ACtion Magazine - September/October 2011 - (Page 30)

Member Profile New member profile: Alex Original, Ltd M ACS’ last name is Worldwide, and we have many member companies and technicians based in other countries. Most of their homelands either contain or are near vehicle manufacturing plants or the sites of major suppliers. For this reason, a recent membership application from a company in Israel caught our attention. Who would start an automotive supply company in a country with virtually no vehicle manufacturing and one located far from manufacturing centers in Europe, the U.S.and Asia? Alex Hurwitz did, and his Alex Original Ltd has grown from a oneman shop in a new nation to a modern and efficient national and international supplier of A/C systems and components. The company has an interesting backstory, too. After being freed by the U.S Army from a German concentration camp at the end of WW II, Hurwitz ultimately made his way to the newly-formed country of Israel in 1948. He found work in an auto repair shop but stayed only briefly; there were few cars in the country. But he saw the diesel trucks and buses being used in building the new nation and started his own shop to repair them. Circumstance quickly forced him into manufacturing. With few or no spare parts available he often had to make his own replacement pieces. In a few years, his small company was flourishing, and his invention of a pneumatic power steering system for buses and other heavy vehicles received international patents in 1955. By the late 1960s, the company had also introduced a thenunique “engine load control device” that cut out the air conditioning compressor when the engine was under heavy load. The small engines of the day had little power to spare for a compressor and the device made air conditioning a much more acceptable option. The later refrigerant change to R-134a required more efficient systems and in the 1990s the company was one of the first in Europe to develop and manufacture parallel flow condensers. For this and other industry developments, Alex Hurwitz received an IMACA “Industry Pioneer Award” in 1998. In the same period they were also developing an extensive line of add-on climate systems for commercial vehicles, buses and mini-buses. Headquartered today in Netanya on the central coast of Israel, the company prides itself on designing, developing and manufacturing all of its parts in-house. It does so from a modern multi-floor facility, complete with a climate simulator and wind tunnel. Many buses, like these in Zurich, were fitted with the company’s pneumatic power steering system. Israel’s climate ranges from temperate to subtropical – summer temperatures can exceed 100 °F in some places – and A/C was quickly becoming a welcome but often unaffordable addition in any vehicle. Company management again saw an emerging market and moved into aftermarket climate systems tailored to a variety of vehicles. 30 ACTION • September/October 2011 Mr. Hurwitz remains active with company and still comes to work every day. His company now manufactures many systems and components for both OEM and aftermarket use in local and international markets. They are developing and expanding their North American distribution network, and offer an extensive line of original, add-on, and supplementary equipment for cars, trucks, buses and refrigerated transport vehicles. Find more information at www.alex-original.com. ❆ http://www.alex-original.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ACtion Magazine - September/October 2011

ACtion Magazine - September/October 2011
Table of Contents
Outlook
Expansion Valve
Techncally RELAY-ted
Under The Southern Cross
Leonard’s Law
News & Updates
Virtual View
Cooling Corner
Performance Always Needs More Cooling
ACDelco’s Guidelines for Replacing Engine Coolant
Worldwide Training
New Member Profile: Alex Original, Ltd
Association News
Obituary
Quick Check
New Products & Services
Last Watch

ACtion Magazine - September/October 2011