Here on the CPI blog, we regularly feature interviews with our team members, looking at the many ways our air pollution control experts can provide value to our clients. Today, we’ve got something special: a look at CPI’s early years with our founder, Erwin C. Betz.
CPI was founded in 1969, one year before the Federal EPA was created to enforce the Clean Air Act of 1970. “The purpose of the law was to protect public health and welfare and to regulate emissions of hazardous air pollutants into the atmosphere,” said Erwin. “Our company had acquired technology that could aid various industries to achieve compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards as they evolved.”
Over the next ten years, CPI brought a number of patented innovative products to the market. “Initially, our technology was applied to a variety of industrial processes, such as the wire enameling industry, and it was also used in many plants involved in painting, such as auto body parts manufacturing and the canning industry,” Erwin said. “There was also a great need for air pollution control in the emerging nuclear power industry, with many plants under construction and in early planning stages during the 1970s. With our technology, we soon became one of the prime suppliers of catalytic nuclear power recombiners.”
One of the challenges that CPI has consistently had to face over the years is the need to keep up with regulatory changes. “In the early years, we had to contend with the EPA's ever changing rules and testing procedures, as well as inconsistent enforcement throughout the country,” said Erwin. “We were able to successfully adapt our equipment to the ever more stringent EPA standards. We always worked closely with industry, trying to anticipate their needs, in order to help their manufacturing plants achieve or even exceed the compliance standards set by the EPA.”
Based on this history of working with our clients to meet their regulatory needs and innovating new technologies, CPI has remained on the forefront of the air pollution control industry. With over 50 years of experience, we’re confident that we can provide the best, most cost effective solutions for our customers. If you want to know more about how CPI can meet your air pollution control needs, please contact us.