As a new year begins, we reflect on 2021 and how we have managed to keep our customer-first approach despite the difficulties of continuing to operate during a pandemic. We have been through a great deal over the past two years on both personal and professional levels as many others have. At Orange County Thermal Industries, we started out 2021 still reeling from the effects of a world-wide pandemic in 2020 and unsure if this would be yet another year of lockdowns and social-gathering restrictions. However, despite the continuation of the public health concerns, we were able to push through and finish the year stronger than anticipated.
We continue learning the importance of adapting in order to respond to customers’ changing needs, which is why we looked for ways to innovate. With technology driving change, we began using 3D printing in August to reduce costs and time in our design process. Using cutting-edge technology enabled us to be more efficient in our day-to-day operations.
We expanded capabilities at our Texas facility to include manufacturing the OCTIMax line of products. OCTIMax is our metal shielding line of products that was initially designed for the Refuse and Mass Transit industry. They requested blankets that could withstand pressure washing, so we aimed to meet customer demand. These metal encapsulated insulation coverings can also withstand a direct flame and prolonged heat exposure of up to 2200 degrees, designed specifically to cover components that operate under the most severe conditions.
For us, 2021 saw a 14% increase in customer projects and because we exclusively procure our raw materials from US-based companies, we were able to meet customer demand without the logistics nightmares others in our field encountered. Our supply chain is strong and we continue to maintain the best lead times in our industry. OCTI’s standard lead time is 10 to 15 days whereas typical lead times from other manufacturers is 4 to 8 weeks.
The OCTI team also stepped up in 2021 to meet all challenges of customer demand and we are proud to report our production capacity improved by 20%.
Looking ahead, the OCTI team is in the planning phase of a second manufacturing building at our Texas site. We own more than five acres and plan to develop the property to be able to more than double our current production capacity. We continue to add personnel at both of our locations across our production, administrative and sales departments.
We have more exciting announcements on the horizon and can’t wait to share them with you. Until then, stay in touch and up to date with our news or click here to be added to our newsletter to get our latest news delivered right to your inbox and be the first to know what’s next for Team OCTI.
