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Jul 16, 2023

Jason

SAN ANTONIO—Jason Industrial Inc. will begin offering a hydraulic hose program for its distributors in North America this year that will include higher-end hoses along with a line of couplings and

SAN ANTONIO—Jason Industrial Inc. will begin offering a hydraulic hose program for its distributors in North America this year that will include higher-end hoses along with a line of couplings and crimpers needed to fabricate the products.

The subsidiary of Megadyne S.p.A. already supplies a line of hydraulic-related products in Latin, South and Central America, but currently doesn't offer any in the U.S. and Canada, according to Roy Pyle, Jason Industrial vice president of business development. The company unveiled its plan during NAHAD's annual convention, held April 2-5 in San Antonio.

"We decided to come up with a premium program primarily for the U.S. and Canadian markets to support our needs," Pyle said. "It's a complete program offered to our distributor network and supported with higher-end product, not to be confused with some of the lesser-quality, off-shore items."

He said Jason is aiming to position the line with a full range of sizes, initially with rubber braided and spiral hoses, followed later with the addition of thermoplastic products. The goal is to have the hydraulic products available during the third quarter, probably sometime in August.

According to information Jason presented to distributor customers at NAHAD, the hoses will meet or exceed SAE, EN and DIN specifications; come in wrapped or smooth covers; be available in constant pressure offerings, including 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 and 6,000 PSI; and have high-pressure hoses that are more flexible than competitive offerings.

The crimp couplings will have no skive; a full-length crimp; include one and two wire braid, along with four spiral and six spiral; have high pressure couplings; and include metric sizes. The crimper product line—all made in the U.S.—will have two types each of portable, in-shop and general production crimpers; have three types of hydraulic/industrial crimpers that can handle hoses with 4-, 6- or 10-inch internal diameters; and also include test benches, hose skiver and three types of hose cut-off saws.

"The intent to bring it up here is because NAHAD is an opportunity to touch a lot of the other distributors who are in the business to consider the options that we bring," Pyle said. "It gets the word out on the street."

Right people, right time

Jason didn't previously sell the hydraulic hose line in the U.S. and Canada because the firm didn't have the right people on board, Pyle said.

That changed when Miguel Velazquez joined the firm as hose manager for Latin America about a year ago, bringing extensive manufacturing experience. Pyle said at one time Velazquez owned his own factory in Venezuela that made hydraulic hose and fittings, and industrial hose, a business he sold more than 15 years ago.

His expertise allowed Jason to look at the product it needed to bring to the market, and with the experience John Flanders, marketing manager for hose and coupling, brought from his days with Dayco, the firm was able to put together its hydraulics program.

"I didn't feel comfortable trying to do it piece meal, with just a couple of us working on it," Pyle said. "So we've created a team to work on these areas."

The hydraulic hoses will carry the Jason brand, and be manufactured by an undisclosed manufacturer to Jason's specifications, he said. "Our ultimate desire would be to move into the manufacturing space, probably through acquisition hopefully at some future date."

While there already are a number of hydraulic hose suppliers in the market, Pyle said he believes there is room for a line positioned at the higher end of the quality spectrum. The hoses will be used in a wide range of end applications, with ag, construction, general manufacturing, and maintenance and repair operations being some of the typical uses.

Flanders said the line particularly will appeal to distributors who can't buy from some of the major hydraulic hose players because they don't buy high enough volumes to qualify. "We can sell to that person," he said.

Future goals

Jason's line initially will be sold as components, with the goal to move to the point where it can support OEM efforts for assembly work, Pyle said.

The program is broken into multiple phases. Right now, he said Jason is trying to verify the correct mix and product offering needed to support the customer base.

"What we're doing is modeling it after our belt programs and our industrial hose program as we focus on the service side," Pyle said. "That service is supported by availability with five distribution centers, with a vast array of product on the shelf."

That allows Jason to minimize freight expense by servicing regionally. It also minimizes turnaround time, as the firm will ship daily, not requiring large stock orders and weekly shipments. Pyle said the program also is supported by an online E-commerce portal that allows distributors to see product pricing and availability, and place orders.

Thus far, Jason is getting good feedback on the plan, particularly since many of the distributors already know the company's track record.

"It's a good, quality product that's readily available and competitively priced," Pyle said. "It gives them a good alternative to some of the other players who are not good on service or have questionable support issues. So it's a good fit for us."

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