Hyco International Inc is the world's largest manufacturer of hydraulic cylinders. Hyco International was established in June 1998 by Centre Partners, a New York based investment group, with the acquisition of Dana Corporation’s hydraulic cylinder business and 4 cylinder manufacturing facilities in Canada, Germany and the United States. [1]Since then Hyco has made three additional acquisitions of hydraulic cylinder manufacturers in Canada (1999), Germany (1999)[2] and Brazil (2001). In addition, the Kitchener, Ontario, Canada manufacturing facility was moved and expanded (2001), and the facility in Arab, Alabama was expanded.[3] Most recently (2008) the Hengstler facility in Hausach, Germany has also undergone a major expansion. Hyco International is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. [4]
Company Overview edit
Hyco International has grown to become the world’s largest manufacturer of hydraulic cylinders employing over 1200 personnel. The company manufactures on average over 5000 cylinders per day. Annual sales in 2005 were $189 million. Current annual sales are approximately $250 million US. This represents about a 6% share of the total global hydraulic cylinder market. [5]
Today Hyco International has 6 manufacturing plants on 3 continents making it a truly global manufacturer of hydraulic cylinders. These plants include:
- Hyco Ultrametal in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada [1]
- Hyco Canada in St. Wenceslas, Quebec, Canada [2]
- Hyco Alabama in Arab, Alabama, USA [3]
- Hyco Hidrover in Caxias do Sul RS, Brazil
- Hyco Hengstler in Hausach, Germany [4]
- Hyco Pacoma in Eschwege, Germany [5]
Although it might first appear that Hyco is a relative newcomer to the hydraulics industry, the individual factories have a remarkable history that extends back many decades. Hyco has retained this experience and technology along with the corporate acquisitions.
The company employs the latest in computerized design and manufacturing technologies (CAD CAM) and is able to electronically transfer hydraulic cylinder designs and distribute production efficiently among all 6 of the manufacturing centers. Engineering, research and development technology is networked and shared among all facilities. [6]
The international nature of the Hyco Corporation enables the company to offer customers a one stop, global sourcing solution for hydraulic cylinders. This is very lucrative to large multinational mobile heavy equipment manufacturers. It also allows the company to take advantage of international monetary fluctuations, worldwide metal and component supply, and global labor costs. This has made Hyco a very effective competitor in the global hydraulic cylinder market.[7]
Product edit
Hyco focuses on manufacturing welded body hydraulic cylinders in both single stage rod style and multi-stage telescopic style, large bore & long stroke included. The welded style of cylinder design is preferred for mobile hydraulic equipment and heavy industrial machinery. These cylinders are used in a broad variety of industrial sectors including: [8]
- Construction Equipment
- Material Handling Equipment
- Mining and Aggregates
- Waste Management and Recycling
- Defense
- Forestry, Pulp, and Paper
- Agricultural Equipment
- Heavy Trucks
- Oil Field Equipment
- Marine and Shipyard Equipment
- Mobile Hydraulic Machinery Attachments.
Hydraulic Cylinders edit
Hydraulic cylinders are fundamental components of hydraulic machinery. The function of a hydraulic cylinder is to convert the hydrostatic power of a fluid into mechanical power. They are the actuators or muscles of heavy equipment providing motion and force including steering, suspension, pushing, pulling, lifting, lowering, tilting, extending, clamping, stabilizing, and so on.[9]
Proper cylinder design and manufacture are critical as the failure of a cylinder will usually render the entire machine inoperable. Hyco produces high quality, rugged cylinders that are designed to have a long service life even in difficult applications and harsh environments.
The majority of the hydraulic cylinders produced (about 90%) are custom designed. These cylinders are built to suit the exact requirements of Hyco’s customers and are optimized for the specific machine application. These customers are mostly original equipment manufacturers (OEM’s) in the mobile hydraulic cylinder market. The remaining 10% of production consists of catalogued, multi-use cylinders of a standard design. [10]
Hydraulic cylinders produced range from miniature hydraulic cylinders of only 1/2” (12mm) bore up to very large bore and long stroke hydraulic cylinders of 36” (914mm) bore. Telescoping cylinder products have been produced in extremely large sizes up to 600” stroke (15.24 meters).
Custom cylinder designs produced by Hyco involve: specially designed mountings to interface with customer equipment; special seals, materials, and coatings to meet environmental and operational requirements; value added components assembled to the actuator such as fittings, piping, valves and guards; electronic stroke and feedback control sensors.
Cylinder Manufacturing Processes edit
Hyco uses a large number of manufacturing processes in order to produce their final products. The processes include rod and tube machining and grinding, custom metal machining, component machining, skive and roller burnishing, friction and inertia welding, plating, painting, and hydraulic component assembly. Robotic and CNC machines are used in many of these processes. Several plants specialize in large capacity machining and handling the very heavy, oversized components used to produce very large bore, very long stroke hydraulic rod and telescoping cylinders.
Hyco manufactured cylinders are well-known to mobile equipment manufacturers for their application-specific features, including sealing elements, induction hardened chrome plated piston rods and roller burnished tube bores. Hyco has maintained long-standing relationships (many of over 25 years) with a variety of leading multinational OEMs.[11]
All Hyco manufacturing facilities are at a minimum ISO 9000:2000 quality assurance level.
References edit
- ^ | Business Week
- ^ Diesel Progress March 1999 article on Hyco acquiring Ultrametal
- ^ Atlanta Business Chronicle article on Hyco plant expansions
- ^ Securities and Exchange Commission Report on Hyco
- ^ Securities and Exchange Commission Report on Hyco
- ^ All Business
- ^ Diesel Progress Article on Hyco August 1998
- ^ Business Wire Feb 2, 2000 Article on Hyco
- ^ Business Week article on Hyco
- ^ SEC Report on Hyco
- ^ Diesel Progress Article on Hyco August 1998