Metropolitan Industries is proud to assist the Local 130 Plumbers Union to train apprentices through hands on educational programs throughout the year. This year we have had the privilege of training over 100 apprentices for half-day classes. Each class focuses on proper maintenance and repair of pumps and control equipment.

Topics discussed include: safety, record-keeping, basic control panel circuitry, data acquisition and basic troubleshooting. Participants review the working of basic control panels, disassemble large pumps and learn about the Ion Technologies product line which includes residential sump pumps, battery backups and control solutions.

We look forward to continuing the partnership with the Local 130 Plumbers Union.

Please continue to our Training Seminars section to view all upcoming classes or contact Melissa Young at 815-886-9200.

You may have been coming to Metropolitan for years to get your lift station or sump pump or booster pump replaced every so often, or maybe you haven’t used our products yet but know it’s time to think about replacing that old hydronic system. No matter how well you know Metropolitan, you may not be aware of the variety and extent of our products and services because we are constantly innovating and finding the best ways to solve your pumping system issues. Often times we hear people say to us, “I didn’t know you did that!”

Metropolitan Industries was established in 1957, originally called “Metropolitan Pump Company”, and operated from a home office in Western Springs, IL. This year, as we pass the 60 year mark, we still hold our same vision from the start; to be a single source for quality pumps, control systems, and ancillary equipment serving many water and wastewater industries. Our products and services are designed for municipal, commercial, industrial, and residential markets, and can be completely customized to meet our customers’ needs.

We manufacture many of our products in-house, so we are able to customize every application for pumps, control panels, and complete systems that we sell. All the products we create are tested before being packaged and sent to our customers. If your system stops working, we also offer services to completely repair or replace the system or component to be reinstalled. Metropolitan offers equipment repair, 24/7 emergency service, and design assistance. At Metropolitan, we care about the continued success of our products, ensuring that they are the best fit for your project.

We sell more than just pumps. We have everything from air-gap break tanks, to control systems, to prefabricated house systems, lift stations, temperature control systems, and so much more. Anything that involves water, we can assist. Metropolitan takes pride in the quality of our control systems. Part of our quality control are the UL procedures which we apply to our products. We’re also the proud owners of 37 patents, which are a result of our constant research and development to solve the most difficult of challenges in the water and control world.

Metropolitan also has divisions of our company that service different markets. Our Ion Technologies product line services homeowners with sump pumps and battery backup systems. The Ion Technologies brand offers the Ion+ Connect, which is a digital level controller that senses when something isn’t right with your pump and will send you SMS text notifications with those alerts. We are also celebrating the year anniversary of our acquisition of Emecole Metro, formally known as Emecole, a manufacturer and supplier of epoxies and polyurethane foams for the repair of poured foundation cracks using low-pressure crack injection. Emecole Metro offers contractor kits, dehumidifiers, crawl space repair, and even more. And finally, MetroCloud is a Metropolitan Industries brand cloud SCADA product that is compatible with our control panels.

Beyond our basic products and services, Metropolitan offers training seminars that qualify for Professional Development and Continuing Education credits. All our classes are free and food is always provided for our 4-hour courses. We also offer training outside of our facility. Our demonstration trailer allows you to learn more about our products and the experts behind them. You can schedule a trailer day for your company by emailing us at sales@metropolitanind.com, contacting your salesperson directly, or calling us at 815-886-9200.

As you can see, Metropolitan Industries is not just a water pump shop. We will find the best solution for your project no matter what it takes. We have the tools, products, services, and expertise to provide you with the most serviceable system that will work for you, and we welcome the opportunity to help solve your problems.

How nice would it be if you could look at your SCADA screen whether you’re on-site or not? With cloud-based SCADA systems, you can. Maybe you’ve heard of cloud SCADA, or “the cloud” in general and you have your suspicions. We’re here to put those reservations to rest and let you know how a cloud-based SCADA system can change the way you monitor, control, and/or archive your water and wastewater systems.

What is SCADA?

Starting off with the basics, what exactly is SCADA? SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. SCADA systems can monitor and/or control operations at your facility remotely by sending coded signals from a control center to your machinery. SCADA previously consisted of on-site servers and hardware that required a long set-up process and maintenance. Data loss was at a high risk because if the SCADA computer crashed, the data was gone. Additionally, the software had to be constantly updated and annual software costs added up quickly. All these factors caused old SCADA systems to be extremely expensive.

In comes new SCADA that uses modern-day technology to solve these issues of the past. Cloud SCADA is operated over a cloud, eliminating physical infrastructure. Cloud SCADA has a faster set-up time, both upfront and on-going costs are significantly less, and is a far more flexible resource.

But is the cloud secure?

Many people get nervous when they hear the term “the cloud” due to the subconscious imagery that your information is simply floating in the abyss somewhere. The cloud simply means that the information is stored on servers at a remote location. With the cloud, your information has a private IP address, meaning that only you can access it. Your access into that network is through a VPN (Virtual Private Network) tunnel. No interception is possible because the cloud communicates through a very secure protocol. This is the equivalent of trying to access someone’s residential mailbox outside their house versus trying to enter a gated community. This is more secure than storing your information at one on-site location.

But what if the server crashes? The cloud always has a primary server, and a backup server, so your information is never at risk of getting lost. The information can also be backed up in different locations to make for an easy recovery. This also means that if one server fails, the system will automatically be online with the new server.

What does this mean for the water/wastewater industry?

With water pumps, you never know when something could go haywire. It’s hard to tell unless you can consistently monitor your pumps. With cloud SCADA, not only can you monitor your pumps, but also have the option to control them just as you would be able to on-site, but with a more secure way to store your information. Since the cloud allows you to access your screens from a smart phone, smart device, or computer from anywhere, you’ll always be up-to-date on what your system may be doing. But what is your best cloud SCADA option to monitor and control your facility’s pumps?

Choose MetroCloud SCADA

If you are not familiar, Metropolitan Industries has its own cloud SCADA system called MetroCloud SCADA. Our system has every perk of cloud SCADA that we described, in addition to utilizing Amazon Web Services and Verizon as partners. MetroCloud can link to any of our control panels, and is versatile to work for any type of PLC system. For reporting purposes, the MetroCloud can generate spreadsheets to be printed or emailed, and can hold onto your data longer, so you have access to comparison data from as far back as your installation. MetroCloud eliminates dedicated SCADA computer costs, software capital outlay, and yearly software upgrades, and comes with Metropolitan’s promise to be your one stop shop for water and wastewater solutions, making MetroCloud SCADA the most cost-effective, simple, and safe monitoring and control option for your facility.

To learn more about MetroCloud SCADA or to let us know about your project, visit metrocloud.us, call 877-89MTCLOUD, or email hello@metrocloud.us.

When we became a company in 1957, we started with little more than a home office in Western Springs, Illinois. In fact, it would be another ten years before Metropolitan Pump Company (as we were then known) even became incorporated and another year after that before we moved to our first official facility: A modest 2,500 SF location in Downers Grove.

Looking back at those early years, it’s almost impossible to think about how far we’ve come, but it’s not surprising. From the beginning, Metropolitan Industries has prided itself on being experts with a dedicated focus. We were and have remained family owned, family operated and, perhaps most importantly, family oriented. We’ve always believed that doing the right thing for our customers and our people would lead to all the right things for Metropolitan as a business and, thus far, that seems to be the case.

As we stare down our 60th anniversary and plan for the years ahead, one thing remains clear to everyone who walks into our Romeoville, Illinois facility: We need to evolve and grow with the industry, but we should never change who we are as a company.

A History of Dedication and Specialization

When Marty Martinson and John Kochan, Sr. set out to disrupt the pump industry in Northern Illinois and the larger Midwest region, they were focused on one thing: Specialization. When Marty realized that generalization and a general lack of technical knowledge in the industry was preventing sales reps from offering in depth education and service to customers, he saw an opportunity to offer something that was sorely needed. In no time at all, Metropolitan caused a major shift in the market by narrowing our focus and increasing specialization. Even back in 1977 when we were profiled by Supply House Times and operating with only 20,000 SF, the Metropolitan team was dominating the Chicago and Northern Illinois markets by offering unmatched service.

This new, focused approach also allowed us to offer extensive pump servicing through repairs, preventative maintenance, and 24/7 availability, all of which are still part of our core offerings today. By starting with a dedicated specialization and remaining true to that focus over the past 60 years, Metropolitan has been able to grow with the industry while also helping to shape its evolution.

From basic commercial and residential pumps, boilers & heating solutions to innovative control systems, cellular communications, and system alerts we could have only dreamed of in 1957, we’ve covered a lot of ground in just six decades. In a lot of ways, we feel like we’re just getting started and that’s largely due to the people who’ve helped us get this far.

Tenured Talent Throughout

We keep a copy of the previously mentioned Supply House Times issue in our office, flipping through it from time to time to remember our past. However, in some ways that issue also says a lot about our future.

Some of the faces in the photos that accompany the story still work at Metropolitan today. Their positions may have changed and grown over the years, but their commitment hasn’t wavered and neither has ours. As a company, our dedicated workforce has risen to over 150 team members filling our current 100,000 SF facility where we’ve been for 18 years – as well as our remote Emecole Metro facility –  and we’re once again looking to expand our footprint to keep pace with demands.

However, the tenure we see also extends beyond our team members and into the customers and that we serve. Many of the relationships we’ve developed with our customers — municipalities, contractors, design engineers, etc. — over the last 60 years continue today. Between routine servicing, necessary pump-system expansions, or upgrades to ensure that our customers have the best equipment to meet their needs, we’ve maintained these relationships through trust, demonstrated expertise, and continuing to better understand the needs of the market.

As part of our mission to remain focused experts in the pump industry, our organic growth has also been supplemented by notable acquisitions. In 1993, our acquisition of Reliable Electric Controls expanded our electronics business, helping us offer more advanced control systems that complement our pumps. More recently, in 2016, our acquisition of Emecole helped us branch into areas of facility maintenance by providing industry leading concrete repair chemicals and waterproofing solutions.

All of this is to say that we’ve definitely expanded over the years. However, though our focus has broadened in some senses to cover the larger definition of pump systems, we’ve remained true to our original goal: Specialization. Fortunately, that specialization also applies to our dedication, service, and every part of the larger Metropolitan team, inside our facility and out. Regardless of the evolution of technology and infrastructure, we are, as we always have been, Metropolitan Industries.

At Metropolitan Industries, we’re proud to be your single source for reliable pumps, control systems, heating and ancillary equipment. By offering expertise in many water and wastewater industries, we’ve established ourselves as experts over the last 60 years, but we also know that there’s more to expertise and reliability than simply supplying pumps and equipment. With unique requirements from every customer and full systems that are customized to meet specific needs, guaranteeing quality is as much about testing every product that leaves our facility as it is about manufacturing it correctly.

Full system testing greatly reduces startup time while decreasing the potential for additional expenses in the field by allowing the contractor to connect our pumps and systems without concern. However, as pumps, control systems, ancillary components and the systems in which these components must work continue to change, system testing must do the same. Fortunately, we take testing seriously. We like to think of ourselves as a one-stop-shop for our customers, offering everything under one roof, and testing is no exception. However, it’s not quite that simple.

Just as we’ve never been comfortable resting on our laurels regarding the products and services we offer, we’re also always looking for ways to improve our testing capabilities and offer even greater peace of mind to our customers to ensure the proper functionality of everything that leaves our facility. As part of this effort, our testing capabilities were recently upgraded to keep pace with demand and technology and continue our commitment to offering quality product and services to the industries who’ve come to trust the Metropolitan name.

Starting With A Solid Foundation

Our state-of-the-art, on-site test lab is designed to perform a full range of testing on all of the equipment we supply. This includes hydrostatic-pressure, hydraulic-performance, and hydronic-equipment performance testing on both individual items and large packaged/custom assemblies. Packaged-system testing is especially important as system-integration should seamlessly meet all customer specifications. To ensure that all testing meets the standards of the Hydraulic Institute or other national standards that may be required to fulfill contract documentation requirements, all testing can be certified by a licensed Professional Engineer registered in the state of Illinois.

As our customer requirements range from smaller commercial and residential applications to industrial, large commercial, and municipal pumps, controls, heating, and systems products, the quality control required increases. Our four water tanks offer a combined capacity of 20,000 gallons and we have a flow capacity that can hit 10,000 gpm. Paired with our 800-amp electrical service, pressure capabilities up to 700 psi, and variable frequency drives, the lab is setup to handle almost every scenario. Additionally, all of our instrumentation is regularly calibrated to ensure accuracy.

A broad array of different types of pumps, controls, and systems can be tested by Metropolitan’s trained staff, including self-priming pumps, centrifugal pumps, submersible pumps, multi-stage pumps, pressure reducing valves, gas-fired thermal equipment, and control systems operating with mechanical components and instrumentation. By offering all of these services on-site where we build and assemble our products, we’re eliminating the need for an outside lab or contractor, which reduces completion time, ensures full familiarity with our products, and eliminates handling errors that could arise during equipment transport to and from an outside facility. Maintaining all of these testing capabilities remains important, but we’re also constantly working to improve these capabilities and offer more to our customers.

What’s New in 2017?

Our 2017 test lab upgrades were designed with both our customers and our evolving product lines in mind. Our primary goal for these upgrades was to provide more accurate tests with faster turnaround. A brief summary of the major changes is as follows:

Automated Testing Through A Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) – Rather than logging all data individually and manually, necessary data is now automatically recorded simultaneously.

Actuated throttling valves – Manual valve adjustments are a thing of the past as testing is now automated.

Flow meter monitoring – Based on testing requirements, we can now select from 4 different sized flow meters in the MetroCloud Test Lab application.

Wireless Pressure Transducers – Portable stands can connect pressure sensors to MetroCloud SCADA without power or signal wires.

MetroCloud Application – A real time view of testing on a MetroCloud client from any Internet connected device.

Automated Data Population – All data is logged into an Excel spreadsheet and calculations such as efficiency and affinity laws are automatically computed.

Coming Soon! – Witness testing of projects by customers from remote locations.

We’re proud to further enhance our testing capabilities with all these improvements but, even with these enhancements, we’ve got our eye focused on the future. It’s difficult to say what the next set of improvements will bring; however, it’s safe to say our customers will be top of mind for every decision we make.