Well I thought I would let everyone know, yesterday I got the nickle tour of the E-core production area.
Obvioulsy I am not about to give away the secrets as I know for a fact other filter companies routinely monitor this website.
I will say however, from someone who has led many a tour through the other plant facilities, that the E-core production area is very impressive.
My comment to the engineer who is in charge of the E-core area was it is a shame that Champ has not made a video of it. As they have with the rest of the plant--and one that i was in charge of.
I told him I know that the part of the production line(s) where the element is assembled may be giving away "secrets" to competitors. But after the element is canned that there should be a video of the checks and balances along with the final testing to show quick lubes and others some of the quality control that goes into the filter. If you did that, 99.95% of the complaints ( that some in here have mentioned as well) from quick lubes would disappear.
There is a lot of technological checks on simple procedures to make sure the filter is assembled properly. Watching those live an in person shows why Champ rarely has a problem with the final product. They may get complaints from the uninitiated but that's from lack of "product knowledge"
Some bits of things I think I can mention..
There are laser that checks to make sure the element height is correct. Lasers that check to make sure the ADBP is inserted properly. Lasers which check the tension spring alignment and orientation. Lasers check the gasket for alignment.
There is a laser which checks the threads in the baseplate. If it detects a problem it kicks the offending filter offline. Where an operator hand checks the threads with a tool. If the filter mounts onto the tool, then the filter is given a second chance to go through the testing area. If it doesn't make it, it is then used for recycling.
As with all Champ spin-on oil filters, everyone is tested for leaks at the seam. E-cores are no different.
The production area where the endcaps are put onto the media is really neat. Don't want to say to much but it takes seconds to cure as opposed to going through an oven to cure the plastisol in the metal endcaps. Much quicker for production.
And while it seems like everything is now computer controlled, there is the same number of people on the productline line as there are for the metal endcap lines. Something I made mention of, as I thought there would be a few less.
So all in all very impressive if one ever gets the chance to go see them built.
btw..Champ has airconditioned the production plants. That was new!!!
----------------------------
I also saw the new engineering department and lab facilities. I call it the Taj Mahal compared to the old ones. They've added new testing equipment. I wanted to see the new multi-pass test machine but there was another tour group at the machine when I was there. So I walked past it while in action but I would have liked to have hung around longer. They have other new test machines as well. Besides a larger engineering staff.
I did see a NASCAR air filter. Champ hand builds it for 1 team. Apparently other teams want it but Champ has said no. It gives about 5 more horsepower. They can hand build 10 per day if that's all they did back at that part of the lab. Another team wanted 1,200 of them.
Had a good time catching up with a lot of old friends throughout the area's visited in the 2 hours I was there.
But I can announce a new development for BITOG types. Champ is closing their Mexican plant and moving the equipment back to the USA. This has been officially announced to the media just this week...if one knows where to look.
Obvioulsy I am not about to give away the secrets as I know for a fact other filter companies routinely monitor this website.
I will say however, from someone who has led many a tour through the other plant facilities, that the E-core production area is very impressive.
My comment to the engineer who is in charge of the E-core area was it is a shame that Champ has not made a video of it. As they have with the rest of the plant--and one that i was in charge of.
I told him I know that the part of the production line(s) where the element is assembled may be giving away "secrets" to competitors. But after the element is canned that there should be a video of the checks and balances along with the final testing to show quick lubes and others some of the quality control that goes into the filter. If you did that, 99.95% of the complaints ( that some in here have mentioned as well) from quick lubes would disappear.
There is a lot of technological checks on simple procedures to make sure the filter is assembled properly. Watching those live an in person shows why Champ rarely has a problem with the final product. They may get complaints from the uninitiated but that's from lack of "product knowledge"
Some bits of things I think I can mention..
There are laser that checks to make sure the element height is correct. Lasers that check to make sure the ADBP is inserted properly. Lasers which check the tension spring alignment and orientation. Lasers check the gasket for alignment.
There is a laser which checks the threads in the baseplate. If it detects a problem it kicks the offending filter offline. Where an operator hand checks the threads with a tool. If the filter mounts onto the tool, then the filter is given a second chance to go through the testing area. If it doesn't make it, it is then used for recycling.
As with all Champ spin-on oil filters, everyone is tested for leaks at the seam. E-cores are no different.
The production area where the endcaps are put onto the media is really neat. Don't want to say to much but it takes seconds to cure as opposed to going through an oven to cure the plastisol in the metal endcaps. Much quicker for production.
And while it seems like everything is now computer controlled, there is the same number of people on the productline line as there are for the metal endcap lines. Something I made mention of, as I thought there would be a few less.
So all in all very impressive if one ever gets the chance to go see them built.
btw..Champ has airconditioned the production plants. That was new!!!
----------------------------
I also saw the new engineering department and lab facilities. I call it the Taj Mahal compared to the old ones. They've added new testing equipment. I wanted to see the new multi-pass test machine but there was another tour group at the machine when I was there. So I walked past it while in action but I would have liked to have hung around longer. They have other new test machines as well. Besides a larger engineering staff.
I did see a NASCAR air filter. Champ hand builds it for 1 team. Apparently other teams want it but Champ has said no. It gives about 5 more horsepower. They can hand build 10 per day if that's all they did back at that part of the lab. Another team wanted 1,200 of them.
Had a good time catching up with a lot of old friends throughout the area's visited in the 2 hours I was there.
But I can announce a new development for BITOG types. Champ is closing their Mexican plant and moving the equipment back to the USA. This has been officially announced to the media just this week...if one knows where to look.
