RPM Industries: Local Manufacturing
Identifying the Essential Problem
We often take for granted how easy it is to change the oil in our cars. 15 minutes and a few steps are all you need to complete the task on your personal vehicle. This is, of course, not the case for large construction equipment. Multiply the amount of oil needed for your car by 10 or even 100 times and consider that an oil change must be completed while the equipment’s engine is hot. To further complicate the matter, these engines run non-stop and the oil changes sometimes need to be done weekly and in the field — outside of a clean and organized shop. These complicated circumstances result in a dirty, dangerous, and time-consuming procedure, but also represent an essential problem for a huge industry.
Designing a Sleek Solution
Since 1985, RPM Industries, based in southwestern Pennsylvania’s Washington County, has been solving this problem with their OEM products. RPM’s products allow equipment operators to bring the 15-minute oil change out of the garage onto the construction site. Saving an enormous amount of time and money, RPM products extend the life of equipment and allow for more environmentally-friendly handling and recycling of used oil.
The success of RPM’s Oil Evacuation products paved the way for the company’s foundation, but their innovative spirit is what has allowed RPM to grow. While continuously improving and making their oil-evacuation products compatible with more diesel engines, RPM developed a pre-lube system which reduces engine wear by 60% and dramatically increases the life of equipment.
Until recently, RPM had been almost entirely focused on diesel engines for large construction equipment. Until last year, when RPM decided to innovate again and apply their transformative technology to an even bigger problem: large diesel generators used for emergency power. These engines are stationary, often in hard to reach locations (like hospital rooftops) and their functionality is often life-sustaining.
Scaling an Innovative Iteration
RPM scaled up their oil evacuation system so that it now fits in a mobile, tow-behind trailer. The trailer contains pumps, hoses, and Department of Transportation-approved storage containers that make it easy to pull up to a facility, pump out waste oil, and pump in fresh oil without spilling a drop or exposing anyone to hazardous working conditions. The trailer makes oil changes so easy that a single trailer can service a number of generators spread throughout a large geographic area all in a single day. By introducing such a revolutionary product, RPM has opened up the possibility for partnerships with massive, global corporations and a whole new service-side to their business.
Reaching the Next Stage of Scale
Scalable Innovation Adoption Program Grant
In 2019, Innovation Works (IW) was pleased to support this project with an Innovation Adoption Program (IAP) Grant via IW’s Scalable Program. IW provided reimbursement for expenses RPM incurred while developing their first round of trailers field-tested by a pilot customer. These expenses included RPM employee labor dedicated to the project, equipment and material expenses, and contract manufacturing expenses for subcomponents of the trailer.
RPM has successfully field-tested several trailers with a very satisfied pilot customer, and they are now moving on to the next stage of production. It has been a joy to work with RPM on such a textbook example of Scalable Innovation occurring right here in southwestern Pennsylvania.
