Gulf Marine and Industrial supplies, Inc. closes its doors, then new company emerges into the pump market.

Entering the pumps industry in the competitive marketplace of the 21^st Century is exciting but it’s certainly not without challenges, especially during a pandemic. After spending two decades selling pneumatic pumps in the ship supply industry, we saw the value that was brought to market. We then decided it was time to start a new company specifically geared toward our pumps.

We launched Air Industrial Works last year to a very warm welcome from vendors, customers, and others in the industry. Every day we meet new people and are seeing relationships form that we hope will grow stronger in the years to come. Our primary product are various air-operated double diaphragm (AODD) pumps, although we offer a supplemental range of pneumatic tools and equipment. Thanks to our decades of success in this sector, we are very optimistic about the future of Air Industrial Works.

Prior to cofounding the company, I worked in the ship supply market for a number of years. There, I gained hands-on experience with various aspects of technical industrial supplies. Then continuing my education at Emporia State University, while also developing my own disciplines of prototype and website design.

My business partner has even greater expertise. He started on the marine side and was ultimately operations manager and superintendent of a bulk carrier fleet based in Greece. He then moved on to Gulf Marine & Industrial Supplies, Inc. (“Gulf Marine”), a family-owned ship supply company based in the US, eventually becoming President, while growing the company from one location and $12 million in business to four locations and $ 40 million in revenue. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MsC in Shipping, Trade & Finance.

We met at the ship supply company where we collaborated for many years and where we grew to know each other well. We have a similar work ethic and, therefore, felt confident that we would each stop at nothing to ensure that our new venture would be successful.

As we embark on this journey, the industry at large has opened its arms to us in many ways. We have been encouraged to dig into the details before scaling up too fast and to focus our energies on finding solutions. The pump industry is very broad, with multi-faceted applications, so the only way for a budding company to learn everything is to immerse itself in all aspects of the business.

Fortunately, having a strong background in industrial supplies and equipment, is helpful when it comes to scaling up on technical issues. The deeper I dive into various aspects of each sub-category of pumps, the more knowledgeable I become about all aspects. The long nights of studying the specifics of the oil and gas, construction, and the chemical industries proved to be very interesting, and helped bolster my understanding of the pump industry at large.

The goal is to find information that can help us help our clients. Discovering solutions for our clients is where the excitement comes in. It’s also humbling to be starting a new company during a global pandemic when so many others are being forced to shut down. Knowing how fragile the economy is, we must use all our talents and abilities.

In all those years of working for others, we saw that everyone was overpricing their products, forcing clients to pay too much. We saw an opportunity to offer high quality products at affordable prices. When working for Gulf Marine we were selling to bulk carriers, tankers, containers, LPGs, and LNGs. After all this experience in dealing with sophisticated international clientele, we are confident our products will hit the other markets with the same encouraging results.

Teryair Equipment Pvt. Ltd. (“Teryair”), the manufacture whom we work with, has 50 years of experience in pneumatics research and design. Through Gulf Marine, we have had a 20-year track record and have nothing but high praise for the quality of their work and their customer service support. They are an invaluable asset and a bedrock of support and encouragement. They have a highly skilled team of engineers working to continuously enhance their designs while also offering third-party design work to a global network of customers including US fortune five hundred companies.

While Teryair is a long term highly regarded player in the industry with multiple product lines, as a new player in the field, we needed to focus on a product for which there was high demand. Air-operated double diaphragm pumps met this criterion as they are vital to many industries. These industries include oil and gas (upstream, midstream, and downstream), chemical, marine, paints and coatings, food and beverage, paper, electronics, automotive, sewage and water.

As a company we continue to strive to learn and stand ready to take on new markets with innovative ideas and solutions. We constantly receive guidance from a variety of industry connections who generously take the time to invest in a relationship with us and educate us on industry idiosyncrasies. Fortunately, we have certain individuals and firms that can be counted on for collaboration and insight when needed.

Like everyone who starts a new company, we are on a mission to succeed. It hasn’t been smooth sailing by any means, but we are determined to overcome any hurdle. At each roadblock, we must always find a way to keep going. This is our mindset as we soar into the future with new clients domestically and abroad. By offering high-quality products, at affordable prices, we are enthusiastic about being able to make a meaningful impact, a win/win in the market.