Latest news with #MTHPumps
Chicago Tribune
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- Chicago Tribune
Column: With firefighting helicopter refill pump, Plano company can claim ‘coolest thing made in Illinois'
MTH Pumps, which makes its products in a non-descript metal building in Plano, may not sound like that cool of a company. But the aerial firefighting helicopter refill pump that's produced there has just been named 'The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois,' an award presented recently by Gov. JB Pritzker during a ceremony at the Governor's Mansion in Springfield, which was hosted by the Illinois Manufacturers' Association and sponsored by Comcast Business. Out of more than 250 entries, the MTH pump received the most of the 411,000 votes that were cast through the eight- week competition, according to an Illinois Manufacturers' Association press release. Just as the name implies, the pump is designed to reduce the refill time of helicopter-based water tanks from over a minute to as little as 30 seconds, increasing the number of water drops that aerial firefighters can place on a wildfire. Which, of course, improves chances of slowing or stopping the flames from spreading; When wildfires in California left a trail of destruction, noted the press release, 'MTH Pumps helped by providing more rapid and reliable water access for the aerial firefighters.' Battling hot blazes is indeed pretty cool. But what I also found interesting after talking to Tim Tremain, president of MTH, is that the Plano facility has been making this product for nearly two decades – after a Washington state company asked for a faster pump to battle wildfires – and engineering manager Greg Rittgers accepted the challenge. Which leads to an obvious question: What took so long for the 2025 winner of this bracketed Makers Madness contest to take home the cool prize? Turns out it all comes down to timing – and marketing. In the first five years the Illinois Manufacturers' Association has been sponsoring this competition – Caterpillar's mining truck was a previous champ – MTH always submitted one of its top-selling pumps and 'the product we want to grow, which is used by data centers to save energy when air conditioners are running in those massive buildings.' Sounds practical, for sure. Still, the coolest thing about that pump is the temperature it helps control. Firefighting, however, is a whole different story. Indeed, battling wildfires has been in the news in a spectacular way, particularly in the Los Angeles area, where nearly three weeks of blazes in January killed more than two dozen people and destroyed more than 18,000 homes and structures. Even though the firefighting pump is not MTH's main product – less than 200 have been sold in 20 years – Tremain and his top people figured 'why not give it a shot' in this sixth annual contest. Things really fell into place, he added, when Dart Aerospace, a helicopter company that uses these Plano-built pumps, was praised by L.A. firefighters for the product's impact on the critical job they performed this year. Tremain's marketing crew not only called upon West Coast firefighters to support the MTH entry in this coolest-thing contest, 'we tapped into other firefighters,' including those in Illinois, he said, estimating that of the 6,000 votes cast for the top four finalists, 'we got about 1,600 … 52 more' than the second place finisher. 'I even had my dental office voting for me,' Tremain quipped. In all seriousness, the MTH president's main purpose for entering the contest was to help employees understand the importance of the work they do day in and day out. 'Traditionally, we run under the radar,' he said, noting this was a big win for small businesses. 'When people drive by, they only see a non-descript metal building, not a company with the most advanced manufacturing equipment in the country right here in Plano. 'Because we are always looking for new employees – and looking to grow – it's nice to have people start recognizing the good things we are doing over there.' What's also really cool? His father Dave Tremain, a mechanical engineer who started the company back in 1965 with that first drawing of a pump, is 93 years old but still comes to work every day. After the elder Tremain retired and turned the company over to his son, an electrical engineer, he 'got bored and started a couple more businesses,' said Tim, who describes his father as 'the real entrepreneur.' Tremain still thinks 'the data center pump is a cool story,' noting that it can also cross over to medical pumps which are part of incubators and MRI machines. 'Those are saving lives too,' he pointed out. 'But helicopters dropping water on wildfires … that makes for a lot better video.'
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Firefighting helicopter refill pump named 2025's ‘Coolest Thing Made in Illinois'
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — An aerial fire fighting helicopter refill pump has been named 2025's 'Coolest Thing Made in Illinois' in the sixth annual Makers Madness contest. According to the state, 'Manufactured by MTH Pumps in Plano, the Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump was designed to reduce the refill time of helicopter-based water tanks from over a minute to as little as 30 seconds, increasing the number of water drops that aerial firefighters can place on a wildfire. This time advantage improves the chances of slowing or stopping fires from endangering lives, property and habitats. When wildfires in California left a trail of destruction, MTH Pumps helped by providing rapid and reliable water access for aerial firefighting teams.' 'Congratulations to Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump for being named the 2025 Coolest Thing Made in Illinois. This product is a great example of the bold ideas, creativity, and innovation that powers the manufacturing sector here in Illinois,' said Mark Denzler, President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association. 'With commitment and passion, manufacturers across our state are creating products that solve real-world problems and improve lives. We applaud the men and women on our shop floors whose remarkable skills turn ideas into reality.' 'Illinois' world-class manufacturing industry is leading the charge as one of the top drivers of our continued economic success here in Illinois, and that's thanks to the incredible innovators all across our state,' said Governor JB Pritzker. 'I'm excited to announce this year's winner of the Coolest Thing Made in Illinois, the Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump. To the team at MTH Pumps, congratulations, and to all the manufacturers who took part in this year's competition: thank you for your creativity, resourcefulness, and dedication. You make our state stronger.' More than 250 products were nominated this year. Last year's winner was the , built in Peoria. Previous winners included the , made by Ingersoll Machine Tools in Rockford, and the , made by Rivian in Normal. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Illinois Manufacturers' Association names ‘Makers Madness' winner
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — After more than 250 initial entries, a winner has been crowned in the sixth annual 'Makers Madness' contest. The Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump made by MTH Pumps in Plano has been named 'The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois' in the 2025 edition of the tournament. This pump was designed to reduce the refill time of helicopter-based water tanks from over a minute to as little as 30 seconds. Gov. Pritzker signs memorandum with the United Kingdom The product aims to increase the number of water drops that aerial firefighters can release onto a wildfire. This time advantage improves the chances of slowing and stopping fires from endangering lives, property and animal habitats. Recently, when the wildfires were causing havoc in California, MTH Pumps provided improved water access to the aerial firefighting teams with this product. The MTH Pumps team joined Governor JB Pritzker on stage to accept their award at a luncheon at the Governor's Mansion in Springfield on Wednesday. 'As the second smallest company to win the 'Makers Madness' contest, I'd like to dedicate this award to all the small manufacturers of Illinois who do their part to produce amongst the best, most creative products that the world has to offer,' said Tim Tremain, MTH Pumps President. The TCCI Electric Compressor made by TCCI Manufacturing in Decatur made it to the top 16 round, but would lose to the eventual champion. Over the course of this year's eight-week competition, almost 411,000 total votes were cast. To watch this year's full award ceremony, visit Pritzker's Facebook page. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Illinois' ‘Makers Madness' contest narrows to final four
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — The voting for the 2025 Illinois 'Makers Madness' contest to name 'the coolest thing made in Illinois' has narrowed to its final four products. 'There's just one week left in the competition, so make sure to cast your vote before it's too late,' said Mark Denzler, President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association. 'This contest is about celebrating the incredible creativity, innovation and versatility of our state's manufacturers– attributes that are well represented in this year's Top 4. We wish the finalists the best of luck as we prepare to unveil the winner of the 2025 title of The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois.' According to the state, the final four products are: Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill PumpsManufactured by MTH Pumps in Plano, the Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump was designed to reduce the refill time of helicopter-based water tanks from over a minute to as little as 30 seconds, increasing the number of water drops that aerial firefighters can place on a wildfire. This time advantage improves the chances of slowing or stopping fires from endangering lives, property and habitats. When wildfires in California left a trail of destruction, MTH Pumps helped by providing rapid and reliable water access for aerial firefighting teams. Joint Combined Aircrew Systems Tester (JCAST) Manufactured by Chemring Energetic Devices in Downers Grove, the Joint Combined Aircrew System Tester (JCAST) is a stand-alone, benchtop tester capable of evaluating flight equipment for many aircrew flight systems. It provides mission critical data and simple go/no-go information for complete system verification. JCAST is used to assess the critical safety of flight for Aircrew Flight Equipment components used in conjunction with military flying operations. Donor MilkCollected, pasteurized, packaged and distributed by Mother's Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes in Elk Grove Village, Donor Milk is a life-saving product provided to premature and critically ill babies to save young lives and improve pediatric health. Donor milk is essential for some babies with complex medical needs and required in situations where there is low milk or delayed supply by mothers, parental absence or separation and in cases of adoption and surrogacy. ROV Skimmer – Remote Operated Oil SkimmerManufactured by Elastec in Carmi, the ROV Skimmer is a remotely controlled device designed to provide an effective method of oil recovery in aquatic spills and a variety of other pollution situations. It can be maneuvered into spaces where it would be difficult to deploy a traditional fixed oil skimmer, making the ROV Skimmer an effective tool for pollution control, environmental protection and safety. You can cast your until 11:59 p.m. on April 6th. More than 250 products were nominated this year. Last year's winner was the , built in Peoria. Previous winners included the , made by Ingersoll Machine Tools in Rockford, and the , made by Rivian in Normal. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
