By employing Dixon’s intake manifolds, a Well Services company overcame catastrophic failures to its hydraulic fracturing fluid-ends, preventing costly operational downtime and repairs.

The situation:

Hydraulic fracturing operations are intense and time critical. The need for continuous and uninterrupted flow from the myriad high-pressure pump units within the “hot zone” near the well head allows little room for equipment failures.

As vice president of sales and marketing at Dixon, Scott Jones is tasked with promoting the company’s products to a global marketplace. One of Dixon’s most significant advantages over the competition, he says, is the company’s longtime emphasis on educating its distributor customers on how to properly assemble, use and re-sell its products. “We really look at training as being one of the key differentiators that we can provide to our distributors,” says Jones, who has worked at Dixon for more than 30 years. “It’s a priority for me.”

Hydraulic flow can be defined as the volume of fluid that flows through a surface area during a specific period of time. Sounds straightforward, right? Well, it turns out there’s more to it than meets the eye. In this post, we will explain the basics and offer several solutions to overcome the challenges you may have faced in your applications. 

What makes a specialty contractor special? As opposed to a general contractor, a specialty contractor is someone who concentrates on one particular area of construction, such as plasterwork, site preparation, plumbing, or electrical work. Specialty contractors are often hired by general contractors and project managers for a certain level of expertise on the worksite. Many specialty contractors have received extensive training in their field of practice and must be licensed in the state in which they work. You are likely familiar with a variety of specialty contractors, but here are five that may be new to you:

The construction industry is constantly evolving. New technologies, consumer demand, availability and cost of raw materials, and the economy at large all play a role in influencing the field from one year to the next. So, what’s in store for the months ahead? We asked Dixon Regional Sales Manager Chris Jarman to pick a few trends he sees currently shaping the industry.

The world’s most popular chicken nugget, McDonald’s Chicken McNugget, was introduced in 1983, and comes in 4 standard shapes: the bell, boot, ball, and bone. Next time you order from the drive through, take a look in the box and see if you can find all 4 shapes.

Food safety is the highest priority for consumers and producers alike. When you think of food production, stainless steel may not be something that typically comes to mind, but perhaps it should. 

Stainless steel plays a crucial part in the production and safety of our food. In the food processing industry, stainless steel is used throughout the entire process from harvesting, handling, and storing, to cooking and serving. About 200,000 tons of stainless steel is used each year by the food processing industry in North America alone.

To be recognized as stainless steel, the composition must have a minimum of 10.5% chromium content by mass and a maximum of 1.2% carbon by mass. 

Fact: every single person in the world relies on the food and beverage industry.

No pressure, right?

With the population growing quickly and many consumers living fast-paced lifestyles, the food and beverage (“F&B”) industry must constantly adapt to become more energy efficient, globally sustainable, cost efficient, and health conscious. The food and beverage industry includes every aspect of a food or beverage’s production, from how its ingredients are obtained, to how it is processed, distributed, or consumed, and everything in between. One thing remains the same in this industry - consumers want their foods and beverages faster, safer, and cheaper.

Here’s our list of the top 7 F&B trends for 2019:

Above: Apprentices, steering committee members and the on-the-job trainers for Dixon’s competency-based, Maryland state recognized program.

It’s a common story these days that many manufacturers find it difficult to recruit talent with the technical skills necessary for today’s modern plant. Dixon is working toward a solution. By implementing its own CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machinist apprenticeship program, the company is now able to grow a highly trained workforce from within.

Quick disconnect fittings provide a convenient and efficient way to connect and disconnect fluid lines. Used across a myriad of industries and available in multiple sizes and types, misapplication of quick disconnects will cause problems if not used properly. Here, we outline five conditions under which quick disconnects are bound to fail and suggest a better solution for each application.