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From Cocktail Napkin Sketch to Satisfied Customer

Midland Industries and Geib Industries custom engineer a solution fast.

Chris Geib, president of Geib Industries, and Brett Powell, national sales manager for Midland Industries, took a casual conversation from problem to solution in one day at a recent NAHAD (The Association for Hose and Accessories Distribution) trade show. And, it all started with a single cocktail napkin.

Both Geib Industries and Midland Industries are members of IDCO (Industrial Dealer Cooperative), the premier co-op for independent distributors. IDCO serves the industrial community with hose, fittings, gaskets, rubber materials and related products.

One of Geib’s customers was having issues with combining a brass bulkhead and a reducing adapter. Although a custom solution was quickly identified, the customer needed the part just as fast and couldn’t wait for long design and engineering time custom solutions sometimes take.

Powell mentioned that Midland had the capacity for short run specials for OEMs. Using Geib’s sketch on a cocktail napkin, Powell confirmed with his engineering department that the project was not only possible, but also doable in the customer’s very tight time frame.

“Having manufacturing capabilities in Kansas City has given us the opportunity to offer even more solutions for our distributors,” Powell said.

“The ability to offer custom engineered components quickly is what often sets us apart from others.”

Midland Industries’ engineering team produced the part and delivered it to Geib the very next day. Geib then presented the solution to the customer who expressed tremendous satisfaction with the part and the speed of development.

“Custom manufacturing with short turnaround is just another aspect of what we call the ‘Midland Industries experience,’” adds Powell.  “Anything we can do that adds value to entire supply chain is what we strive for in our work.”

Cocktail napkins aren’t always a part of a customer’s solution, but problem solving is. Whether it starts with a phone call, a casual meeting at a tradeshow, or a napkin – Midland Industries relishes these stories of collaboration with our industry partners.