The company manufactures general fueling products, oil and lube products, aviation fueling products and fluid line components for the automotive aftermarket. Through strategic alliances and partnerships Husky Corporation also offers DEF dispensing and storage systems, logistics optimization systems and liquid loading arms. Sen. Blunt then offered some comments on job creation and regulation to those in attendance. 

“Right now 20 percent of what you do is exported. Mr. Sutcliffe wants to get that number to 50 percent. As he points out, if you have a product that competes all over the world, that drives the economy too,” Blunt said.

“Thanks to the innovation of our engineers – our product line continues to grow. That’s because we put customers first. We try to solve their problems. I wish I could say the same about all the regulations we have to deal with, that frankly get in the way of innovation,” Sutcliffe said.

Sutcliffe noted, since Sen. Blunt was in a political campaign at the time of his visit, that Husky would gladly extend the same opportunity to visit the company to those on the other side of the political aisle.

New Resources Available to Prevent Misfueling in General Aviation

The consequences of placing the incorrect grade or type of fuel in an aircraft are very serious. This situation is referred to as "misfueling". In General Aviation (GA), where the majority of aircraft are fueled over-the-wing, there is a significant risk of misfueling which can lead to vapor lock, ignition failure or total engine failure. However, following proper safety measures will prevent potential disaster. 

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has launched the "Safety 1st Misfueling Prevention Program: Awareness Training for Line Service Professionals, FBO Managers, Customer Service Representatives and Pilots".  

http://nata.aero/Education-and-Training/Misfueling-Prevention-Program.aspx 

The program includes short videos that provide education about simple steps that can be taken to prevent misfuelings. A quiz follows the video presentation, after which individuals who pass can print a certificate of completion. NATA says the program is not intended to be a comprehensive training program, which must be completed before individuals attempt to fuel an aircraft. But it covers essential elements that serve as a good primer for those in each outlined job category.

The “Big Three”

NATA focuses on what it calls the Big Three items required to get the right fuel into aircraft every time: Proper fuel orders, the use of selective spouts, and grade verification.  

Let's take a moment to focus on spouts. Industry standards and best practices require that selective spouts be installed on all aviation overwing nozzles, which in essence are designed to prevent jet fuel from being inadvertently put into aircraft requiring Avgas.  

The Jet A Wide Oval Spout, also known as duckbill or J-Spout, is designed so it cannot be placed into most fuel openings for Avgas powered aircraft. However, some Avgas aircraft may not have restricted size filler ports. Other exceptions potentially include helicopters.  So the selective spouts only provide a layer of protection against misfueling; they are not fail-safe. It is up to the ground fuel handler to make sure they have covered the big three fueling checks before dispensing the fuel into the aircraft.  There are no exceptions to these checks. 

One interesting point of the NATA online presentation is that if you want to use jet fuel, but need to use a round spout, the round spout can only be used temporarily. And it must be immediately removed after use.  This is a very important practice to prevent any mistakes during the next refueling.

Additional Safety Practices

One additional layer of protection that is found in the field for Aviation nozzles is the use of colored nozzle handles. Black handles are in place for nozzles using Jet fuel. Red handles depict nozzles that dispense Avgas. Hewitt always asks customers about the type of fuel to be dispensed and the handle-color required before orders for nozzles are entered.   

An additional resource with detailed information on preventing misfuelings is NATA Safety 1st eToolKit which is available at the following link.

http://nata.aero/data/files/safety%201st%20documents/etoolkit/safety1st%20etoolkit_24_%20jul-aug%202006.pdf.

Information on Husky /Hewitt nozzles can be found at  www.husky.com.  Be sure to check out our Osprey and Eagle Nozzles.