Dixon opens Innovation Center
Dixon, a manufacturer and supplier of hose fittings and accessories, announced the opening of the Dixon Innovation Center.
Located in Chestertown, Md., the 12,000 sq. ft. facility will focus on developing new products and solutions for Dixon’s industrial and specialty market segments including petrochemical, construction, fire prevention and suppression, food and beverage, mining, and pharmaceutical processing.
The Center is dedicated to Howard W. Goodall, founder of Dixon, and his son Richard B. Goodall, who collectively led the company from 1916 to 1994.
“We are structuring the activities of the new Innovation Center around the needs of our customers. And this customer-centric focus is a hallmark of our company that goes right back to our early leaders,” said Bob Grace, Dixon president.
Dick Goodall, current CEO and grandson of the company's founder, said the Innovation Center will carry on the tradition begun by the company's early leaders. “My grandfather and father set the foundation for the company. Both men were great innovators and motivators,” he said.
Jim Shifrin, Center Director, leads the staff of product development engineers and technical support personnel. Research, development and testing functions include prototype product design and manufacturing, application-specific testing, and competitor product benchmarking. To support these functions the Center houses technologically advanced machine tools, testing equipment and computer-aided design using SolidWorks modeling and simulation.
In addition, the Innovation Center conducts training sessions for Dixon distributors and end-users in an interactive training facility that can serve groups up to 75 people. Training topics include sessions on fluid and dry material transfer applications, industrial hose coupling workshops and specific market segment training. Programs designed for small and large groups – including general and custom courses – are part of the training options offered.
According to Scott Jones, vice president of sales and marketing, one key mission of the Innovation Center is to be a resource where global customers can collaborate with Dixon engineers on proprietary projects. “We’ve always encouraged customers to share the challenges they face pertaining to specific application needs. We’re now taking this to a new level of support by working side-by-side with customer personnel, here at the Center, to come up with strong solutions,” he said.
Bill Harr, Dixon’s global marketing director, said the Dixon Innovation Center fulfills an important industry need. “To the best of our knowledge, other hose coupling manufacturers haven’t made this degree of commitment to continuing innovation in developing coupling product solutions that improve processes, productivity and safety. Our Innovation Center does just that. We’re providing expertise, training, information and answers. For many of our customers, the Center effectively serves as an extension of their own technical area,” he said.
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