Every Monday we like to shine a spotlight on one of our Chamber Members. This week’s Member Feature shines that spotlight on Imperial Systems. Read the below Q & A to learn more about this local business and Member of our Chamber family!
Please provide a short description of your business and what you do.
Imperial Systems, Inc is a dust and fume collection company. Having excess dust and fume in your facility can be dangerous for a variety of reasons. Because this dust can be a hazard, OSHA requires many companies to have special equipment in their facility to keep the dust at a manageable level. It is our goal to provide our customers with the best possible equipment to minimize the amount of debris in a facility’s air. We manufacture dust collection units as well as a variety of fire and explosion prevention devices. Our mission is “to improve the health, safety, and quality of people’s lives by building the best dust collectors on earth”.
What is the story behind your business or how it got started?
Dust collection has been around for a long time as a result of over 100 years of research on the dangerous effects certain dusts can have on employee health as well as the fire and explosion risks associated with certain dusts. Several companies cropped up over this time to provide equipment to handle dust, and as a result, many different types and styles of dust collectors are now available on the market.
After many years of working for a competitor dust and fume collection company, Imperial Systems’ owner Jeremiah Wann decided to try doing business his way. He was tired of sizing collectors optimized for frequent filter replacement, and in 2001 decided to open his own shop where he could innovate for the customer. Since then, Imperial Systems has strived to make constant improvements to our products by listening to our customers and searching for ways that we can do better.
What is the service that you provide the customers use the most?
Not only do we make dust collection equipment, we also sell dust collector filters for our equipment and the equipment manufactured by other brands. Dust collectors require new filters approximately every year, depending on the application, meaning that companies with dust collectors need new filters much more often than they need a new dust collector.
When is your busiest time/season?
We are typically busiest starting in August and going through November. This is when many companies start to spend the portion of their yearly budget that they’ve allocated towards new equipment.
What is something people would be surprised to know about your business?
Most people don’t know how big of a hazard industrial dusts can be. Dust can be dangerous for a few different reasons.
Some dusts can present health risks to employees working with them on a daily basis. Some weld fume, or dusts containing silica for example, can lead to respiratory issues like COPD, silicosis, and even lung cancer.
Dust left uncollected can also lead to fires and explosions. There are many factors that contribute to the likelihood and severity of a dust explosion. These combustible dusts simply cannot be left unchecked given the risks associated. People are injured and killed every year around the globe as a result of dust explosions. These incidents often take place in facilities processing grain, food, or wood.
How has COVID-19 affected your business?
The pandemic has certainly shown us the importance of the phrase “American Made”. We have ensured through the years that a bulk of our materials are sourced within the US. So we experienced minimal supply chain issues as compared with some similar manufacturing business that source more products from overseas. We are proud to be American made and American owned, and that we can contribute to the health and safety of folks here in the US.
Member Feature: Imperial Systems
7320 W. Market Street, Mercer, PA 16137
724-662-2801
Website: http://www.imperialsystemsinc.com