In this period of uncertainty, no one has been left untouched by COVID-19. It is important—maybe more than ever—to remember that we are here for one another. At O’Keefe Controls Co., we are taking action to address the ongoing needs of our employees and our business so that we may continue to provide the technologies that are so vital to our world. Our leadership has been working tirelessly for our employees, for our customers, and for our community. Below are some of the actions we are taking as an organization.
Providing Our Customers with Innovative Solutions
O’Keefe Controls Co. products and systems are helping with the front-line effort to combat the spread of COVID-19 and support treatment around the world. We have been working with a variety of customers to supply them with precision orifices for ventilator and other breathing equipment to support hospital workers. With the limitations on supply chains we are seeing, we have found innovative ways to be able to assist customers in developing precision orifices that fit the form, function, and performance requirements needed, and which we can manufacture. During these trying times, we want to do what we can to make our country stronger, get products to hospitals faster, and do our part to help save as many lives as possible.
Helping Our Community
In reaction to the shortage of PPE for healthcare workers, O’Keefe Controls Co. has stepped in to utilize our 3D printing capabilities to provide face shields for local area hospitals. Using open-sourced shield designs, engineers at O’Keefe Controls have been iterating through configurations to provide protection to the nurses caring for our community. “Healthcare workers are on the front-lines every day dealing with this crisis, we want to do our part to support them,” says John Butala, VP of Technology & Engineering.
Safeguarding Our Employees
At O’Keefe Controls Co., the health and safety of our employees is our number one priority. As a company that supplies product to the OEMs of the medical community, our employees are essential to providing equipment that is needed to save lives. “We are enormously proud of our employees who have stepped up and have worked tirelessly to deliver technologies used in ventilators to treat those who are sick, while balancing their own safety at this time,” says Patrick O’Keefe, President of O’Keefe Controls.
While we have had no cases of COVID-19 among our workforce, we have taken early and aggressive action to help prevent the spread of the virus in our workplace. Several weeks ago, we installed individual computer stations for each manufacturing employee to check-in and check-out parts. This action eliminated the need for the use of common workstations. Out of an abundance of caution, we have now transitioned to split shifts to further reduce contact and interactions and have implemented factory wipe downs between shifts. With Team A working in the mornings and Team B working in the evenings, O’Keefe Controls is working around the clock to serve our customers.
When a business announces a new branding strategy, there is often a message of change in the air; changes made evident by a slew of things including new logos, tag lines, advertisements, web pages and more. Some branding updates are radical by design to reflect a massive shift in focus for an organization while others are implemented in an effort to bring about a more precise understanding of the company’s true purpose and primary raison d’etre.
Such is the case with recent changes in O’Keefe Controls Co.’s branding, and it is with great pride that we take a few moments to explain what we are communicating with our new mission of precision.
For many years we have been the go-to brand for precision flow control devices. This is not a new piece of news for the vast majority of customers familiar with our name. If there are any constants one can rely upon, it’s our record as a quality manufacturer and engineering resource in flow control. It has been that way for more than four decades. Yet an organization does not ensure a hard-earned leadership role by remaining constant in the way it operates – whether we are discussing production facilities or external communications. And that brings us to what you may have already seen online at www.okeefecontrols.com
This newly redesigned and retooled website is a key component to our communications channel. Designed for today’s fast-paced digital world, the site presents the primary product categories in an easy-to-navigate design that helps engineers find the information they need in a quick, efficient manner essentially applying the concept of precision from the moment they enter the site.
Yes, precision is the core to our new message, so much so that it’s become the cornerstone of our corporate tag line “If it’s about precision, it’s O’Keefe.” It is also a key component within our newly launched advertisements in the leading trade journals such as Flow Control and Hydraulics & Pneumatics which appear in both print and digital formats. In these installments, you will see the statement “Precision flow control demands perfect balance.” Well, that balance can only be achieved when you can prove that you have the quality, repeatability and dependability so vital to effective flow control. That balance takes great effort and even greater intention, and we’re proud to say we’ve got that balance down pat whether we are providing a standard orifice or check valve or a custom solution or package size that’s never been conceived before.
Branding certainly goes deeper than ads and tag lines. For O’Keefe Controls Co. it defines who we are clearly and consistently – reinforcing not only what products and services we offer, but also what our clients, industry peers and local community can expect in their dealings with us. So with that said, we present to you our new vision and precision promise.
Precision: O’Keefe Controls Co.’s customers expect the finest and most precisely machined parts on the market. This will always be our image and primary message, thus our tag line: If it’s about precision, it’s O’Keefe.
Customization: O’Keefe Controls Co. is committed to solving our customers current and future flow control challenges, and we encourage inquiries from customers for custom products. Through rigorous design, development and testing, we ensure the perfect part is created with the exact specifications that will solve our customer’s needs. Special orifice sizes, configurations, and flow specifications are routinely fashioned to keep our customers operating at optimal capacity.
Support: The support we provide to customers is vital to our process. From a detailed review of how the product will be applied, through guidance from a senior technical engineer to 3D modeling, we are with customers every step of the way to insure the design fulfills their exact requirements. Our customer support is paramount to the integrity of the O’Keefe Controls Co. brand.
Familiarity: Founded in 1975, O’Keefe Controls Co. manufactures specialty fluid control products in its Monroe, CT location. The company has been stalwart in the community and the industry, and will continue to provide the community and customers with our support. Our goal is that customers continually return to us due to the quality of our products along with the one-on-one support they expect and receive every time they work with O’Keefe Controls Co., and that they are able to predict with certainty how well the devices will function within their end product.
Lean Enterprise: Lean is the way we approach business. By focusing on continuous process improvement and elimination of waste, we strive to satisfy customer demand in the shortest time possible – at a competitive price and with the highest possible quality. Quality control protocols include stringent inspection and testing, along with continuing analysis of the manufacturing process which seeks improved efficiency. The lean approach allows us to be confident that we are better today than we were yesterday.
At O’Keefe Controls Co., we want to remind you of what we stand for, and though you’re seeing some changes, they are in place to better serve you. Our company has stood behind these values since its founding, and will continue to do so for generations to come.
