Whether you work the rock quarry, food service, or aerospace industry, you have probably been using Parker Hannifin products for years. For over 100 years, Parker engineering solutions provided technology leaps that have supported war efforts, space exploration, and mining the depths of the earth. Parker has embraced the mission to engineer success for its customers in many diversified markets. Parker does so by providing innovation at every turn including business strategy, industries, brands and products, quality control, and sustainability.
Parker Business Strategies
Being a leader in motion and control technologies, Parker implements a process they call “Winovation.” According to Parker, Winovation is the relentless pursuit to:
- Innovate
- Combine technologies
- Collaborate
- Develop systems
- Partner with customers to problem-solve
Recent Winovation pursuits provided the Air Saver; a switching valve that produces pulsed air blow that reduces air usage by 50 percent. Reduction in air usage, importantly, means a reduction in energy usage. The “fast-fill compressed natural gas dispenser” is one innovation engineered with safety in mind. The dispenser uses sensors, breakaway couplings, as well as hose disconnects to lessen the risk of mechanical and user malfunctions. As always, measures are taken to prevent leakage and minimize downtime, ensuring reliable service.
Preceding Winovation was Parker’s Win Strategy. The purpose of Win Strategy is to have a solid foundation for competing in the global markets. One Win Strategy measure is to provide a premier customer experience. This is quantified as:
- > 98 percent on-time delivery
- Six Sigma Quality Control System
- Best-in-class lead times & quote speed
- Intuitive customer dashboard, among other features.
The result is a win for Parker’s customers.
Parker Divisions, Brands, and Products
With approximately 70 divisions and 46 brands under its belt, Parker has positioned itself to meet the needs of its existing and future customers. If you need a fitting for the simplest hydraulic or pneumatic system, a virtual sizing tool for linear motion applications, or a sensitive system for advanced flight control and actuation, Parker is a one-stop company to meet your needs. With a Parker affiliated company, you have the ability to quickly resolve your problem, reducing unscheduled downtime to get you back into production. This is a great asset to any company.
Parker Hose Products Division provides hydraulic hose, hydraulic hose fittings, and GlobalCore hose. As the world’s leading manufacturer of industrial and hydraulic hoses, Parker hydraulic hoses feature a variety of abrasion-resistant covers, flexibility options, a wider range of media compatibility, and more. Whether it’s high or low working temp hose, or up to 500 psi or over 5000 working psi, Parker provides a vast portfolio of hose products across targeted markets, which encompass construction, agriculture, material handling, mining, oil and gas, original equipment manufacturers (OEM), refuse, transportation and automotive.
Parker’s crimped or field attachable pneumatic and hydraulic function hose fittings provide added control and safer operations while fitted to any cylinder, valve, or other devices. For every job, there is the appropriate equipment to accomplish the work timely and safely. There’s a variety of fitting sizes, configurations, push-in connections, standard or metric threads, and materials (such as brass, plastic, steel and stainless steel).
Parker promotes their line of GlobalCore hose, which exceeds ISO 18752 performance specification. Color-coded and with ranges from 1,000 to 6,000 psi, GlobalCore hoses provide six options to cover most hydraulic operations. Additionally, GlobalCore engineering provides smaller outside diameter, less weight, and are more flexible, simplifying installation. An added benefit to GlobalCore hose is the smaller bend radius allowing designers to place key components, like pumps and valves, closer together for a more compact system. Parker’s 43 Series and 77 Series fittings cover the widest range of applications while simplifying the selection process with GlobalCore hoses.
Parker Push-Lok hoses come in a variety of color-coded hoses and applications from the 150 psi Push-Lok Dry Air and Hot Water hose to the Push-Lok Plus High-Temperature Multipurpose hoses that range from 300 to 400 psi. Push-Lok provides the widest range of temperature capability, fluid compatibility, application and size range in the industry. There are a range of compatible fittings for Push-Lok hoses including the 82 series and HY series fittings
Custom Hose Tech can provide more information on the Parker Push-Lok hose line and compatible fittings.
Parker’s Quality Management Process
Parker’s quality management process is geared toward advancing the performance of your systems and applications by providing exceptional hose and fitting products. Parker follows eight QMS principles for achieving this goal.
- Customer-centric business practices
- Leadership training
- Involvement of stakeholders
- A process approach to manufacturing
- A systems approach to management
- Continual quality improvement
- A factual approach to decision-making
- Formation of mutually beneficial supplier relationships
Continuous improvement and quality control tools include Six Sigma. By identifying and removing the causes of errors and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes. Parker employs the following quality control methods.
- FMEA, which stands for Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, is another tool to identify potential failure modes within a system. A successful FMEA activity helps a team to identify potential failure modes. It identifies past experiences with similar processes and allows the team to design failure out of the system.
- SPC, or Statistical Process Control, is Parker’s proprietary method of using mathematical algorithms and statistical analysis to monitor and control a process to ensure it operates at optimum levels to produce products. The advantage of SPC is the predictability of a process to produce conforming products with minimal waste.
Parker Commitment to Sustainability
Parker’s sustainability commitment is:
To responsibly solve the world’s greatest engineering challenges to foster enduring success for the company, customers, and communities.
There are three key areas impacted by Parker’s commitment to maximizing its social responsibility efforts:
- People: By providing a safe and engaging work environment, Parker strengthens the communities which support organizations, making the workplace and the world a better place.
- Planet: Parker continuously looks to use eco-friendly materials, minimize waste, and reduce consumption.
- Products: Parker’s products are found on virtually everything that moves. Parker’s goal of helping customers be more productive and profitable by reducing energy consumption and emissions impacts industry and the environment on a global scale.
Custom Hose Tech provides Parker products to ensure your hydraulic system operates efficiently and effectively. We are the best resource to solve all your custom hose and fitting needs. We have a walk-in store in the Minneapolis area and strategically placed mobile units to meet your needs in the field. We encourage you to contact us today and speak with one of our highly-trained representatives to discuss your hydraulic hose and fitting needs.