Mundo-Tech Signs Mondo Contract
by January 7, 2002 12:00 am 183 views
Try to say “titanium tube bending” three times real fast. It’s probably easier to just search for the phrase on the Internet, where the five most popular search engines will turn up Mundo-Tech Inc. of Rogers.
The little-known aerospace technology firm specializes in mechanical and titanium tube bending that’s used to build onboard oxygen systems and plumbing work for airplane lavatories and galleys. And apparently, the well-kept secret is on a roll.
Mundo recently landed a contract with an out-of-state firm that has increased its sales by 200 percent. The ultimate end-user of the contracted work will be General Electric Co, but Mundo would not elaborate or disclose the name of its partnering firm.
Other Mundo clients include Boeing Business Jets Inc. of Seattle, Wash., Aeromet Inc. of Tulsa, Ozark Aircraft Systems Inc. of Bentonville, Raytheon Co. of Lexington, Md., and The Nordam Group of Tulsa, Okla. Mundo also works closely with the California Institute of Technology at Pasadena.
The company, which is qualified to NASA specifications, cleans mechanical tubing using a special chemical process that removes all hydrocarbons to ensure the flow of pure breathing oxygen. David Soubank, Mundo’s quality control manager and a professor of chemical engineering, developed the firm’s unique process for cleaning tubes without the use of chlorinated hydrocarbons.
In past decades, the process was done using freon. Mundo’s proprietary technique is apparently one of the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternatives to date.
The firm’s founder and CEO is George Harbaugh. Sons Mundo and Christopher Harbaugh serve as vice president/purchasing and general manager, respectively.