Fol-Da-Tank’s Recipe to Reduce Lead Times by Joel Wright Voice of the Customer, Data from the ERP system, Lean, Clear Expectations, and Supplier Partnerships When Fol-Da-Tank was acquired in November 2020, our first step was a calling campaign to understand our customers’ needs. We had a goal to talk to 100 unique customers mirroring the training I had seen many times at the University of Iowa Venture School. The questions were open ended and focused on the theme – what would you most like to see us change? By the time we called the 10th customer it became apparent we didn’t nee ..read more

January 24, 2022 Rol-La-Tanks Type II by Joel Wright     First responders pride themselves with being fast – and safe.  They are quick to the scene, make fast decisions, and take speedy action.  When we need first responders we depend on them being fast, well trained, and calm under pressure.  Our Quick Assemble tanks are designed to help first responders be fast.  They are engineered to be simple to assemble and easy to transport.  The Rol-La-Tank is a type of Quick Assemble tank which is used for temporary storage of water (or other liquids) in remote loca ..read more

FOL-DA-TANK® Flying Water Tanks by Joel Wright The speed of innovation can be amazing. I remember asking my wife’s grandmother at her 100th birthday party what invention most affected her life. She said when she got electricity in her home it made so many activities faster, cleaner, and easier. No doubt electricity affected her generation very quickly once it was accessible. Federal loans were made available for rural electrical distribution systems in 1935 and by 1950 80% of farms in the US had electric service. Fifteen years to electrify 80% of farms across America is an accomplishment on pa ..read more

Technical and effective solution for fighting large fires.   Originally published 11/09/22 by Start Fire https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/abastecimiento-y-grandes-caudales-/?trackingId=PgXulBfISF6rSazL46d6gw%3D%3D Whether facing a large fire, such as in the forestry industry, or rural fires where there is not a sufficient water supply, it is necessary to have the knowledge and technical tools necessary to quickly and effectively mitigate the damage.   Thanks to international experience and expert advice, at Start Fire we have products that facilitate the work of firefighters and briga ..read more

All about FOL-DA-TANK® Pillow & Bladder Tanks by Joel Wright As a young adult living across town from my parents, I remember getting the gift of tools and a toolbox for Christmas. I never asked, but I suspect I got the gift so I wouldn’t borrow my dad’s tools. I still have most sizes of the Craftsman English and metric sockets and the toolbox is still shiny red. These days I don’t change my own oil and the tool I use most is the Crescent wrench. Crescent is a brand name today and the name of the former company which manufactured the ubiquitous adjustable wrench which they p ..read more

MILAN, Illinois — FOL-DA-TANK, which provides purpose-built portable water tanks, acquired EVAC Systems Fire and Rescue, which makes bags, paks and other products for fire and rescue crews. “We’re always looking for ways to innovate in the fire and rescue industry, and EVAC Systems’ range of solutions perfectly complements our line of products,” said Joel Wright, President, FOL-DA-TANK. “With this acquisition, our combined teams will be in a position to better serve our customers and offer an even wider array of smart, reliable products.” The acquisition is the first for FOL-DA-TANK, which got ..read more

Head To Head Exclusive The Rural Firefighting Challenge Joel Wright, CEO at FOL-DA-TANK discusses FOL-DA-TANK with The International Fire & Safety Journal. Manufacturer of portable water tanks and tank accessories for firefighters and environmental first responders, FOL-DA-TANK, was founded in 1954. Its founder Giles Eldred worked in the business loan department of a small bank in Rock Island, Illinois, in the early 1950s, when he met a customer who was applying for a loan to start a company that repaired fire trucks. In the conversations that Eldred had with this customer regarding the f ..read more

October 29, 2021 Da-Tank Stand by Joel Wright As an engineering student at Iowa State University and as an aspiring engineer I wanted to know how everything worked.  I was willing to endure endless math, physics, chemistry, and even English composition classes to get to the good stuff.   One week we were tasked with writing a compare and contrast paper and I wrote about the very important topic of hard vs. soft luggage.  Hard luggage was the solid indestructible plastic Samsonite shell and soft luggage was the nylon duffle bag that could expand forever.  My professor ..read more

Joel Wright, CEO at FOL-DA-TANK discusses five key features of drain sleeves FOL-DA-TANK first made the portable drop tank in 1954 and recently they’ve become more common outside of the United States as rural firefighters recognize the usefulness of the tool. The first folding frame drop tank was modeled after the FOL-DA-TANK founder’s infant daughter’s Playpen, and it revolutionized rural water supply.  Modern drop tanks are made with a folding metal frame and a flexible fabric liner that is watertight. But what about getting leftover water out of the tank? The drain sleeve was the answe ..read more

Joel Wright, CEO at FOL-DA-TANK discusses how the company is utilizing lean manufacturing to innovate solutions for customers Firefighting is a profession which is both physically and mentally demanding. It is also a highly dangerous task and so teams are looking for equipment that is efficient and durable in order to handle every any high-pressure task. Going above and beyond the basics, innovators in the mobile water supply industry are ensuring that their newest developments are making the intensive day-to-day work of firefighters that little bit easier. Joel Wright, CEO at portable water ..read more