My Tryst with Wilden in California

My tryst with Wilden pumps began in 1996 when I was sent to California by my father to be trained in Wilden pumps which was part of the product line of his company in Dubai.

I stayed in Grand Terrace California for a few days for the Wilden training. I was a recently graduated Computer engineer in 1996, who was now assembling and disassembling Wilden pumps on the factory floor along with other assemblers, as part of my training.

I learnt at the factory that Wilden was a pioneer in diaphragm pump technology. The company was founded in 1955 by Jim Wilden, who invented the air-operated double-diaphragm (AODD) pump. This technology revolutionized the pumping industry by offering a reliable, versatile, and efficient pumping solution that could handle a wide range of fluids.

Before the invention of AODD pumps, the most common types of pumps were centrifugal pumps and positive displacement pumps. However, these pumps had limitations when it came to handling certain types of fluids, such as corrosive or abrasive materials, as well as applications that required more precise flow control.

The AODD pump solved these problems by using compressed air and its two diaphragms design AODD pumps to handle a wide range of fluids, from thin and volatile liquids to viscous and abrasive slurries. Today, Wilden remains a leading manufacturer of AODD pumps, with a wide range of models and options that are designed for specific industries and applications. 

Getting back to my story, it was indeed a strange moment because here I was working with pumps while having studied computers. Computers were the next hot thing. Please keep in mind that this was before the arrival of Tablets or Smart phones. But it was the orange pump that somehow got my heart. 

You are probably thinking what my point is  on this ?

I genuinely believe that education is necessary for everyone, but it doesn’t determine what you will do for the rest of your life or where life will take you. Education helps you organize your thoughts, helps you understand and create structures in life. Of course, this does not mean you can study anything and do anything else. But understand I studied computer engineering but have been doing pump mechanics for more than two decades at work in different jobs.