Hydraulic Rotary Actuator Leader Appoints Chief Operating Officer to Manage Day-to-Day Operations

Seattle, WA – September 11, 2007

Helac Corporation, a worldwide leader in the design and production of helical, hydraulic rotary actuators since 1978, announced the appointment of Bill Power to the position of Chief Operating Officer. In this newly created position, Power will oversee day-to-day operations of both product divisions, hydraulic rotary actuators for OEM applications and construction equipment attachments. He will be responsible for providing outstanding customer service, profit and loss, protecting corporate assets and developing a strong team of managers.

Power brings 30 years of experience in the fluid handling industry, including 16 years as the General Manager for Parker Hannifin Corporation in their Zenith Pump and Hydraulic Pump/Motor Divisions. He has sold directly to OEMs and distributors in mobile markets such as agriculture, construction, ground care, forestry and aerial workplatform throughout Europe, Asia and South America. During his tenure at Parker Hannifin, Power was responsible for turning the Zenith Pump Division from loss to profit his first year as General Manager and then achieving and maintaining a 15 percent return on sales. He achieved 45 percent growth over a five year period for Parker’s Hydraulic Pump/Motor Division. He also increased the volume of international sales for Parker in Europe and Asia to 30 percent from virtually nothing. Power’s past successes and vision for Helac stem from the same business approach – a focus on taking care of the customer first and developing quality technologies to meet customer demand.

"We couldn’t have found a better candidate than Bill to manage Helac’s day-to-day operations. He brings both entrepreneurial and executive leadership skills, has worked extensively in our fluid power industry, and has had many tangible successes in his career that he can use to further drive Helac’s growth and leadership position," states Dean Weyer, President for Helac Corporation. "In addition to his results-driven career, Bill has a great combination of curiosity, drive and openness to ideas that will help Helac achieve his vision for growing Helac’s business and customer satisfaction."

Power’s vision for servicing Helac’s customers includes training and hiring a high performance team, understanding the customer’s needs, and paying close attention to all details related to customer satisfaction -- on-time delivery, product quality and cost effectiveness. He audits all operational results on a daily basis to ensure the permanence of change. Power also plans to spend an average of 30 percent of his time in the field visiting with customers to better understand their needs.

• On-time Delivery
  • Power’s goal at Helac is a 95 percent on-time delivery target with one to two weeks for lead time. He has historically decreased lead times to one week for custom-made products with a 93 to 95 percent on-time delivery achievement.

• Product Quality
  • Quality for Powers begins with the design of the product. He also uses a variety of modern quality techniques to ensure customer satisfaction, including advanced quality planning, failure mode analysis, statistical process control and root cause analysis.

• Cost Competitive
  • Implementing effective continuous improvement systems and an international supply chain is Power’s approach to offering innovative products at an exceptional value. Helac will continue to utilize lean tools such as value-stream mapping, pull systems, material flow, setup reduction and cell work balancing.

"Helac Corporation impressed me from the start with their compact and powerful hydraulic rotary technology and potential for growth. I plan to leverage these assets and focus on becoming each of our customer’s number one supplier through customer responsiveness, on-time delivery and product quality," states Bill Power, Chief Operating Officer for Helac Corporation. "If we service our customers well and run a lean organization, our business as well as our customers’ will naturally grow in turn."

Power earned his Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University in Boston, Massachusetts and his Bachelor’s of Science degree from University Carabobo in Venezuela.

A leader in the fluid power industry for over 30 years, Helac Corporation manufactures a comprehensive line of hydraulic rotary actuators for OEMs and attachments for the construction equipment industry. Helac rotary actuators are best known for their tremendous torque output, compact dimensions, exceptional load bearing capability and rugged, reliable performance. Helac PowerTilt and PowerGrip, two specialty products, increase the utilization of backhoes and excavators. Over 1,000 worldwide customers in diverse markets depend on Helac’s product line to provide product quality, reliability, ease of use and durability.