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Issue link: https://groundsupportworldwide.epubxp.com/i/665839
26 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE APRIL 2016 PRODUCT PROFILE By Alex Wendland T he PCA610 is all about saving time and money for ramp agents and ground handlers with gasket – the PCA650 – that can be replaced in under a minute as opposed to the daylong or overnight process that traditionally plagued gasket replacements. "It's not uncommon to go out on the ramp and see a large percentage of the PCA connectors don't even have a gasket in a certain area," Brian Piety, president at Page Industries, says. "It's actually gone completely from that top section." Traditionally, the gasket is heavily glued onto the rim of the connector and heavily abused. The connector drags on the ground when hoses were dragged as well as dropped and variously impacted in general use. The rubber naturally wears down over the course of a few months and the process for replacing gaskets without the PCA650 gasket is labor intensive. "The reason is people were reluctant before this one came along to replace the gasket because what you had to do is you had to send somebody out to the gate," Piety says. "They would have to take the existing PCA connector off of the hose, which is held on by a band clamp. They'd have to un-band clamp it, and then they would have to take that PCA connector back to the shop. When they got to the shop they would get a fle or a grinder and grind off the existing gasket and the glue to try to make the top of the PC Air connector smooth again. "Then they would get a new gasket, put a bunch of glue down on top of the connector, put the gasket back on there, and then put weight on top of the gasket, and usually let it sit overnight." As if that wasn't prohibitive enough, the person replacing the gasket had to take the connector back out to the ramp and reattach it to the hose the next day. "These guys have got better things to do, and it's a huge amount of labor when you're having to drive out there," Piety says. Now, using both Page products, you can pop off the plastic ring holding the gasket to the connector and snap a new gasket on in under a minute. All you need is a screwdriver…or even a coin. Piety says his demonstrations have impressed buyers. "Sitting in the conference room the frst time the guy did it, it took him about 45 seconds to take one off and put another one on, and that's in a conference room, and he had never done it before," Piety says. "It takes less than a minute." The Page Industries PCA610 Pre-Conditioned Air Connector, and PCA650 Snap-in Replaceable Gasket, have only been available for about 18 months, but the industry has been calling for them for years. Don't Blow A Gasket, Snap a New One On Various new features on the PCA610 Pre- Conditioned Air Connector from Page Industries create a tighter seal and increase airfow into the aircraft.