A&F Machine Products Co

A&F Machine Products Company has been a family owned and operated corporation since 1964. The Helwig chemical feed pump had very meager beginnings. The founder of the company and designer of the original pump, Fred Helwig Sr, made a set of replacement check valves as a favor for a friend back in the 40's on a small lathe he had in his basement. The check valves he was asked to try and duplicate were no longer available and were of a single check design. Mr. Helwig turned a set of check valves on his lathe but instead of a single check design he made both the suction and discharge valves in a double check design. As time went on Mr. Helwig made additional check valves and eventually purchased a small milling machine and a drill press and started machining a complete pump in his garage. His goal was to keep it simple and yet high quality. Building these early pumps was more of a hobby for Mr. Helwig, a couple of pumps a year, making changes and improvements as he went.     In the early 60's Mr. Helwig decided to leave his job as plant manager for a motor manufacturer and with the support of his bride, Betty, started his own machine shop. The early A&F was a small jobbing shop. Tool and die building and screw machine products were the main stay and pump building was a side line. Mr. Helwig continued to develop and improve his pump design and one day he put one of his pumps under his arm and walked into the office of a major chemical company in Cleveland, The North American Mogul Products Corporation, and convinced the chairman there to try his pump. The rest is history, within a few years the pump business overtook the jobbing business and A&F moved from the original 4000 sq. ft. building in Cleveland to an 8000 sq. ft. building in Berea, a suburb of Cleveland. The pump business expanded into the design and manufacturing of complete chemical feed systems, customized skid packages and related accessories for the water treatment industry. This manufacturing facility has since grown to two 32000 sq. ft. buildings and employs 24 people, including five members of the Helwig family. A&F has only had one salesman and only that one time, Mr. Helwig. The business has prospered and expanded over the years on the reputation of the quality products and services A&F supplies to the water treatment industry. The Helwig pump has seen many changes and improvements over the years but the original concept of simplicity and quality is still hand built into every pump.

A&F Machine Products prides itself in being able to work with chemical suppliers, boiler manufacturers, contractors, and engineers in designing chemical feed systems to fit the application. Once the parameters of the application are ironed out we can offer suggestions and options to best suit the application. We can supply detailed drawings for submittal and approval.   Most pump or chemical feed system orders are processed and shipped within two working days of receiving the order. Most parts orders are shipped the same day. There are often times when emergencies pop up and a customer requires same day shipping for a pump order. Rush orders are handled on a first come first served basis but in most cases if the order is received by noon we can rush ship the same day. Because there are so many options available on a pump, every pump is built to order, none are kept on the shelf. There is an expedite fee charged for  building, painting, testing and shipping a pump or chemical feed system quicker than our normal process procedure.  Although the simple design of the Helwig Chemical Feed Pumps lends themselves well to field maintenance, we also offer maintenance and repair services here in our facility. Pumps or equipment being returned to us for refurbishing or repairs should be packaged in a way as to protect it during shipping. Ship the equipment prepaid and include a note explaining the problem or required services along with a phone number and contact should we have any questions.  If a pump problem or concern arises in the field we can often times solve it over the phone. The best way to work through a problem is to have the person actually working with the pump contact us. There is someone available to answer your questions daily from 6:00am to 4:00pm Eastern time.