Sometimes it can be difficult to come up with ways to be visionary and
innovative, but those are the keys to taking a business from simply a me-too player to being a competitive leader in any given industry. While it may be a challenge, Frank DiTomasso definitely had a vision as general manager of Farris Engineering.
The company is a business unit of Curtiss-Wright Flow Control and has designed and produced a wide range of spring-loaded and pilot-operated pressure relief valves for more than six decades. The company has always been a pioneer in the field and many of its products remain industry standards. Of course it should be a pioneer. The parent company was originally formed as companies merged, which were founded by Orville and Wilbur Wright and Glenn Curtiss, the father of naval aviation. With those kinds of shoes to fill, it’s no wonder that innovation plays such a big role at the company and the way it approaches creating its products.
But as the company has created industry-leading products, competitors have followed suit, so DiTomasso knew that he had to come up with a new differentiating strategy that would allow Farris to gain a competitive edge.
He had a vision to become a “complete solution provider” to the industry. He released a multidisciplined engineering project to design and develop a Web-based engineering software that would satisfy audit requirements for pressure relief systems. He recognized early on that with an ever-increasing competitive environment, software technology could support the ability of operating facilities to improve plant productivity, reduce cost and risk, and enhance manufacturing uptime — and, most importantly, comply with OSHA guidelines.
Today’s new software technologies host a range of new forward-thinking approaches and tools that can meet and surpass these challenges. This new generation of software will help process-related companies stay on top of managing existing or new pressure-relief systems. The new software is Web-centric technology that allows plant employees instantaneous access and analysis to data on any pressure-relief system from any location that has Web connectivity. This allows employees to proactively resolve system problems while also offering the most thorough and systematic approach for the design, analysis and documentation of new or existing pressure relief systems.
The strategy has been an immense success under DiTomasso’s leadership. The core product that Farris manufactures has seen an increase of business in a slow economy. The future forecasts are even more positive, which will certainly allow Farris engineering to grow its manufacturing presence in the Ohio market — something the state definitely needs.
As the company moves forward, DiTomasso will remain committed to moving Farris forward by continuing to innovate and keep its technology ahead of all the competitors.
How to reach: Farris Engineering, (440) 838-7690 or farris.cwfc.com
