Ruskin has expanded its Parsons, Kan., manufacturing plant with a 5,000-square-foot addition to the existing facility. Opened in August, the space supports production of the TDP05K advanced thermal dispersion air measurement system introduced earlier this year.
The TDP05K is a thermal dispersion airflow and temperature measuring probe featuring low energy consumption, low pressure drops, improved wired/wireless ranges, less noise and an airfoil-shape probe. The TDP05K averages multiple velocity and temperature points within a duct or plenum to arrive at accurate air measurements in the most demanding applications.
“As we developed the TDP05K, we realized the product requires a steady-state production facility, where temperature and humidity setpoints can be maintained year-round to ensure products are calibrated under identical environmental conditions,” says Lowell Wells, Ruskin plant manager. “As a result, the new space is isolated from other production areas. Floors feature a static protective coating and workers wear static-free wristbands and garments.”
According to Wells, the expansion has created eight new positions, with the likelihood of adding more jobs in the future. Research and development functions related to the TDP05K will remain at the Grandview, Mo., facility, with assembly and calibration taking place in Parsons.
“However, the Parsons team continues to be instrumental in elements of the development process,” says Tim Vogel, director of national accounts and customer care at Ruskin. “They are providing expertise and feedback, both for this product and others going forward, and will build and test prototypes as new products are developed.”
Vogel reports the company has hosted its representatives and channel partners at the Grandview facility, providing training on new features and benefits of the TDP05K and exposing them to the controlled production environment that makes it possible to provide these benefits.
“We’ve constructed a facility with an environment that ensures quality will be part of every product that leaves the plant,” says Vogel. “And the size of the expansion, three times the space used to produce Ruskin’s legacy air measurement system, along with built-in redundancy for every manufacturing process means increased product availability for our customers. Our mission is to ship probes every day of the week, and one day soon, we expect to commit to a standard delivery of 10 days and express shipments of 72 hours and five days.”
To celebrate the opening of the plant expansion, Ruskin held a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by a hamburger and hot dog cookout for the Parsons plant employees. Says Vogel, “They’ve worked hard to make the launch of the TDP05K a success, both from a product development and production standpoint, so it was important that we recognize their efforts and say thank you.”
To learn more about the TDP05K, visit the website.