SPOTLIGHT > by Karen Torres Powerwise Ink Pumps, headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, with additional facilities in Canada and the United Kingdom, manufactures and supplies a complete line of quality ink pumps, accessories and product support for the flexographic and gravure printing industry. The Business Magazine recently met with President Phil Holmes to learn more about the history, operations and international footprint of this northwest Pennsylvania-based company.
Powerwise Ink Pumps has operated for 20 years in the Erie area and 50 years in the United Kingdom. Please share with our readers the company’s beginnings in England and how it came to be headquartered in Pennsylvania. Powerwise was established in 1961 in Manchester, England by my father, John Alfred Holmes. He was a sales representative for a gear pump company and recognized the need for pumps to handle ink. Consequently, on my sister’s birthday (June 13, 1961), he formed his own company. He worked from home and built pumps in the basement. As that company grew into new facilities and up to more than 50 employees, it also diversified into other styles of pumps for oil and water. In the meantime, I had toured in a band from the UK in the late ‘70s. At a concert at Mercyhurst College, I met a local girl from Erie and got married shortly thereafter. In 1990, my father and I decided to investigate the market for the pumps in the United States. In 1991, Powerwise Ink Pumps was incorporated. We found that Erie was a good location for machine shops and distribution to Canada was easy. The company had a turnover of almost $10 million and, within two years, the sales of ink pumps into the United States and Canada had overtaken the sales from the UK. The UK company had expanded into pumping systems for oil companies, so a deal was made to sell the ink pump portion to Powerwise Ink Pumps USA. Since then, several new designs, including peristaltic and double diaphragm pumps, have been added to the range. What is the size of your current operation? Powerwise has pumps running in more than 40 countries around the world and almost 50 percent of last year’s turnover was exported. Briefly describe your primary products and customer base. Our equipment is sold exclusively into the flexographic and gravure printing industry. This industry produces most all of the packaging for the products you use every day. Our customers include Frito-Lay and the Bureau of Engraving. These inks are low viscosity and can be solvent or water based. The areas we operate in are usually hazardous and our pumps have to meet the latest UL/FM standards for the United States and ATEX certification for the rest of the world. You’ve said that Powerwise has managed to “stay under the radar” locally while maintaining a successful international business. Please explain. Although operated from Erie, we manufacture parts in the UK and India. We are able to supply business to several local machine shops and other parts suppliers. We have stayed under the radar because we have no local customers. They are mostly out of state with the southern states and Ontario, Canada being the largest customer base. Pumps are shipped from Erie, Pennsylvania and London, England. How has technology impacted your business? As much as 80 percent of our business is via the Internet. We purchased several domain names including powerwise.com, inkpump.com, powerwiseinkpumps.com, inkpump.co.uk and domains for other countries. We use mainly Google ads to keep us close to the top on any search for “ink pumps.” We also use Google ads in French, Spanish and German. We actively track using online analytics and provide most of our sales and technical backup via email or FTP (file transfer protocol). We work with agents around the world using Skype. How important is research and development to your operation and your company’s future? We are constantly striving to update products and see our sales future as an online company. For more information about Powerwise Ink Pumps, please visit www.powerwise.com or call 814/833-3715.
VOL. X XIV, NO. 5 MAY 2011 Manufacturer & Business Association Board of Governors
Editor in Chief
Executive Editor
Managing Editor & Senior Writer
Yvonne Atkinson-Mishrell John Cline Dale Deist Bill Hilbert Jr. Timothy Hunter Dan Ignasiak Richard Knight J. Gordon Naughton John B. Pellegrino Sr., P.E. Dennis Prischak Robert S. Pursell Lorenzo Simonelli Phil Tredway Ralph Pontillo rpontillo@mbausa.org John Krahe jkrahe@mbausa.org Karen Torres ktorres@mbausa.org
Contributing Writers
Angie Angus Sandra Caffo Jessica Crocker Jon Woodard
Photography
Ron Stephens La Mirage Studo 814/835-1041 Karen Torres Powerwise Ink Pumps
Advertising Sales
Design, Production & Printing
Patty Welther 814/833-3200 or 800/815-2660 pwelther@mbausa.org Printing Concepts Inc. printcon@erie.net
ON THE COVER: Maxpro Technologies President Paul Bowser recently has expanded his Fairview, Pennsylvania-based company, which has become a major supplier of liquid pumps, gas boosters, air amplifiers, high-pressure valves, fittings and tubing, as well as custom package systems. For full story, see Page 8. Mission Statement The Manufacturer & Business Association is dedicated to providing information and services to its members that will assist them in the pursuit of their business and community interests. – Board of Governors Manufacturer & Business Association 2171 West 38th Street Erie, Pa. 16508 814/833-3200 or 800/815-2660 www.mbausa.org © Copyright 2011 by the Manufacturer & Business Association. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial, pictorial or advertisements created for use in the Business Magazine, in any manner, without written permission from the publisher, is prohibited. Unsolicited manuscripts cannot be returned unless accompanied by a properly addressed envelope bearing sufficient postage. The magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork. The Business Magazine and Manufacturer & Business Association do not specifically endorse any of the products or practices described in the magazine. The Business Magazine is published monthly by the Manufacturer & Business Association, 2171 West 38th Street, Erie, Pa. 16508. Phone: 814/833-3200 or 800/815-2660.
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