Who Are Cornell Pumps, and What Applications Their Pumps Suit?

Cornell is one of the most trusted food-handling pump manufacturers in the world. Founded in 1946 in Clackamas, Oregon, the company has achieved monumental success in the field and has its pumps used by some of the globe’s largest brands, including Frito-Lay and McDonald’s.

The story of Cornell started in 1946 when five workers at the Pacific Pump Company in Oregon decided to quit and go independent. Because they worked in a complete service department, they were acutely familiar with common pump failures of the time and focused on solving these issues. The team recognised that numerous motor malfunctions were due to pressure surges during use, overburdening the system, and water-induced breakdowns of the motor bearings at the pump end. Equipped with an extensive inventory of parts and the capability to manufacture any necessary components, Cornell was able to service any model of pump.

Cornell put itself on the map by making large and reliable pumps for building bridges and dams, and working in construction led to innovations such as a liquid ammonia cooling system to cool down concrete during the dam production process. These ammonia-cooled pumps were soon sold to warehouses, ships and air conditioning systems worldwide.

In 1964, Cornell launched the Hydro-Transport series of food pumps, which featured a ground-breaking single-port impeller configuration with unique offset volute, meaning the pump was capable of safely transporting even the most delicate food products such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggs and even live fish. Results showed that Cornell’s new pump series had the lowest damage rate in the industry, furthering its reputation worldwide.

In 1985, Cornell adapted these water pumps into the realm of hot cooking and oil transportation, meaning that they could now take care of hot and cold foods in equal measure. As a result, American crisp giant Frito-Lay used Cornell’s fryers to make every potato crisp the company makes, and McDonald’s used their pumps to transport every one of its french fries.

Since then, Cornell has continued to be a dependable presence in American irrigation, dewatering and food transportation, from irrigation of the turf used at the 1989 Superbowl XXIII and dewatering Ground Zero in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in New York to pumping many of the water displays at Disneyland Resort, Anaheim.