Ex-Im Gives Pennsylvania-Based Specialty Manufacturer Peace Of Mind

“Using Ex-Im has given us the opportunity to ship abroad with peace of mind,” said Barb Geiger. Ms. Geiger is the office manager for Conestoga USA in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

The four-employee company specializes in selling lubrication test specimens for laboratories, packing glands for major global companies and hydraulic oil pumps. The U.S. Export-Import Bank helps Conestoga ship their specialty products to oilfields and labs all over the world.

Conestoga is the sole producer in a niche field. Packing glands, also called sealing glands, must be leak-free at elevated temperatures and moderate pressures, and they require specialized manufacturing. Conestoga has been fabricating these parts and assemblies in-house for the power transmission industry and for lubrication test laboratories for more than 40 years.

Additionally, Conestoga produces hydraulic pumps and component parts that are used in vane pump tests. These pumps are designed to test the viscosity of oil to determine the quality of samples.

Conestoga’s specialty products have been shipped to labs and companies worldwide, including locations in Canada, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, China, Korea, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Trinidad, the United Arab Emirates and France.

The family-owned company exports 30 percent of its sales to foreign customers. Ms. Geiger says Ex-Im Bank is “a safeguard to make sure we get paid.”

Backing from the Ex-Im Bank helps assure thousands of small companies like Conestoga that new customers are reliable. Instead of being wary when exploring new markets, Ex-Im Bank’s insurance and guarantees allow U.S. companies to build relationships with creditworthy foreign buyers.