When a group of Chicago entrepreneurs put their heads together to form a simple pump shop, they had no guarantees of their dream, other than their dedication to satisfy their customers. That was 53 years ago.
Today, Hydro is a solutions-oriented provider of engineering expertise, pump repair and support services to clientele in power generation, oil and gas and other industries globally.
The division, HydroTex, represents three of Hydro’s nine U.S. service centers:
• Dynamics (NW Houston) — Opened in 1979. Dynamics is 40,000 square feet. It has the ability to manufacture impellers with proprietary-milled vane technology.
• La Porte (Deer Park) — Opened in 2001. It specializes in split-case repairs and other API pumps and is 30,000 square feet. It has a 30-ton crane capacity to handle any size pump.
• Golden Triangle (GT) (Beaumont) — Opened in 2008. It specializes in quick turn repairs and is 26,000 square feet. GT was built to support pump users in Beaumont and the Eastern Gulf Coast. It is home to Hydro Parts Solutions (reverse engineering of any pump component or the entire pump duplication).
“We fix problems so our community can be productive,” said Aaron Johnson, president of HydroTex. “Some of those problems are a routine repair done right. On other occasions, we work hand-in-hand with plant staffs to solve problems that have been plaguing them for years. That could involve equipment redesign to meet new performance objectives, solving long time vibration resonance issues, designing pump hydraulics from scratch to avoid costly piping changes or even root cause analysis to prevent future failures.”
Johnson, a 25-year industry vet, joined Hydro in 2019. His first assignment was the successful overhaul of over 200 pumps at a refinery to be recommissioned. His next role was to rebuild a customer-first culture intended by company founder, George Harris. Johnson said, focusing on giving the customer exactly what they want has led to HydroTex’s 66-percent growth in 2022 over 2019 sales. During the same period, Hydro’s total number of customers has grown by 29 percent.
HydroTex’s roster of clients are from all major industries including oil and gas, chemical and power. Some customers send pumps in every week, while others with fewer pumps need services every three to five years. Some of its bigger customers, he said, send pumps in every week, while others may only need services every three to five years.
Customer focus drives world’s largest independent pump rebuilder
Aaron Johnson, president of HydroTex, stands before a picture of company founder, George Harris.
A good indicator of customer loyalty, he said, is “we have friends in the industry that have been personally working with us throughout our careers, and we enjoy expanding that base.”
“There was a period prior to 2019 that La Porte lost its focus on meeting customer needs. Since then, we overhauled the leadership and culture back to the true Hydro standard set by Mr. Harris. Business has doubled in size — several times over. We are currently staffing for a 25-50 percent growth rate next year,” he said.
HydroTex’s quality workmanship and team of engineers allows it to redefine and redesign pumping equipment — start to finish.
Problems can be corrected across the entire pump-life cycle. Hydro helps address:
• Equipment Fit — Adjusting the pump to match best efficiency point to the system need
• Operation — Helping plants put good operating practice in place through system reviews, technical assistance and personnel training
• Maintenance — Working with plants on correct maintenance practice between repairs, as well as performing the repairs properly through detailed inspection, extensive procedures and correctly applied engineering support
• Reliability — Partnering with the plants to use in-shop and in-field engineering analysis (field testing, certified performance test lab, system optimization services, RCA, FEA, CFD and stress/structural/vibration analysis to upgrade pump hydraulics, mechanical design and metallurgical improvement
• Condition Based Maintenance — Achieving rotating-equipment life extension through pump experts remotely monitoring equipment in real time, allowing plants to see failures beforehand to avoid shutdowns, or the best “run or repair” decision to drive profitability
For the long haul, HydroTex strives to live up to its word — “Engineering pumps for better performance and longer life.”
For more information, visit www.hydroinc.com or call (832) 720-8691.
