Favorable Market Conditions, Critical Role In Rebuilding Hurricane Ike Damage, Increased Preference, Fast Response, New Product Lines, Fuel Record Growth At Inpro/Seal

Inpro/Seal Company the world's largest producer, originator and inventor of the industrial bearing isolator reports that year-to-date sales are 14% ahead of 2007. The company reports that if current, favorable market conditions continue, they are on track to deliver a record number of bearing isolators and record sales for 2008.

Rock Island, IL (PRWEB) November 20, 2008 -- Inpro/Seal Company the world's largest producer, originator and inventor of the industrial bearing isolator reports that year-to-date sales are 14% ahead of 2007. The company reports that if current, favorable market conditions continue, they are on track to deliver a record number of bearing isolators and record sales for 2008.

CONDITIONS

Though certain issues and dynamics have come into play, the company attributes much of this success to a number of key factors. These factors include: the ability to deliver large quantities of bearing isolators overnight to Texas petrochem plants and refineries stricken by Hurricane Ike; the relationship with their distributor Flowserve; the increased acceptance of bearing isolators, with preference for the Inpro/Seal brand; and the phenomenal successes of their shaft seals that positively seal equipment in dry powder and bulk process applications.

THE BEARING ISOLATOR

The original bearing isolator is a non-contact, non-wearing, permanent bearing protection device invented by David C. Orlowski in 1977 (patent #4,022,479) to replace lip seals and other types of contact sealing methods that carry a 100% failure rate. On the other hand, the bearing isolator, a non-contacting type labyrinth seal never wears out. Today, Inpro/Seal the company Orlowski founded went on to receive patent protection on some 40 other isolator related products. Operating out of the largest facility in the world devoted to bearing isolation technology, monthly production is set at 60,000+ units every month.

INCREASED AWARENESS

Specially trained bearing protection specialists located throughout the world; research and engineering efforts that bring new products to market; product enhancements; and world class support backed by an "educate and inform" marketing approach have lead to increased awareness and brand preference. As more and more end users began to understand the Inpro/Seal bearing isolator, it's successes, along with its unique and irrefutable attributes, have made it an Authentic and unique product.

With a well earned international reputation for its ability to replace lip seals and other types of sealing methods that carry a 100% failure rate, bearing isolators have become a "Best Maintenance Practice". As such, most of the Fortune 500 companies in the process industries and over half of the world's industrial companies use Authentic Inpro/Seal products in critical maintenance roles.

HURRICANE IKE - THE SURGE

When Hurricane Ike hit the "Golden Triangle" of Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange Texas, as a Category 4, it had the potential to produce the highest storm surge in history. Luckily, by the time it hit the Golden Triangle, on September 13, 2008, it had dropped to a Category 3, but still caused an estimated $27 billion in damages. Water from storm surges pushed by high winds caused considerable damage to a number of oil refineries and chemical plants. It was the third most destructive hurricane to ever hit the United States.

HURRICANE IKE - THE DAMAGE

According to Rick LaBove, Inpro/Seal's Regional Manager who lives in nearby Neederland, "The storm surge from Hurricane Ike did severe damage to two refineries and six petro-chemical plants, shutting them down. Thousands of pumps, motors, drivers, gearboxes and steam turbines were under water for 12-24 hours. Lost production time could cost the companies huge amounts of money, while consumers faced stiff price increases at the gas pump. Plant maintenance people had a massive job ahead of them as they had to return ruined equipment to operation as soon as possible".

HURRICANE IKE - THE REBUILD

LaBove went on, "With the amount of salt water damage, basically nothing was salvageable. Top management, working closely with maintenance people brought in from plants across North America decided that the best way to get equipment running was to completely rebuild everything with new parts. In addition, they decided that when it came to bearing protection, everything was to be replaced with brand new bearing isolators. If other methods were used prior (flingers, lip seals), they were also to be replaced with new Inpro/Seal bearing isolators."

INPRO/SEAL ENTERS THE PICTURE

With their ability to repair and replace as a single source supplier, Flowserve Solutions Division was retained to get

equipment operational in the fastest possible time. With a need for thousands of bearing isolators, this was no easy task. Inpro/Seal was the only company in the world that could provide the overnight turnaround time needed. In some cases they were able to ship the same day. Using assets across North America, Flowserve is currently in the process of rebuilding these plants. This includes: cleaning, sandblasting, painting and replacing all internal parts with new. Equipment that cannot be rebuilt to new specifications will be replaced with new.

THE FASTEST DELIVERY TIME

With a proprietary data bank of 60,000+ specifically engineered rotating equipment designs, Inpro/Seal has prints for every make, model, size and shape for any kind of rotating equipment made, which dramatically speeds up the manufacturing and delivery process. This is backed by a facility that operates 24/7 under stringent ISO conditions with the latest in (CNC) lathes, metal turning machines, mills, CAD/CAM and sophisticated testing equipment. With these kinds of resources, there is no one else that can deliver at such an intense pace.

PEOPLE BUSINESS

According to David C. Orlowski, President and CEO of Inpro/Seal Company, "The people at the Gulf Coast process plants and refineries are still rebuilding and will restart very shortly. Along with our distributor, Flowserve Solutions Division, we have been with them all the way with an intense, quick response times."

Orlowski continued, "We might have been the only company in the world able to deliver bearing isolators on an overnight basis, but we could not have done so with the individual and cumulative efforts of our staff, management and distributor. It is with a great deal of pride that our company has been able to help the Gulf Coast rebuild in such a short time frame."

THE AIR MIZER™-PS CONTRIBUTES

Orlowski went on, "Also contributing to a record sales pace is the Air Mizer™ Shaft Seals. Initially a single product, the Air Mizer™ has grown into a multi-product line of shaft seals engineered for use where wet or dry particulates, powders and slurries are handled, processed, packaged and stored. Even though Air Mizer™ Shaft Seals are a larger ticket item, sales continue to soar as more and more end users realize that, once installed, they are able to produce sealing protection that other methods simply cannot attain."

Orlowski concluded, "In our shaft seals, end users have found the logical alternative to dry running contact seals that carry a 100% failure rate. Because these kinds of seals start to wear at start-up, they are fast losing favor and are being replaced with our shaft seals that do not wear out. These are the only shaft seals on the market that can easily handle angular misalignment caused by shaft deflection and mounting conditions. There is nothing else like it on the market and certainly a contributing factor to our record sales."

ABOUT INPRO/SEAL

Inpro/Seal Company is the originator and the world's number one manufacturer of bearing isolators, used to protect motor and pump bearings, machine tool spindles, turbines, fans, gear boxes, paper machine rolls and many other types of rotating equipment. Additional applications include the sealing, handling, processing, packing and storage of dry particulates, powders and bulk solids.

Of the 4,000,000+ bearing isolators delivered, almost all of them continue to be in operation in process plants worldwide, where end users continue to report significantly reduced operating costs with increased productivity and reliability. Protected bearings have run 150,000 hours (17 years) or more, eliminating the need for costly maintenance and repair. Documented cases show that a plant can more than double the mean-time-between failure (MTBF) and reduce maintenance costs by at least half, with users reporting an extremely high ROI.

SIGNOFF

For more information on authentic Inpro/Seal Bearing Isolators or shaft seals, free literature or the name of the nearest trained distributor contact: Jason Putnam at: Inpro/Seal Company, P.O. Box 3940, Rock Island, Illinois 61204. Phone numbers are: (800) 447-0524 or (309) 787-4971. Fax number is: (309) 787-6114. Website: www.inpro-seal.com or www.bearingisolators.com

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