Employee Spotlight Matt Ball Every time Matt Ball trains a new inspection employee, he tells them two things: No. 1: We don’t make paper clips. No. 2: “If you’ve been here for over a year and you get up in the morning and you watch the news and see a rocket blew up or a plane crashed and your (expletive) doesn’t pucker at least a little bit, you’re in the wrong line of work,” he said. That’s the kind of tone that Ball aspires – and needs – to set as the inspection supervisor at Napoleon Engineering Services. And it’s…

February 26, 2025 To our valued NES customers and associates, We all know an unsung hero. There’s the bass guitarist in the local rock band who maintains the rhythmic foundation while also playing keyboard and singing backup vocals. The lead singer and guitarist may draw the crowd’s attention, but the bass player is the glue that holds everything together. Or what about the small forward on the basketball team who doesn’t score a lot of points but is always positioned in the right place when the shot goes up to grab the offensive rebound and extend the possession leading to…

How cage material, style and type can, and do, play a critical role in bearing selection By J.P. BUTLER Marketing Coordinator It was late on a Wednesday evening when the message appeared in Chris Napoleon’s email. The question was straightforward: “Can you support the manufacturing of a bearing cage made from Teflon-coated glass fabric?” The simple answer was yes, absolutely. Napoleon Engineering Services had perfected the process years ago to support the high demand for custom turbopump bearings used by the commercial space industry. The email indicated that the bearing selection process was complete; the bearing type and size were…

Josh “Wolfinator” Wolf By now, our custom bearing manufacturing goals for 2025 have been well-documented: We must – and we’ve already begun – to increase throughput capacity to meet a higher volume of orders over the next year. To help us reach that goal, we’ve added more personnel and machines to keep our plant floor humming. But we’ve also embraced the fact that, to reap the potential rewards of a big production year, each of us must work a little bit harder. And Josh Wolf has embodied that sentiment. Wolf, over the last three months, at times, has been running…

Employee Spotlight Dave Whipkey Dave Whipkey had already scheduled off the last two weeks of the year. Napoleon Engineering Services, however, had just finished construction of its new building on Johnson Street and was preparing to make the move across town. Whipkey knew that the task would be massive. And so, in late 2010, he came to Chris Truman and offered to cancel his vacation to assist. This was a notable instance of Whipkey prioritizing his job and the company’s needs over his personal life. It was an indication of who he is: A team player. Someone who’s willing to…

To our valued NES customers and associates, When the holiday season is upon us, we often wish each other health, happiness and good fortune.There are external factors that can impact one’s ability to experience those good wishes, but the bulk of the responsibility rests on our own shoulders. It is most important for us to recognize and accept that the awesome gift of life comes with the continuous responsibility of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It’s a duty that cannot be overshadowed by the demands of school, work, family or personal passions. To be balanced in all our endeavors requires a…

Scott DeanHis transition into shipping happened largely by chance.Just before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, Napoleon Engineering Services’ then-shipping manager injured his back, leaving him unable to work. NES officials, in response, approached Scott Dean and asked if he’d be willing to fill in.“I said ‘yes,’” recalled Dean, who’d been working in the testing department for the previous seven years. “It was going (to be temporary, but) it’s turned into a four-year gig now, and it’s been good.” He then added with a laugh: “Getting down on the floor and working on rigs is not conducive to 60-year-old joints.” OVER…

NES Bearing Co.’s place as a U.S. bearing reverse engineering leader, and the recipe for a successful RE By J.P. BUTLER Marketing Coordinator In late October, a leading provider of advanced engine repairs walked into Napoleon Engineering Services (NES) with a question.  Four years earlier, NES performed a reverse engineering (RE) for this company on a legacy component for a gas turbine engine. NES was so successful in this undertaking, providing a detailed report that expressed professionalism and authority along with the appropriate pictures, data and drawings, that it returned with a similar request this fall – this time on…

Achieving bearing application stability Designing with heat dissipation in mind By J.P. BUTLER Marketing Coordinator Imagine you’re cruising along the highway. Scrolling through the dashboard options, you see that your oil temperature is steady, your coolant temperature is secure and your speed is set to a desired level. On a trip like this, those conditions will largely remain the same. You’ve achieved a stabilized situation. The heat generation and heat dissipation capacity of all systems is in balance. But what happens when outside conditions change – the grade becomes extremely steep; you’re pulling an oversized trailer; the air conditioning is…

October 16, 2024 To our valued NES customers and associates, As the fall weather moves into Western New York, the lush green leaves of summer on our surrounding mountain range give way to vibrant colors. This is a clear reminder that temperatures are changing. In October, we experience the broadest temperature swings throughout the day.  We joke that our HVAC systems are wondering who’s playing with the thermostat! It’s at or below freezing in the morning and we’re calling for heat but by mid-afternoon mid-70s temperatures require cooling. As the sun sets, the temperature plumets and the process starts all…