!44: Kewanee Boilers Still Have a Significant Place in the Industry

!±8± Kewanee Boilers Still Have a Significant Place in the Industry

Before settling with the Burnham Corporation family in 1991, Kewanee Boiler Corporation was an orphan of the boiler industry, being acquired several times. It appeared that these boilers would no longer exist on the market after Burnham decided it would cease production in 2001. This decision was based on the decrease in U.S. sales of industrial fire tube boilers, even though thousands of Kewanee boilers remained with residential, industrial and commercial customers in the U.S. and abroad. This meant that providing parts and service was still necessary. Burnham made the decision to start a parts and service company in Indiana for customers. The company was named Classic Parts and Service, and provided authentic replacement parts.

The owner of Burton Mechanical, LTD who was an ex-Kewanee executive bought Classic Parts and Service. The purchase included all assets of the Kewanee boilers company which included the engineering drawings since 1916; engineering and sales records made after 1968 which include the bill of materials for each boiler, as built; purchasing records since 1985; and, weld fixtures and manufacturing tools. This enabled Burton Mechanical to continue to manufacture parts as they were originally produced. Having the sales records of the boilers that were sold allows Burton to build the needed parts such as cams, diffusers, motors, pilots, and blower wheels, and have them available as customers needed them. This showed acumen for customer service. Customers were not likely to buy a new boiler when they could have the old one repaired.

Hard to find replacement parts are no longer an issue for customers because each are built with precision and authenticity. There are a variety of cam styles and designs. Dozens of blower wheels were made to fit the different configurations of the boiler.

There are a number of manufacturers and suppliers across the country with staff capable of servicing Kewanee boilers with authentic equipment parts. Many of these companies also sell refurbished boilers. The excellent design and fuel efficiency of Kewanee boilers guarantees that repairs or replacement is only required every 10 years. This will keep these boilers running well into the next century.