BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. — January 10, 2018 — Parameter Generation & Control is recognizing its 40th anniversary as an internationally respected innovator and manufacturer of precise humidity and temperature conditioning systems.
Parameter Generation & Control was founded by Jack Hile and his son, Ross. A mechanical engineer, Jack Hile worked in the 1960s for American Instrument Company (AMINCO), selling laboratory equipment. AMINCO had developed a line of precise humidity and temperature conditioning systems for the American scientific and manufacturing industries after the start of World War II; prior to that, much of that equipment was imported from Germany.
When another company purchased AMINCO in 1970 and stopped selling humidity and temperature conditioning systems in favor of medical-industry product lines, Hile saw an opportunity. He and his son, Ross, purchased the manufacturing rights, spare parts and drawings for AMINCO humidity and temperature conditioning products. And with that, Parameter Generation & Control was born in April 1977.
Initially, the Hiles planned that their new company would service and sell replacement parts for AMINCO equipment. Ross Hile opined that narrowing their scope of work as such would limit the company eventually and instead advocated for developing and manufacturing new systems. His father agreed. The first units Parameter produced were three AMINCO 9-cubic-feet chambers for Bell Labs, GE and DuPont.
Since then, the company has developed a vast array of products and services for customers. Advances in control technologies, saturation and refrigeration now allow for smaller and more efficient systems with tighter capabilities in products ranging in size from 4 cubic feet to 60,000 cubic feet.
Today, Parameter’s systems are sold in more than 50 countries for industries that include pharmaceuticals, semi-conductors, electronics, packaging, textiles, tobacco and preservation.
Parameter also offers a full-service installation and preventive maintenance group; a validation department; and state-of-the-art, off-premise contract stability storage rooms and chambers through its strategic alliance partnership with Precision Stability Storage.
Jack Hile’s son, Clay, who became the company president in 1988, is proud of Parameter’s 40 years of innovation and his company’s ability to compete successfully against other international corporations.
“We have always focused on building the best and the most reliable humidity temperature conditioners and chambers on the market and not becoming too broad with our product line,” Hile said. “This makes it easier for us to compete with better-known companies among our target audiences.”
Parameter provides unique temperature- and humidity-control solutions for a number of memorable projects. In the early 1980s, the company began working with the Library of Congress to protect its priceless copies of rare Gutenberg and Mainz Bibles. It also provides a conditioned vault for other items not on display.
The company made its first home in historic downtown Black Mountain in two storefronts so small that all sheet-metal fabrication and welding was conducted offsite. By 1979, Parameter had outgrown its first home and moved to its current location on the town’s west side. Hile says Black Mountain remains an ideal home base for the company.
“It is a beautiful place to live,” Hile said. “And since we deal with companies worldwide, there never was a huge benefit to relocating to a larger metropolitan area.”
For the next 40 years, Parameter Generation & Control will build upon its successes and core strengths, Hile said.
“We’ll keep developing better systems that are more cost-efficient, more energy-efficient and smaller,” he said. “We’ll expand our markets both geographically and through new applications. And we’ll continue to provide a quality workplace for our employees.”
Parameter Generation & Control is an internationally respected innovator and manufacturer of precise humidity and temperature control products. Renowned for their dependability, Parameter products continually surpass industry expectations with technologically advanced energy conservation. The company manufactures temperature- and humidity-controlled chambers, rooms, conditioners and large-capacity laboratory baths for pharmaceutical, electronic, semiconductor, packaging, paper and textile clients worldwide.
Posted January 10, 2018
Source: Parameter Generation & Control
