Klassen Pumps

Klassen Pumps is a family-run business that designs and manufactures efficient and cost-effective vertical line shaft turbine pumps, as well as submersible deep well water pumps for various sectors including agriculture, mining, industrial, municipal and residential applications.

An expert in developing vertical turbine pumps, motors and their components, Klassen Pumps designs and manufactures all its products in its modern engineering department. Equipped with 3D CAD capabilities and 5 Axis CMM validating equipment, the company has complete control over component and pattern design, as well as final casting. Castings such as bowls and impellers are also casted in house using automated equipment with fast pattern change for short runs. All machining for castings, column pipe and line shaft is conducted in a 100,000 square ft. facility. The CNC shop houses over 60 CNC machines and has a rigorous quality control team. Final assembly and performance testing take place in its state-of-the-art testing facility, compliant with HI standards.

These capabilities help Klassen Pumps overcome a major challenge in the industry – the prolonged turnaround times. The entire process is completed under one roof, reducing delivery time for the end user.

The different castings, such as impellers and bowls, are mainly cast in materials like cast iron (class 30, class 40), Ductile Iron, Bronze, 304 Stainless, 316 Stainless, Duplex and Super Duplex, among others. For standard applications, the bowls are primarily cast in class 40 cast iron, known for its higher tensile strength and better resistance to abrasive and mildly corrosive conditions compared to other similar cast iron materials. This choice avoids the need for more expensive stainless casting, helping to manage costs effectively.

Klassen Pumps’ active involvement in design and manufacturing makes it easier to offer customized solutions for the end user’s needs. The team follows a technical design strategy closely linked to its foundry process that helps reduce production waste and costs by optimizing pump pattern designs based on the foundry casting process.

“If a customer requires a specific pump design, we have the capability to design or reverse engineer and manufacture it. We make and test most of our prototypes in-house, reducing turnaround time,” says Juan Klassen, manager of Klassen Pumps.

At Klassen Pumps, the focus extends beyond providing quality pumps. The company consistently tries to fill market gaps, such as increased depth or smaller borehole sizes, solving these issues by designing and testing new prototypes. For this, the company constantly monitors the requirements of its customers. For instance, applications that have high sand content also experience premature wear due to sand abrasion. It’s a challenge all deep well pump manufacturers have, but Klassen Pumps has made significant improvements in design as well as material selection to better manage abrasive conditions.

Klassen Pumps keeps an inventory of components and parts and assembled pre-engineered pumps in different strategic locations in the U.S. and Mexico. If parts are not in stock, the factory can normally produce them within 7-10 days, a rarity in the industry.

Since the inception of Klassen Pumps over 40 years ago, one thing that has not changed is the consistent drop in the water table. This comes with its own challenges, meaning pumps have to be installed deeper as the level drops. The power required is also proportionally more. In a recent case study, with Klassen Pumps' in-depth understanding of the challenges and added cost passed on to the end users, the standard design of key pump models had to be modified. They were converted to a Medium Lateral bowl to accommodate shaft stretch. This modification aimed to reduce pump costs since the only possibility before was using a Long Lateral design, which had a considerable impact on price. The Long Lateral design is also available for even deeper applications.

Klassen’s steadfast commitment to delivering quality products and services is backed by a team of passionate experts dedicated to solving customer challenges. Aided by the team’s capabilities, Klassen Pumps has had continuous growth and expects it to go on.

Staying true to its reputation for offering the best solutions, Klassen Pumps continues to deliver durable and efficient pumping equipment.