A fleet of 24 MWI pumps and John Deere power units will help flood-weary provinces in Thailand.
PowerSource -Volume 1, 2013 – A publication of John Deere Power Systems
When Thailand was in need of pumping units for flood control, the government looked beyond its border and found the best solution in a set of hydraulically driven MWI pumps powered by John Deere engines.
MWI Corporation of Deerfield Beach, Florida, shipped 24 axial-flow pumps and hydraulic power units to Thailand to work in regions of the country where flooding has been an ongoing problem. Sixty-five of Thailand’s 77 provinces were declared disaster zones
in 2011, and additional flooding plagued the country in 2012.
The skid-mounted hydraulic power units include a John Deere engine and Funk pump drive supplied by Flint Power Systems of Albany, Georgia. Marc Boudet, MWI’s vice president of sales and administration, says the order had to arrive in Thailand in 90 days, and he applauds Flint Power for quick delivery on such a sizeable order. “They delivered the engines in about four weeks; that’s an awesome turnaround, he says. “Other (competitive) engine suppliers normally have a 75- to 90-day delivery. Flint Power accommodates us, works well with us, and provides us with good service.”
Quality John Deere service also extends into Asia. Boudet says the availability of parts and service in Thailand is just one of the reasons why John Deere engines and Funk pump drives were chosen for the overseas shipment. “John Deere has a network of dealers in Thailand, and the availability of service and parts over there was a deciding factor for us,” he says.
There are other qualities that make John Deere engines a good choice overseas. He says the engines are user-friendly. “John Deere also builds no-nonsense engines. They’re quite easy to operate. The operation and maintenance manuals are well-written for the layman to run the engine. It’s also easy to train people overseas who don’t have formal training in operating an engine. It’s simple to start and maintain — and they last.”
Boudet knows that from his years of experience working at MWI. John Deere engines have powered MWI pumps for nearly 30 years. Some of the first John Deere powered pumps built in 1983 are still operating today, he says. Currently the company uses the complete line of John Deere engines ranging from 2.4L to 13.5L engine models. “We use John Deere engines more than any other engine brand. Our rental division is exclusively John Deere-powered.”
What engine characteristic is most important to Boudet? Trust. “When flood waters are rising and you walk out and push that button, you need it to start. The performance of the John Deere engines has been fantastic. If an engine works like you expect, great; when it works better than expected, that’s just icing
on the cake.”