More efforts should be made to work closely with major OEMs by either offering to integrate a new product into their system to prove its value, or purchase a machine and make the installation and prove the value by actual demonstration and field testing by a selected user. The user is a most important link to future product development. They are the source for continued spares and spare parts business. They should be encouraged to purchase ONLY genuine original manufacturer's specifications, and offer such repaired components to the user with a limited warrantee, and at a fixed exchange price. The establishment of rigid NFPA and ISO specifications has definite restrictions of product development.
Some users demand interchangeability between manufacturers of the same product.
This results in price becoming the major factor rather than quality, reliability, reputation, etc. Developing the cartridge type manifold concept facilitates providing products that can be engineered to better satisfy the application, at a lower cost, user friendly and with a better link to the after market. It also offers the OEM a more proprietary product for his protection. What also needs to be considered is more friendly and eas ier to use catalogs. The design engineer may have more familiar ity with the catalog, since it is used with more frequency.