In this latest instalment of the 2019 in Review Series, gasworld sits down with Bob Carrell, President and Chief Operating Officer at Hoffer Flow Controls.
The North Carolina-based company designs and manufactures precision flow measurement instrumentation and controls for a wide variety of industrial, military and government markets and clients.
Hoffer serves both domestic and export clients in more than 60 countries and has a long history and reputation for providing highly customised flow solutions for demanding environments.
This year, the company celebrated its 50th anniversary, a milestone Carrell attributes to the commitment of the Hoffer employees to design and manufacture instruments of the highest quality in order to fulfil the company’s mission.
Gasworld (GW): As we near the end of 2019, what would you say have been the significant milestones for Hoffer this year?
Bob Carrell (BC): In terms of our cryogenic products and services, I would point to two milestones.
The first is Hoffer’s global accreditation for its cryogenic field calibration services to ISO17025:2017.
This is the gold-standard for any company that is offering a calibration service and we are enormously proud of our accreditation for not just our factory calibration labs, but for our cryogenic field calibration service as well.
The second is our introduction of the first smart phone application for use with a truck-mounted cryogenic flow computer system – in this case the Hoffer ICE cryogenic flow computer.
This Bluetooth (BLE) wireless system provides tremendous flexibility and capability for our cryogenic measurement system clients.
We see this as only the beginning of a digital revolution for this part of the industrial gas world as we start to explore with our customers other applications this technology will bring to help them perform their work more efficiently, effectively and safely.
GW: This year Hoffer has celebrated 50 years of business. What would you attribute to this success?
BC: First and foremost is the commitment of the Hoffer employees to design and manufacture instruments of the highest quality in order to fulfil our mission.
All the best design tools, best materials, best manufacturing tools and best quality systems mean very little without the knowledge, skills and commitment of those who use them in order to achieve the final result desired.
GW: What will the next 50 years hold for Hoffer?
BC: The world will change greatly in the next 50 years – probably more than it has in the last 100 years.
The keys to Hoffer or any other company or organisation remaining relevant over such a period of time will include an absolute commitment to listening and positively responding to the customers’ needs first and foremost.
A company’s reputation is not just about legacy, it is a living, breathing thing that must continue to grow in order for the company to be sustained. I know of no better way to achieve that than by proactively listening and responding to your customers.
GW: What role does Hoffer play in the industrial gas industry?
BC: Hoffer’s very first integrated flow system was developed for use in legal-for-trade measurement of cryogenic fluids being delivered from over-the-road cryogenic tanker trucks. This remains an important market for the company even today.
These systems are effectively the “cash register” for the sales transaction between the gas supplier and their customers and such systems are subject to governmental regulation and authority to assure they perform correctly.
Many thousands of these tanker trucks around the world today will use Hoffer’s systems for this critical measurement application.
Source: Hoffer Flow Controls
GW: Where’s the focus for 2020? What does Hoffer have planned?
BC: Hoffer has seen a significant acceleration in the growth of cryogenic flow measurement applications for the aerospace industry.
In particular we have had a long-standing relationship with NASA for providing liquid oxygen and hydrogen flow meters for use in rocket engine testing.
With the development of the private rocket launch industry, we have seen tremendous growth in demand for similar flow meters for those clients.
In 2020 we will be delivering spaceflight qualified fuel flow meters for NASA’s Restore-L mission which will demonstrate on-orbit autonomous refuelling technologies for satellites.
We see that as a gateway to other on-orbit and deep space mission applications for the measurement of a wide range of fuels including cryogenic propellants.
It is my sincerest wish that in the next 50 years Hoffer cryogenic flow meters will be in orbit on vehicles around the Moon and Mars to provide refuelling services for interplanetary space vehicles.
GW: Finally, if you had one thing on your bucket list for the gases industry, what would it be and why?
BC: Referring to Hoffer’s involvement with the space industry we see the need for relatively large-scale cryogenic flow calibration facilities that do not exist today.
I would very much like to find one or more industrial gas suppliers that would be willing to help us form a consortium along with launch vehicle and engine builders to bring such a facility into being.