Central Power Systems & Services Grows, Looks to Expand
(This article appeared in the January 2007 issue of Outlook Business Journal)

Aside from recognizing the distinct Detroit Diesel sign sitting atop a tall post on the outskirts of East 10th Street, the average Joe doesn't know much about Central Power Systems & Services. But the Great Bend branch of Central Power Systems is more than a local business with a unique sign. It manufactures and services Detroit Diesel engines nationwide and its business has expanded greatly in the last 15 years, increasing from just eight employees then to 30 employees today.

Engine Overhaul - Shawn Littrel works on an 8V-71 cylinder head in the rebuilding department of the Great Bend's Central Power Systems. The rebuild area expanded greatly when the Great Bend branch became the hub for the company. "We're priced competitively and we have a competitive warranty so our engines end up all over the United States," said Pringle. In the early '90s, Great Bend's branch had two employees providing rebuild service, now it has seven. It went from rebuilding four or five engines a month back then to now rebuilding about 14 a month," said Pringle.

"I think a lot of people drive by here and wonder what goes on here," said Central Power branch manager Steve Pringle. "The overall public awareness of what we do here, you'd be surprised at how many people say, 'I had no idea you did all this.'"

Great Bend's operation is one of eight locations that the company maintains with five of them in Kansas, two in Missouri and one in Oklahoma. The Great Bend branch serves as the primary hub for rebuilding Detroit Diesel two-cycle engines.

Industries that utilize diesel engines rely on Central Power Systems for manufacturing and servicing their engines, pumps, and generators. Much of the company's business comes from the oil field, farm production and the trucking industry, but it also builds, installs and services generators for hospitals, fire stations, salt mines, and other operations that rely on stand-by power. Additionally, Central Power Systems maintains a fleet of rental generators, albeit most of them from the Great Bend branch have been shipped to Western Kansas to provide power following the recent blizzard that blanketed the region and knocked out electrical power. Great Bend's branch also provides field service with three trucks to maintain the engines it manufactures and rebuilds.

Powerful Pump - Pictured is the completed fabrication of the Detroit Diesel 12v2000 MTU DDC power unit that serves as an oil field pump engine. Besides oil field units, Central Power fabricates sand pump engines, hay grinders, and special order pump power. Central Power has built pump unit engines for a multitude of companies and industries from Kansas to the Texas panhandle, said Pringle. The Great Bend branch has increased from one employee doing fabrication to six employees performing that task now and has gone from producing one or two units a month to producing up to seven a month.

Central Power Systems opened its Great Bend doors in the 1950s as GM Diesel in a small, 5,000 square foot building. Ironically, the old building is located on the south side of the street from the business' 25,000 square feet of work space that it has today. For nearly four decades, Great Bend's Central Power Systems experienced modest growth, but 15 years ago, its workforce began to expand dramatically in an attempt to keep up with increased demand from the industry. From eight employees in 1992, the company increased to 18 employees by 2000 and it has progressively expanded its workforce to the 30 employees it has today.

"In the early '90s, we used to build four to five engines a month on the two-cycle rebuild end," explained Pringle, who has been with the company for more than 25 years. Now we're building up to 14 engines a month. On the fabrication side, we used to build one or two of those a month, now we're building seven a month."

Troubleshooter - Central Power Systems and Services employee Shawn Crane works under the hood of a truck on an S-60 Detroit Diesel engine. The Great Bend company has eight truck bays, including two drive-through bays to provide service for its customers. Central Power's new addition customer service network, called WheelTime, is a move by the company to provide less downtime for the customer with better communication between the technician and the customer.

There is so much production work in fact that Pringle said his branch would hire four diesel engine technicians immediately if they came to the branch trained and experienced.

"We need them, both in the truck shop and the rebuild area and we'd hire them on the spot," said Pringle. "We're looking for guys you can give a job order to when jobs come in and they are able to diagnose and fix problems."

He acknowledged that the shortage for trained technicians is nationwide, however, and quoted sources saying that for every three technicians retiring today only one is entering the workforce.

Also because of the growth, Pringle said the local company is searching for a qualified production foreman for its two-cycle rebuild area and it's looking to hire an experienced parts department manager.

Even with the hiring road-block for qualified employees, Central power Systems is on the move to expand its operation. The company has implemented WheelTime, a customer service network, comprised of 36 distributors representing 220 service locations that are dedicated to the percentage of time customer equipment is available in the field. Related to that quality-service endeavor, Central Power Systems this year introduced its All-Makes program that entails keeping a large inventory of standard truck parts to help service the area trucking industry. Pringle said the company made a substantial investment with the purchase of parts like brake chambers, clutches, starters, alternators, and other standard truck parts.

Generator Line - Shown on the grounds of Central Power Systems, Great Bend, are six 350kw generators in a line. These generators are used in the oil field and are part of the company's in-stock inventory. "Two-and-a-half years ago, some of the things I thought we'd be doing don't compare to what we are doing now," said Pringle. "Things are a lot larger than what I thought we'd be doing. We're doing things on a larger scale and we're doing a lot more of them!"

"We have a lot of different things in the works," said Pringle. "Really, some of the hold-up is finding the qualified people to help take it to the next level because we are looking to expand."

To find out more about Central Power Systems & Services, access its Web site at www.cpower.com.