Cutsforth Products Report Record Sales, Invests in the Future, Strengthens Operations
COHASSET, MN, July 14, 2008 --- At a time when many companies continue to report declining sales, operating losses, production cuts and corporate reductions, Cutsforth Products reports that sales for the first half of 2008 are dramatically ahead of projections.
MEETING FUTURE NEEDS
The results follow on the heels of a record year for calendar 2007 and the announcement of a series of improvements that will strengthen company operations and further establish their leadership role in turbine generator and power plant maintenance.
This includes: the expansion and modernization of their headquarters operations that includes a distribution center; personnel; increased support operations; and the establishment of separate operating divisions. Integral parts of these changes included direct employee and customer input and the ability to meet future needs.
SUCCESS FACTORS
Though a number of issues come into play, the firm attributes much of this extraordinary success to: a reputation for high quality products and services that continue to grow; increased brand preference and awareness; world class customer support that fuels growth; talented, experienced people; process industry know how; and a marketing approach dedicated to educate and inform the end user.
THE CUTSFORTH STORY
The story begins in 1990 when, power plants had to shutdown to perform maintenance procedures on collector rings and brush holders. If the ring or brush holder failed, so could the generator. Either way, plants had to deal with costly downtime and unplanned outages.
Based on certain process and procedures he developed (and patented), David Cutsforth founded the company that bears his name, along with a way to eliminate costly downtime. His first patent was on a tool used to grind commutators on large motors without having to shut down and coined the phrase "on-line truing" in the process. The company went on to offer "on-line truing" for collector rings. The next patent was on a process to regroove the spiral grooves on turbine generator rings. This off-line process also reduces maintenance time and costs.
ENTER THE BRUSH HOLDER SYSTEM
After personally truing hundreds of generators in the field, Dave noticed that the number one cause of brush and ring failure lay with the brush holder. He knew that if this problem could be solved, plant maintenance costs could be significantly reduced. Also an "inventor type", his son Rob went on to invent (and patent) the CUTSFORTH EASYchange Brush Holder System. EASYchange is a brush holder system that provides for maintenance on turbines while on-line, totally eliminating the need for a shut down.
Today, the Cutsforth "truing process", brush holders and other products and services are used in coal, nuclear and wind power plants nationwide. In addition, the company holds patent protection on eight related products with an additional four pending.
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE
According to Rob Cutsforth, CEO, "When this company was started back in 1990, basically, we were a regional company. Over a relatively short time we grew and developed a national reputation for our ability to help power plants reduce maintenance times and make repairs on turbines and generators without the need to shutdown. There are very few companies that do what we do. Our goal is to be the leading, single source supplier of brush holders and maintenance services takes people, products and commitment. For this reason we are investing in the heavily into the future".
PEOPLE MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Rob continued, "Sure we have great products, but the cumulative efforts of our employees - be it staff, management or in the field - are the key to providing the kind of support that fuels our growth. Cutsforth people are specially trained and have the application and process know how to help power plants reduce maintenance costs and related downtime. These are some of the personnel changes recently announced:
o Dustin Cutsforth - VP of Operations. Responsible for day-to-day overall operations.
o Rob Cutsforth - CEO. Will continue to oversee the design of new products and improve existing ones.
o Jim Carlson - Plant Manager. Responsible for day-to-day plant and manufacturing operations.
o Steve Thompson - Business Development Manager. Responsible for day-to-day sales activities. To strengthen relations with new and existing customers.
TWO DIVISIONS
The company is now organized into two divisions; Cutsforth Field Services and Cutsforth Products. Cutsforth Field Services provides on-site maintenance and repairs that includes: truing of collector rings and commutators where they return their surfaces to original OEM levels. This division also installs, engineers and regrooves collector rings, undercuts mica and performs other kinds of maintenance.
The Cutsforth Products division designs and markets the EASYchange removable brush holder system and a wide range of collector rings, including; wound rotor, stream turbine, synchronous motor and hydro generator. The EASYchange removable brush holder system allows power plants to maintain turbine generators while the plant is operating.
MORE CHANGES
In addition, the company recently completed a new distribution center at the Cohasset headquarters. Now fully operational, the distribution center will stock large inventories to ensure the fastest possible service and turnaround time.
The company feels that an educated customer is their best customer and to that end is in the process of revising all marketing materials and support literature designed to educate and inform the end user into the use of Cutsforth Products and services.
INTERACTIVE SPREADSHEET
An extremely useful interactive spreadsheet is available at www.cutsforth.com. Extremely user friendly, to obtain results an end user merely plugs in their respective numbers to calculate the savings realized by performing collector ring maintenance while on-line, without the need to shut down.
SIGNOFF
Based in Cohasset, MN, Cutsforth Products is a single source supplier of products and services that help power plants reduce off-line time for generator collector ring and brush holder maintenance.
For additional information on Cutsforth Products, on-line truing or field services, contact: Cutsforth Products Inc., 37837 Rock Haven Road, Cohasset, MN 55721. Phone: (800) 290-6458, Fax: (800) 398-6530, Email: sales@cutsforth.com
The Mark Baker Company
4124 Quebec Avenue N
Minneapolis, MN 55427
mbakadv@usfamily.net
Mark Baker: (763) 537-7540
Cutsforth Products Inc.
37837 Rock Haven Road
Cohasset, MN 55721
dave@cutsforth.com
Steve Thompson: (800) 290-6458 ext29
