Kurt and MFC team up to provide solutions for OEMs

Kurt Hydraulics and MFC have formed a partnership to provide complete solutions for off-highway original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Kurt manufactures a broad line of couplings and hoses, while MFC provides the engineering, sales/service and production staff to deliver a completed assembly solution to answer an OEM's just-in-time needs.

Their partnership is claimed to give OEMs the opportunity to adapt new technology as a competitive advantage.

MFC targets its business at 'mobile hydraulics' and the hydraulic connections in construction, agriculture and similar equipment.

MFC also offers the engineering and service factors required for trained and experienced manpower, while Kurt provides the manufacturing side of the hose and coupling business.

The two companies claim to have compatible strengths that, when combined, serve the needs of the OEM in ways not readily available through traditional assembler and manufacturing sources.

The process is initiated by MFC with a customer needing help with a hydraulic connection and ways to improve on it.

From basic to more complex applications, MFC treats these initial contacts carefully to ascertain ways that it might help the customer with an improved connection.

Design factors are discussed and evaluated, including routing, pressures and space-saving requirements.

Will Stewart, president of MFC, said: 'Once the information exchange is initiated, we can arrange a meeting at a customer's facility to develop a full understanding of the system's needs.

'We will send in knowledgeable hydraulic engineers to an OEM customer and, not only provide them with the correct technology, our engineering team can provide early design help to integrate the system into the machine for more efficient, cost-effective hydraulic performance,' he added.

Development cycles for new off-highway vehicular products vary but usually require 12-18 months or more, with similar time spans for the hydraulic considerations.

Stewart said: 'While some of our major customers' products go to market quickly, others may require our involvement for more than a year before we ever sell them the first prototype components.

'These projects often require new designs, extensive testing and subsequent modifications.

'We have the resources to provide these services, along with expertise and patience to be successful with our customers in these kinds of long-term projects,' he added.

Kurt supplies a complete catalogue line of standard couplings and hoses.

It also provides a localised manufacturing source for special design needs and global cost advantages from its overseas sources.

Steve Carlsen, Kurt's executive vice-president, said: 'Kurt's contract manufacturing division has a 50-year history with major OEMs, manufacturing high-precision assemblies and products for aerospace, automation and computer companies.

'We have all the necessary resources both from a design engineering and a manufacturing standpoint and can deliver on both,' he added.

Kurt's work with OEM customers often requires designing style hydraulic connectors in special sizes and configurations.

It also offers JIT supply logistics and long-term programmes.

Andy Larsen, vice-president of sales for MFC, said: 'The mobile hydraulics industry is very dynamic, with increasingly compact designed systems with tightly integrated hydraulics.

'However, hose connections are often one of the last considerations given to a new design.

'So it's a challenge to thread a hose through a new system to make a connection with satisfactory performance results.

'Often, these compact designs require the integration of standard hydraulic valving, which imposes even more restrictions on the connections.

'It's more economical and time conserving to have us customise the hydraulic connections than it is to redesign a manifold or an engine block to accommodate the needed connections,' he added.

Another consideration is the pressures required of these hydraulic connection systems, which must perform without failure for a specific life cycle.

Crimping procedures and systems play an important part of making high-quality hydraulic hose systems.

Most applications that MFC and Kurt deal with have pressure ranges from less than 1,000lb/in2 to more than 6,000lb/in2, with most requiring validation and testing.

Both companies are said to have complete life-cycle testing capabilities and routinely co-manage the validation process.

Back to top