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.

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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 mainstay and the 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.