Hidden hose opportunities

Conducting plant surveys for customers can lead to increased sales

by Larry Lehners

With the proliferation of companies that sell hoses — including hose specialists, general-line distributors that sell hose as a sideline and companies that specialize in integrated supply — it’s a challenge to uncover new sales opportunities. One way to separate your company from the pack is by adding extra value through a plant survey.

The survey helps customers identify if they have the right hose for the right application. For example, it’s not unusual to see an operator put fuel or some exotic chemical through an air hose. A Gates field rep recently saw an end-user use a radiator hose as a return line on a hydraulic system (and then wonder why it didn’t work). Of course, it was the wrong hose for the application.

Another customer may say, “It’s just an air hose.” But air hose can be used in many different ways, even in air service. For example, is the hose a stationary connection between two valves? Is it dragged through chemicals? Does it hang from a three-story building? Air hose can be used in many ways, and depending how it’s used, there are a multitude of air hoses. The same applies to other hose types.

Sometimes a customer uses a hose correctly, but it’s a gross overkill for the application. For example, an operator might use a reinforced hose with a minimum burst pressure of 20,000 psi when a hose rated 12,000 psi would do. Or, an end-user may think it’s normal for a hose to fail in six months, when another hose might last six years.

Customers often can’t or won’t take the time to study what to use in an application. A plant survey can position you to identify and correct such problems. Doing so can uncover new sales opportunities.

Here are some tips for conducting on-site plant surveys for customers.

Bring an expert
Most plant surveys don’t require plant personnel to be present. Whether you can do it alone depends on your involvement in industrial hose. Some distributors employ people who are every bit as capable, if not more, than some factory reps who call on them. If you don’t have expertise, contact your hose factory representative for help.

Unless a plant is being remodeled, plant surveys are necessary only every two or three years. It may take two people — one to observe and one to record the information — and up to two weeks to complete a survey in large plants. A small plant could be done in an hour, but isn’t recommended because there’s not much sales potential. In that case, it’s better to conduct the survey over the phone.

During the survey, record your observations on a written or computerized form. Describe the application and location. Record what hose they’re currently using and recommend a better hose for the service if necessary.

What follows are the basic kinds of industrial hose to look for in a typical plant environment:

Air hose. For efficient handling of air and compressed air in industrial applications. These hoses can be used for air tools, air drills, air and vapor ducts, air lines, and so on.

Water hose. Designed to transport water (but not recommended for use as vibration dampers or in closed water systems). Applications include water suction, water discharge, cleanup and general-purpose water usage.

Steam hose. A very specialized hose used to convey wet-saturated steam, dry-saturated steam and super-heated steam.

Materials-handling hose. These hoses are specially designed to handle a wide variety of bulk commodities. Applications include beverage and food, sand suction, dredge sleeves, cement, plaster, vacuum, sand blast, fish handling, grains and flour.

Acid and chemical hose. These hoses are built to withstand the corrosive effects of caustic, acidic, oxidizing or chlorinated liquids and toxic substances.

Petroleum transfer hose. To handle fuel oil, liquid petroleum gases, hot asphalt, gasoline and diesel fuel.

What to watch for
No matter what type hose, it should be visually inspected and pressure-tested at regular intervals. This is especially important for hose in critical applications, such as acid/chemical, steam and petroleum. Look for kinks, bulges, soft spots, loose areas, abrasions and cuts. Recommend replacing any hose where the hose reinforcement is exposed.

Review the customer’s hoses and applications, making sure hoses aren’t experiencing excessive pressure spikes or surges above the hose’s maximum-rated working pressure. Recommend replacing those that exceed the rating.

Watch for hose bent to the point of kinking. Recommend bend restrictors at the coupling. If you notice excessive wear in one spot, suggest adding an extra protective cover such as a nylon sleeve or pad to avoid cover wear-through. As a general rule, make the cover slightly longer than the hose to compensate for pressure-induced changes in hose length during use.

If you find kinked or crushed hose, immediately remove it from service and have it inspected and tested before it is returned to service. Replace any hose with a reduction in diameter of 20 percent or more.

Because of the potential for serious injury, preventing steam hose failure is especially important. If your customer is not doing so already, advise them to always drain steam hose when it’s not in use, since the tube may absorb water still in the hose. When the hose is reheated but still under low pressure, this absorbed water may change to steam and “popcorn,” or expand and explode in the tube, which will weaken and eventually destroy a hose.

To extend the shelf life of new hose by about five years, your customer can take the following steps:

Store the hose in its original packing container or crate, out of direct sunlight.

Avoid extreme temperatures and exposure to ozone or direct heat.

If hose is shipped in coils, lay coils flat on the shelf. Hose shipped straight should be stored straight.

Document your findings
Following the plant survey, take the time to document your findings and present them to your customer. Where possible, indicate the dollars saved by substituting a higher quality, longer-lasting product; the hours saved by replacing a hose before failure forces downtime; and other productivity improvements. Even if you conduct the survey at no cost to your customer, indicate the value of the service provided.

A good plant survey takes time to plan and implement. But marketed properly, conducting a plant survey is a value-added distributor service that can pay dividends in added sales opportunities.

Larry Lehnerz is a senior field engineer with The Gates Rubber Company of Denver. For more information on industrial hoses, visit the company’s Web site at www.gates.com.

This article originally appeared in the September/October '99 issue of Progressive Distributor. Copyright 1999.

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