User:Daman1199/Thompson Pump and Manufacturing Company

About
Thompson Pump & Manufacturing is a pump manufacturer in Port Orange, FL. Thompson Pump specializes in the development of high quality engine-powered portable pumps, ranging in size from 2”-18”. We combat demanding applications in the areas of – construction, by-pass, dewatering, public works, municipalities, mining, sewer/lift stations, water/wastewater and agriculture. The company sells and rents their entire line of dewatering pumps including wet and dry prime trash pumps, rotary and piston wellpoint pumps, sound attenuated models, diaphragm pumps, hydraulic submersible pumps, and high pressure pumps as well as bypass systems, wellpoint systems and a complete line of pumping accessories.

History
Founded in Port Orange, Florida in 1970 by George A. Thompson and his sons, Bill and George Jr., Thompson Pump and Manufacturing presently serves the pumping and dewatering needs of more than 3,000 national and international clients. The company’s clients represent such industries as underground utility, road building, heavy construction and remediation, as well as mining, industrial, and agricultural operations; municipalities, the military and other government agencies. Thompson serves these clients with a fully developed distribution network for sales, rental, service and parts, including several company-owned support centers.

Beginnings
Back in 1970, the Thompson’s had no idea how successful the company would become. At the time, George Sr. had extensive experience in the pump and dewatering industries, and had worked on numerous large projects before starting the company. George Sr. put his mechanical aptitude to work and was soon inventing and patenting pump products that earned the company a reputation for innovation. The Vacuum Underdrain Pipe was one such product — used to make shallow dewatering more efficient. With Bill handling administrative, accounting and management duties, and George, Jr. taking charge of operations, George, Sr. was off digging up new business and developing new products. Growth was fast and furious but they and the growing team were up to the challenge. During that fast growth period, Thompson Pump manufactured and introduced lines of wet prime trash pumps, high pressure jet pumps and uniquely designed diaphragm pumps. In 1973, Thompson adapted the rotary pump to the dewatering industry for the first time. The rotary pump proved to be so efficient at wellpoint dewatering that Thompson quickly became the market leader. In 1977, Thompson introduced its own version of vacuum-assisted pumps, which allowed standard pumps to prime without filling the pump with water first, and to reach higher heads for demanding applications. Also, the company added in-house component and part manufacturing during this period.

Expansion
After establishing its headquarters and factory in Port Orange on 2 acres of land, Thompson began purchasing property and opening branches in other strong pump markets. In 1975, the first branch operation outside Florida was opened in Goldsboro, NC on 12 acres of land. Florence, MS followed (1978) to take advantage of major projects with the city of Jackson, several central MS counties and the Army Corps of Engineers. Unfortunately, the unprecedented success of the late 1970s was bittersweet when George Jr., then company vice president, died in 1979 at the age of 25. With its resolve restored, the company maintained its commitment to growth in the 1980s. Additional branches opened in Chesapeake, VA (1982) to expand northward; Pensacola, FL (1983) to cover the FL panhandle and gulf areas; Ravenel, SC (1984) to provide a greater presence in the Carolinas; Sarasota, FL (1986) and West Palm Beach, FL (1989) to reach the coastal Florida areas. Several branch sites increased the size of their facilities to more than 5,000 square feet. The Port Orange headquarters also was doubled in size during that time. New land was purchased and a building was constructed to house accounting and administrative offices. Product innovation continued in the 1980’s with the introduction of Thompson’s hydraulic power units with submersible pump ends for high head applications, such as mine or quarry dewatering. Continuing expansion of the Thompson pump line also attracted the attention of equipment distributors across the country, and Thompson established a strong national network of dealers and rental centers. Many of those distributors are still active with Thompson today.

Today
Thompson Pump has many diverse lines of high quality pumps, available in sizes from 2 to 16 inches. They include wet prime trash pumps, dry prime trash pumps with compressor-assisted or vacuum-assisted priming systems, sound attenuated trash pumps, hydraulic power units with submersible pump ends, diaphragm pumps, rotary wellpoint pumps and high pressure jet pumps. With these different types of pumps, as well as a full complement of accessory hoses and piping, Thompson can offer the proper pump and system for any application. In addition, Thompson provides engineering services and special applications consulting for complicated wellpoint, bypass or multiple pump systems; and offers thorough pump and dewatering education and training through its Pumpology® courses.

Arctic KnightTM
In 2006, Thompson Pump debuted the Arctic Knight™ cold weather pump package at the 2006 WEFTEC show. The Arctic Knight is a simple and reliable cold weather package which allows a diesel-driven pump to be used in climates as cold as -40°F. The system eliminates the traditional problems of operating pumps in cold climates such as frozen liquids in the pump, cracked pump housings, and engine starting problems. The package also eliminates the need for expensive and often unreliable accessory items such as block heaters, fuel heaters, and glow plugs. [1]

ENVIROPRIME®
Thompson Pump created a solution for unfortunate byproducts of the dewatering industry like sewage, debris and chemical discharge with the Enviroprime® system. This priming system prevents blowby — sewage, debris and chemicals — from discharging onto the ground, keeping the surrounding environment clean and safe. Even when simply rerouting stormwater, spillage will not happen. The Enviroprime uses an air compressor to separate air from water moving through the pump, which prevents the pump’s venturi from clogging and causing a shutdown. With the air escaping separately, the fluid can continue through the pump without any unwanted blow-by discharge. The separation cycle is continuous. Ideal for high-lift situations (up to 28 feet), the Enviroprime also has the ability to pump liquids containing solids up to 3 inches in diameter, as well as sand and mud in suspension. [2]

Recent Projects
It has become common to see Thompson’s pumps on some of the largest and most challenging projects in the world. Whether the job requires cleaning up an oil spill in Alaska, raising a submarine in the Atlantic[3] moving an east coast lighthouse, fighting western fires, controlling floods in the Midwest, Helping with post-Katrina recovery in New Orleans[4], handling an irrigation project in Africa or dealing with a tragic disaster in New York, Thompson Pump is there.

Emergency Response
Thompson Pump is a 30-year veteran in disaster relief having facilitated cleanup efforts with the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the World Trade Center collapse, several flooded areas in the Midwest and hurricane damaged areas in the Southeast. In 2005, Shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast region Thompson Pump announced the mobilization of their Emergency Response Team (ERT) to provide pumping equipment, supplies and manpower to Gulf Coast areas devastated by the Hurricane. Initial concentration was focused on flooding relief in the New Orleans and coastal Mississippi areas, but other operations included getting hospitals, wastewater treatment plants, water plants, power generation facilities and refineries up and running. The ERT called on all 18 company-wide branch locations, distributors and dealers to provide pumps and equipment. Locations as far away as Kansas City, Kan., and Providence, R.I., answered that call and on Monday, September 6, 2005 23 pumps filled with diesel fuel, and more than 3,000 feet of galvanized pipe were sent to New Orleans. Thompson Pump, working with Cajun Contractors from Baton Rouge, La., provided 18 12-inch centrifugal dry-priming pumps, one 20-inch pump, two 24-inch pumps and two 18-inch pumps. Approximately 100-200 feet of discharge hose were sent with each to allow for quick setup so the pumps could begin working immediately.

New York City Waterfalls
Thompson Pump was recently selected to participate in the New York City Waterfalls Project in 2008 [2]

Training
In 2005, Thompson Pump held their inaugural Pumpology school at their Port Orange, FL branch. Thompson Pump's Pumpology School [6] has gained a national reputation as the authority on specifying, managing, training, and maintaining pumps and pumping equipment. The school is an in-depth, multi-day training session where industry leaders from Thompson Pump provide students with insights in hydraulics and physics, engineering formulas and product information enabling them to create unique solutions for their customers' pumping problems upon completion.