HISTORY

Founded in 1978 by Roger Komasa and Ray Smith, Advance Hydraulics first marketed its services to larger fluid power repair companies that didn't want to take on the smaller jobs. Today, the company occupies a 10,000 sq. ft. facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and boasts a customer roster that includes leading manufacturers and municipalities throughout the Midwest.

Advance Hydraulics' Mission Statement clearly explains the company philosophy: "Advance Hydraulics will provide excellent products and services for hydraulic and pneumatic components and systems for its customers in the automotive, construction, and manufacturing market segments".

For more than 20 years, Advance Hydraulics has maintained an industry leadership position in the fluid power and control systems. Living the slogan Total Integration - No Excuses, Advance Hydraulics provides a diverse range of highest quality products, as well as the engineering expertise to develop custom solutions for fluid power equipment needs. Advance Hydraulics also offers a full array of in-house and field repairs. This degree of product and service integration has made Advance Hydraulics the one-stop fluid power supplier of choice for customers throughout the Midwest and beyond. Advance Hydraulics has achieved its excellent reputation for quality by utilizing continuous improvement processes throughout the organization, enhancing efficiency and overall productivity.

Olympic Challenge Met

One of the most interesting assignments, and the one with the highest visibility, that Advance Hydraulics ahs undertaken, was their participation in the 1996 Olympics. Advance Hydraulics was selected to design and build a hydraulic system to raise and lower the cauldron on the official Olympic Railroad Car that was viewed by the nation as the Olympic flame crossed the country on its way to the Atlanta games. The railway car featured an open cauldron for the Olympic flame. In order to prevent the flame from being extinguished while the train was in motion, the hydraulic drive lowered the cauldron to safety, protecting the flame from the wind. When the train stopped for the many ceremonies along its route, the hydraulic mechanism raised the cauldron to give spectators a clear view, and allow the torch bearers to light the flame so it could be transported to the next transfer site.

The critical hurdle in the design and fabrication of this hydraulic system was that the railroad car had not actually been constructed at the time. Advance Hydraulics was required to use hand drawn sketches that were the only drawings available. To overcome all possible obstacles and provide for "worst case" scenario, Advance Hydraulics included generous airflow, pressure, and stroke capabilities. But the greatest challenge of all was that the system had to be designed, build and tested in only three weeks! The mission was accomplished --- on time.

Services

In addition to the distribution of many respected brand names in the fluid power industry, Advance Hydraulics' capabilities include design and manufacture of hydraulic power units, electrical panels, systems and other customer-specified components such as presses and special tooling. For simple systems or ultra complex configurations with demanding requirements, Advance Hydraulics is a one stop fluid power source. Complete system integration from design and startup to field trouble shooting is available to fulfill individual equipment needs. The company's comprehensive offerings include garage, field, shop and delivery services. And now, Advance Hydraulics' 24 Hour Service Hotline can take the panic out of a midnight equipment failure. Just call 1-800-236-1545, and relax.

Total Integration. No Excuses.

Put our expertise and extensive experience to work on your project. Call us today! We welcome the opportunity to be of service to you.