Category: News

Rob Saunders

When you walk across the production floor you will find Rob hard at work inside a unit normally. He is always very quiet and calm and very conscientious about his work.

Rob has an impeccable work ethic and the quality of his work is always of the highest standard . Even though Rob has a quiet demeanor he is very confident in what he does but not in an egotistical way. He is always willing to help others on the production floor learn to insure that the FCX standard for quality is maintained throughout all of our product lines.

Last but not least , Rob is always willing to offer suggestions to his supervisor and to FCX senior management with the intent of making the entire FCX process better for everyone. FCX is proud to have Rob as part of our team. Please join me in congratulating Rob Saunders as our FCX Employee of the month for June, 2016.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va., May 16, 2016 – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today presented FCX Systems, Inc. with the President’s “E” Star Award for Exports at a ceremony in Washington, DC. The President’s “E” Award is the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports.

“FCX Systems has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion. The “E” Awards Committee was very impressed with FCX Systems’ more than 300 percent growth in export sales from 2012-2015. The company’s adaptation of its product line for export markets was also particularly notable. FCX Systems’ achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs,” said Secretary Pritzker in her congratulatory letter to the Morgantown firm announcing its selection as an award recipient.

FCX Systems is a manufacturing firm specializing in solid-state frequency converters and ground power support for military, industrial, commercial and shore power around the world. Since 1987, FCX units have been installed on every continent and in more than 75 countries. The firm employs 70 people at its headquarters in the Chaplin Hill Business Park.

“Exporting continues to be a contributor to our sales growth, and we are honored to receive the “E” Star Award,” said Craig Walker, FCX Systems president and CEO. “During the past 20 years, FCX has grown our exports exponentially and we look forward to the next 20 years and new opportunities to further expand our business internationally through our network of global partners.”

FCX Systems was awarded the “E” Award for Exports in 2000, a requirement to receive the “E” Star Award for Exports, and is the first company in West Virginia to be recognized with both awards.

“FCX Systems is an example for other small business in West Virginia, proving that being proactive when doing international business, pays off,” said Diego Gattesco, director of the U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center in Wheeling, W.Va. “Traveling, meeting and developing a relationship with your partners and buyers overseas is crucial to grow your export business,” he added. “Congratulations to FCX Systems for this well-deserved, prestigious award.”

In 1961, President Kennedy signed an executive order reviving the World War II “E” symbol of excellence to honor and provide recognition to America’s exporters. Today, Secretary Pritzker honored 123 U.S. companies with the President’s “E” award for their outstanding work to reduce barriers to foreign markets and to open the door to more trade around the world.

In 2015, U.S. exports totaled $2.23 trillion, accounting for nearly 13 percent of U.S. GDP. Nationally, exports contributed to the U.S. economy, supporting an estimated 11.5 million jobs.

U.S. companies are nominated for the “E” awards through the Department of Commerce’s U.S. Commercial Service office network, located within the Department’s International Trade Administration, with offices in 108 U.S. cities and more than 70 countries. Record years of successive export growth and an applicant’s demonstration of an innovative international marketing plan that led to the increase in exports is a significant factor in selecting the winners.

For more information about FCX Systems, visit www.fcxinc.com.

Kathy Riffle

Knowledgeable.
Accommodating.
Talented.
Honest.
Youthful.
Resourceful.
Intelligent.
Fair.
Friendly.
Logical.
Efficient.

When all of these traits are added together into one person, the result is an outstanding employee.

Any individual possessing all of these traits would be a tremendous asset to any business.

When you couple these traits with longevity and loyalty, you have a significant contributor to that business.

FCX is fortunate to have such an individual with all of these traits including longevity and loyalty. For nearly twenty-five years, this employee has come to work every day with the best attitude and simply gets the job done and done well.

It has been said that “success is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well”. If that is indeed the case, FCX’s May Employee of the Month has been quite successful throughout her time with our company and FCX is a better company because of her efforts – day in and day out the same consistent effort to make FCX great.

If you followed along closely as I read the list of attributes above, you already know the name of the employee that we are honoring today. But if you didn’t, let me read through one more time.

Congratulations, Kathy Riffle!

Warren Youger

Although this individual has not been with FCX for a long period of time, he has – in a relatively short period – made and continues to make substantial contributions to the ongoing success of our Company.  From his first day to today, his work ethic and attention to detail has been consistently outstanding.  When given a task to complete, he makes sure it is done right and promptly.

He actually “tried out” for the FCX team through a temporary services appointment and used that opportunity to easily convince us he was a “keeper” and was named a permanent employee as soon as was possible.

Today, he has become one of the “voices of FCX” as he handles numerous calls and requests by telephone from our existing and new customers needing critical parts for their respective operations.  He strives and succeeds at being very responsive to those needs and sees the order through to the end.

He is, indeed, an appreciated ambassador for our company and has gained respect from his co-workers here at FCX and from the many customers that he deals with on a daily basis.

Thanks for all you do Warren Youger and congratulations for being named FCX’s April 2016 Employee of the Month.

Greta Swanson

When on the production floor you will most likely find this individual working on a control harness somewhere in a unit because that is the specialty of this individual here at FCX. Not that Greta isn’t very capable in other areas of production but control wiring is her passion. Greta is all about efficiency, detail, and accuracy.

Greta pulls each wire with pride and confidence as if each harness was a work of art. Her work is impeccable because of the work ethic she has and her desire for excellence in her own work and for FCX.  She knows that her name and FCX’s name goes on every product that she builds. Greta repeatedly surpasses FCX labor estimate goals by completing her work in less time with the utmost accuracy and quality. Greta has also shown leadership and guidance to other newer employees on the production floor.

Greta has become the go to person when it comes to the most complicated control harnesses . Case in point, on the most recent Gray beast production run, she was able to complete the sophisticated control wiring that went into the gray beasts with labor hours well under previous similar jobs, and with accuracy, neatness, and consistency among units which is extremely important to the performance of these units.

Greta always stays focused on the task at hand and her work ethic and quality is contagious to those who work with her. FCX is a better company with Greta as part of our team.   Please join me in congratulating Greta Swanson as our FCX Employee of the Month for March, 2016.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va., Feb. 26, 2016 – On Feb. 10, FCX Systems celebrated 29 years in business with a luncheon that also recognized 15 employees for their significant career commitment to the manufacturing firm.

Two of the employees, Keith Whiteman, who works in the FCX testing department, and John Samsell, an employee in the FCX engineering department, were recognized for 25 years of service.

The remaining employees honored were: Rob Clark, 20 years; Nicki Reyes, 15 years; Jay Mullins, 15 years; Mike Knoble, 15 years; Marshall Shroyer, 15 years; Bobby Stimmell, 10 years; Mike Tennant, 10 years; Mike Tokarz, 10 years; Rick West, 10 years; Pam Tomlin, 10 years; Brian Maxwell, 10 years; Walt Plumley, 10 years and Steve Yoho, 5 years.

Annually, the firm celebrates employees with 10, 15, 20 and 25 years of service by listing their names on a plaque to be displayed in the firm’s headquarters on FCX Lane.

Remarkably, 34 of the current 67 employees – more than 50 percent – have been with the firm for ten years or more, a testament to the workforce dedication and loyalty to FCX. Collectively, this group has dedicated 604 years of service to FCX.

In addition to the 2016 plaque presentation, FCX employees also extended their appreciation to co-founders Matt Howell and Allen Wright for their vision and hard work that built the company into a leading manufacturer of frequency converters and diesel ground power units.

Headquartered in Morgantown, W.Va., FCX Systems is the world’s leading manufacturer of solid-state frequency converters, ground power support (GSE) and custom power conversion solutions for military, commercial, shore power and industrial applications around the world. Additional information is available at www.fcxinc.com.

“FCX Systems Inc. is very proud to announce our new long term partnership with Golden Number Solutions. This relationship will cover the country of Israel for both the Civilian and Military Aviation markets.”

February 10, 2016

As I was catching up on email this morning, I was realized something odd. Several of my client emails contained questions of which had nothing to do with equipment that had been purchased. They needed helped and I could provide the answers.

There was no warranty verification, no service subscription requirement and no hourly charge, just some correspondence between friends. In one case, a new friendship was being developed, as someone had retired and I was corresponding with the replacement.

I like to think that customers are lifelong commitments. Something more enduring than a financial transaction for goods and services rendered. At some level there exists a bond between the user of the equipment and the customer support contact. I’m not describing a pen pal but a bonding of trust where people work together to help each other do a better job. The participants become a team which goes deeper than maintaining a piece of equipment. The exchange will begin with installation questions, parts, drawings, miniature training sessions and progress to a respect for each other’s skills and knowledge.

This bond, which exists at the service level, is very influential to help with the follow-up on sales and preventing the competition from getting to the existing customer. In return, competition may react in a variety of ways, including lowering their price. This defense tactic can create a handful of issues.

• Customers may experience decreased quality and increased maintenance and downtime.
• Employees experience decreased morale, as they are responsible for maintaining equipment without parts or instructions.
• Operators become rougher on equipment because it does not work properly.

The value of service cannot be measured although it is a major factor in the success of a company. How many times have you read the review of a product and learned that the company service was a nightmare or nonexistent? Did that influence your desire to make a purchase?

At FCX, we believe service is a cornerstone of our business. With worldwide support 24/7/365, FCX provides consultation, trouble-shooting and frequency converter and ground power replacement parts directly to you. Through comprehensive service – from initial contact through production and ongoing support – our customers become long-term partners.

Allen Wright has been involved in power electronics since 1972 and in 400 Hz aviation power since 1978. He became one of the founders of FCX Systems, Inc. in 1987

Kenny Lantz

It is with great pleasure we announce that Employee of the Month for February 2016 be awarded to Kenny Lantz.

Kenny’s knowledge of our products, technical ability, great attitude and great work ethic are recognized and appreciated not only by other FCX employee’s but by customers as well.

Several customers have taken it upon themselves to send emails praising Kenny and his professionalism. These customers have gone on to specifically ask for Kenny to be the on-site Technician for any issues they may have. Some customers have gone so far as to ask for Kenny to be present at their retirement parties. These customers include MCAS Camp Pendleton, MCAS Yuma, and NAS North Island just to name a few.

Kenny exemplifies what great customer service is and it shows with each project that he is involved in. He is constantly striving to make our company and products better. He has presented ideas to enhance our production process and continues to offer unsolicited solutions to our customers.

Since joining FCX in July of 1997, Kenny has kept the best interests of the company and customers in mind.

It is employees like Kenny that have propelled FCX as the best Customer Service provider and one of the best product providers in the world.

Please take a moment to congratulate Kenny on this very well deserved award.