50 Years of Quality

Thompson Pump
Written by Robert Hoshowsky

In the construction industry, experience matters, and few companies are as knowledgeable about pumps as Thompson Pump & Mfg. Co. Based in the historic city of Port Orange, Florida, Thompson Pump continues providing customers with the finest and most durable dewatering and construction pumps 50 years after the company was founded.

Ranging in size from two inches to large 18 inch models, clients across a diverse range of industries call on Thompson for its many diesel- and electric-powered pumps. From construction to oil and gas plants and refineries to agriculture and aquaculture, to environmental remediation, to plants and refineries, to municipal and public works, to mines, pits, and quarries, companies across myriad sectors keep coming to Thompson for its rugged, reliable pumps and unrivaled customer support.

Golden anniversary and big changes
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the company founded by George A. Thompson and sons Bill and George Jr. celebrated another milestone with the recent sale of its rental operations to United Rentals Fluid Solutions Group. By shifting away from its direct rental arm, the company is better able to make investments into its core business – namely the iconic Thompson pump manufacturing brand – and keep serving the pump requirements of customers across all sectors. And according to company President Bill Thompson, the move will allow the well-respected pump business to keep evolving for the future, developing and manufacturing the best pumps and accessories in the industry.

“This transaction allows us to focus intently on developing and manufacturing the industry’s best pumps and accessories… and we are well-positioned for the next stage of our company’s evolution,” said Thompson in a news update on the company’s website. “We will remain one of the leading pump manufacturers in the United States and internationally by providing new and innovative product development and unparalleled customer support.”

Over the decades, Thompson Pump has continued to expand and innovate, creating products such as the Vacuum Underdrain Pipe, designed to optimize the process of shallow dewatering. Today, the company’s national and international client base of over 6,000 includes industrial businesses, industrial entities, the military, and many others requiring water supply, sewer bypass, flood control, dewatering, wastewater management, and temporary or permanent stand-by applications.

“By focusing on product development, manufacturing operations and growing our distribution network – both nationally and internationally – we now have the opportunity to improve capacity, increase efficiency and to support our customers even better than before,” said Thompson, adding “Many of the same people our customers have worked with locally over the years at Thompson Pump are now on the United Rentals team.”

Steady growth
Even in its early years, Thompson Pump was an industry leader and innovator. 1973 marks the year the company “adapted the rotary pump for dewatering for the first time,” resulting in a highly efficient wellpoint watering product – and the company emerging as a market leader. Just four years later, in 1977, the business brought its own vacuum-assisted pumps to the market, which had the benefit of allowing “standard pumps to prime without filling the pump housing with water first, and to reach higher heads for demanding applications,” according to the company’s website.

After founding its initial Port Orange headquarters and factory, the company soon began purchasing acres of land and establishing branches in other locations in the 1970s and 1980s. These included Goldsboro, North Carolina; Florence, Mississippi; Chesapeake, Virginia; Pensacola, Florida; Ravenel, South Carolina; Sarasota, Florida; and West Palm Beach, Florida. Purchasing additional land, the company also doubled the size of its Port Orange headquarters.

Throughout much of the 1990s, Thompson Pump continued its growth, as several of the company’s successful branches required expansion. To meet customer demand, the company added new locations in Jacksonville, Florida, and in Orlando, along with transforming existing facilities in Goldsboro and Orlando into regional depots. Sometimes, expansion took place to meet the needs of clients in Florida and the Army Corps of Engineers. Much of this expansion coincided with the company’s ongoing product development and innovation, including “hydraulic power units with submersible pump heads for high head applications, such as mines or quarries,” according to the company, and significant growth in its national and international network of dedicated dealers and rental centers, which has grown to over 30.

More than manufacturing
Customers purchasing products from Thompson are buying more than highly reliable pumps; they are buying the result of years of engineering, innovation, and experience. Supporting buyers through its many distributors, the company provides valuable sales and service, design and installation expertise, repairs, rentals through United Rentals Fluid Solutions Group, and operational support.

While many companies promise the best quality pump products, Thompson delivers. Following rigorous independent testing, the company has achieved ISO 9001-2015 quality certification for its manufacturing facility in Port Orange. A proud Blue Chip Enterprise Award winner, Thompson’s pump products meet certification requirements “as defined by the Contractors Pump Bureau,” according to the company.

From construction to oil and gas, mines and more, Thompson pumps are designed and manufactured for a range of applications. Along with diesel and electric models, the company’s pumps are made for dry or wet priming, and different turbidity. These include oil-less versions, the Enviroprime System®, Silent Knight®, and Arctic Knight®. With automatic priming and the ability to handle four-inch solids, the company’s Enviroprime System® High Head Solids Handling Pumps are heavy-duty, and designed for waste treatment applications such as force main pumping, settled sludge, and much more. Featuring dry-priming with auto-start, the Enviroprime System® is crafted with durable cast iron casing and brackets, tough wear rings and impeller, and comes in compact design options and close coupled design, making it lighter and requiring less maintenance.

Ranging in size, Thompson’s line of pumps includes the Utility Self Priming Trash Pumps Wet Prime (T), the Self Priming Cast Iron Open Trash Sewage Pumps Wet Prime (TS), and the Self-Priming Cast Iron Trash Pumps Wet Prime (HT). Built to last, the Utility Self Priming Trash Pumps Wet Prime (T) is created with a lightweight yet strong cast aluminum housing, and a tough protective steel roll cage. Self-priming, this portable pump is great for smaller dewatering jobs, capable of handling solids up to 1-75 inches. Others, like the Self-Priming Cast Iron Trash Pumps Wet Prime (HT), come in sizes ranging from four to eight inches. Economical to operate with fast start-up, this model is made from heavy-duty cast iron with a rubber-lined abrasion-resistant wear plate, and is perfect for municipal construction and industrial applications like standby de-watering, flood control and drainage, positive suction applications, and much more.

Dedicated to customers across all sectors, Thompson Pump looks forward to meeting your pump needs today and into the future.

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