Universal Blower Pac was founded in May of 1979 by Ray Fiechter. UBP was founded because there was a lack of customization regarding blower packages in the pneumatic conveying industry. From his time working as a sales manager for a bare blower manufacturer, Ray noticed that the current manufacturers were limited in their ability to provide a customized solution to their clients. In certain instances the manufacturer’s representative would package the equipment for their regional customers! He felt that this gaping hole in the industry could be filled by an independent blower package manufacturer. Thus UBP came into existence.
UBP manufactured packages primarily for the pneumatic conveying industry until 1985 when it entered the Water Treatment market. Because Ray’s previous experience was in pneumatic conveying he wanted to establish the company and secure a place in that market prior to venturing into another market. He knew there were plenty of opportunities in the water treatment industry and it wasn’t long before water treatment sales became a staple of the company. Universal Blower Pac maintains a presence in the Pneumatic Conveying industry and also has experience building SVE (Soil Vapor Extraction) systems. Shortly after entering the water treatment market, Universal Blower Pac was moved to its current location in 1986. Due to the growth of the company the facility has expanded three times since the original building was erected! 1990, 1995, and 2009 were all years where the facility grew with the company. The most recent expansion, which was completed earlier this year, is a topic in a previous post.
In 1988 UBP begins an alliance with Gardner Denver which had acquired the Sutorbilt and Duroflow PD blower lines in 1987. What separates UBP from the rest of the blower packager manufacturers is our ability to customize our product and include any component requested by our clients. This enables us to meet their needs to the fullest extent. This ability also helps UBP adapt, as the industry and economy are always changing. As an example, UBP has customers that are pressed for time and may not need customized products. They only require a blower package that operates at their specified conditions. Therefore UBP introduced the EXP package, or Express Package, in 1993. This package can accommodate a range of flows and has a very short lead time when compared to other blower packages.
Fun Fact: In the early 1980’s there were only two nationwide independent manufacturers of blower packages and the other company no longer manufactures blower packages. Therefore, UBP is the oldest independent blower manufacturer that operates on a national level.
The company has grown significantly with each passing year. From time to time UBP has grown slower as the company adjusted its managerial and marketing methods to accommodate the market and economy changes. Below is a timeline that highlights the significant events in the history of Universal Blower Pac.
We are currently working on future timeline worthy events such as the new product we will be unveiling in a few months! An Energy Efficient Positive Displacement Blower System that remains efficient at multiple operating points or while turned down significantly! More information on this system will be available in the coming months. We also just secured our second best sales year in this unpredictable economy and have a chance to make it 4 straight record sales years! Check back soon for more information on UBP. There will also be a few “informational posts” that will help explain some of the technology we use and how it compares to other types of technology in the market
