Contact & Support
The Circuit – June 2024 Newsletter
Table of Contents
News from Our CEO
Greetings! Once a quarter we hold our All Employee Meeting (AEM) to update the entire organization on industry news, company performance and strategic initiatives. We also take time to welcome our new employees who have joined the company over the last quarter, celebrate milestone anniversaries of current employees, and my favorite, recognize top performers.
One of our production team members, Jay Alston, had a perfect quality score in all of 2023. We deploy very strict quality metrics. For example, a single pin on a connector that is not perfectly straight will be noted by the QA team and will be corrected before we package and ship to a customer. To achieve this level of excellence is no easy feat and is in perfect alignment with our mission statement to produce top-quality parts and one of our core values of continuous improvement.
Every company should have a well-defined mission statement, a vision for the future and core values that provide the guiding principles for an organization. When decisions need to be made, these guidelines will help ensure we are moving in the right direction. Ours can be found here. Do you have yours?
In other news, I am excited to share with you that we now offer remanufactured residential Level 2 EV chargers. For the past year, our engineering team has been developing diagnostics and repair procedures for the top brands of chargers. We have a generous inventory of chargers that are ready to ship and offer these as exchanges or outright purchases.
I hope you are enjoying our monthly updates. If you have any suggestions for topics or feedback, please submit your comments to [email protected].
Warm Regards,
Patrick Jeitler
Freedom Electronics President & CEO
Freedom to innovate, power to solve.
Industry News
NACS released the 2024 state of the industry. After 4 years of declines, store count was up 1.5% nationally, with increases in 43 of the 50 states. Meanwhile, grocery and drug store counts are slightly down.
The EMV dispenser replacement bubble is over according to the Vontier and Dover annual reports. However, at industry trade shows this spring, most service companies told us that they had strong bookings in construction, that the ratio of warranty to chargeable service work is declining, and that they were looking to hire more technicians.
Americans will continue to fuel up and prefer the updated stores. These trends should all contribute to a strong long-term industry outlook.
Product Spotlight
Ovation 2 PTS Buttons
A replacement lighted push-to-start button assembly for Ovation LX and Ovation 2 dispenser
Freedom SKU: FE-WU000805-0005
Replacement OEM SKU: WU000805-0005
Why Did We Develop This Product?
These push-to-start buttons are subjected to a lot of wear and require frequent replacement. We wanted to offer a reliable and affordable alternative that looks and feels right.
Benefits
- Specifically designed as a replacement lighted push-to-start button assembly for Ovation LX and Ovation 2 dispensers
- Includes lighted push-to-start button assembly only
- Available exclusively from Freedom Electronics, it seamlessly blends into existing setups to maintain a sleek, uniform appearance
- Available for outright purchase, no core credit needed
Ovation 2 Price Control Board
NEW Replacement for remanufactured or OEM new WM053972-0001 Single Price Control Board without PPUs
Discover another addition to our Freedom Electronics lineup, the Ovation 2 Price Control Board. Introducing the Ovation 2 Price Control Board without PPUs—a reliable, cost-efficient solution designed to meet your needs and exceed expectations. This brand-new PCB is designed to integrate flawlessly with parts FE-WM040824-0007 and FE-WM040824-0011, enhancing your setup with superior functionality and reliability.
Benefits
Cost-Effective: Priced over 50% less than the OEM’s list price of $316, plus additional savings with our core credit program when you send in your old core.
Availability: This item is currently in stock and exclusive to Freedom Electronics.
Compatibility: Ensures seamless operation with specific Freedom Electronics parts, maintaining efficient performance.
Why Did We Develop This Product?
Due to frequent failures from corrosion, the original boards often became difficult to remanufacture, leading to a scarcity in available cores. By engineering and manufacturing a new PCB, we have addressed all durability and core scarcity issues head-on. This also simplifies the process for our customers as no core is required to be sent in.
Product Details
The package contains the PCB only. It’s a brand-new drop-in replacement—not remanufactured—guaranteeing top-notch quality and ease of installation. Send in your old board for a core credit, enhancing your savings further!
Upgrade today and experience the quality and innovation for which Freedom Electronics is known.
Team Spotlight
Sai Teja Kanigelupula
Hardware Engineer
I am Sai Teja Kanigelupula, a member of the engineering department at Freedom for the last 8 years. I am a Hardware Engineer with a background in electrical and industrial engineering. My passion for electronics and product design led me on the quest for my dream job, and I found it at Freedom Electronics, where my skills, creativity, technical expertise, and enthusiasm drive innovation and results. I hold a master’s degree in Industrial Technology from Pittsburg State University and a bachelor’s degree in Electronics from India.
As a Hardware Design Engineer, I lead projects to find additional fixes to unrepairable cores and research to build proof of concepts for new product ideas. I love engineering in Freedom’s dynamic and fast-paced environment, filled with collaboration, problem-solving, and focused execution to drive projects forward and deliver value to the company. Making products better for our customers is the focus of our engineering team, with functionality, flexibility, cost reduction, and higher quality always driving innovation.
Freedom has been a beacon of opportunities and continuous learning for me. Challenging projects and product diversity have not only embraced my capabilities but also expanded my expertise. I am deeply grateful for the thriving innovation, positive work culture, work-life balance and commitment to diversity fostered here.
Ryan Black
VP of Customer Experience
Tenure: 20 Years
Location: Georgia
I have grown up with Freedom Electronics over the past 20 years. I’ve seen tremendous growth in not only our company, but in all the people that have worked for us, and customers who have been with us my entire tenure. Staying in touch and helping customers has always been the favorite part of my job. Away from work, I enjoy the occasional round of golf, traveling, and spending time with friends and family as much as possible. I look forward to seeing where our industry takes us next!
Department Spotlight
QC Department
Our Quality Control Department visually inspects every remanufactured product to ensure it meets our established standards. These standards were developed using internal and external feedback to provide our customers with top-quality products. After technicians have submitted their finished work order, a visual inspection occurs. The quality team then performs a round of functional tests on randomly selected items from each batch to ensure no steps were missed.
This department is also tasked with collecting and recording warranty data. For products that have been returned for warranty consideration, the quality team thoroughly checks the parts for defects. Upon passing preliminary inspection, the product is tested for functionality. The results of both the preliminary and functional tests are recorded, compiled, and analyzed. This data is then used to not only improve our testing, but also extend the life of the part by updating our procedures to automatically replace high-failure components.
Tech Tip
Protect Yourselves from Vehicle Strikes
Service technicians spend a lot of time in drive paths whether on a tank pad or next to a dispenser. A technician is struck by a vehicle way too often, and most technicians have had an extremely close call. Always barricade your work area to help protect yourself. At a minimum, use 48” traffic cones with flags and caution tape along with wearing a safety vest. When possible, use your service vehicle as a barricade. Make yourself and your work area as visible as possible to reduce the risk.
Core Charge Refunds
Buy outright or exchange your cores for credit.
Top-Notch Support
We’re experts on fuel dispensers parts.
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