Q: Tell me about your family. A: My husband, Mike, and I have been married for two years. We have a daughter Riley, who will soon become a big sister. We are expecting a little girl.
Q: What is your hobby farm like? A: We have pigs, chickens, dogs, kittens, cows, and crops.
Q: Where do you like to go camping? A: We go anywhere. Mostly, we like to go to Winona and Pioneer Power. We usually go camping twice a year.
Q: What is your favorite place in Minnesota? A: Duluth.
Thank you for taking time to talk to me!
If you’re ever in the area, stop by and be sure to say ‘hi’ to Melinda!
When we developed service school many decades ago, our concept was simple; to assist our Service Dealers on becoming more familiar with our product line.
Today, we continue to evolve Service School courses that teach best practices to our Service Dealers. These in-depth courses should give peace of mind to WINCO generator owners that with proper servicing, they can expect years of dependable power.
Creating Courses
Classroom Courses include in-depth discussions based on course content, depending on the generator grouping. It is our goal to teach an understanding of how our generators work and are maintained. Instructing departments include service, engineering, and sales.
Snip-it from the load balancing course
Hands-On Planning Coming up with the best and most beneficial hands-on labs is a crucial part of planning. Our technical support team uses feedback from the field to get and accurate picture of what our Service Dealers are facing.
We team up with our Engineers to create training aids that get our course participants working on actual equipment that is found in the field.
In this picture, we installed two ASCO transfer switches that are fully operational. This set-up is designed to simulate failures, test operation sequences, test operations, and help find faults.
There are similar set ups for other generator components that require troubleshooting.
Our generator end and controller labs will assist with testing and how to service them.
Scheduling
Theses are a few factors when scheduling Service Schools throughout the year.
Weather
First off, we are located in Minnesota, weather is a constant factor; especially the snow. While it can be a better time for some, not everyone wants to enjoy a Minnesota winter.
Factory
Heavy coordination from all other departments is needed when setting dates. Our factory stays live during service school, allowing us to provide tours throughout the entire facility. We take pride in what we do and enjoy showcasing our growing capabilities.
How To Sign Up
The best way to get our Service School announcements is to be subscribed to our emails. If you would like to be added, contact your Account Manager at WINCO.
We will also make announcements on our LinkedIn and Facebook pages. Be sure to follow us so you don’t miss out!
Be on the lookout for me at Service School. See you soon!
WINCO prides itself for our quality generators. We want to ensure every generator that goes out our door, is ready when you need it. This is why we 100% load test every generator. Our test bays are constantly in use and our technicians ensure that generators pass inspection. Our technicians check for shutdowns, read gauges, test high voltages, and engine temps, to name a few.
Within the past few years, we have been working on providing larger power capabilities. Right now, we offer our largest generator at 600kW. Having such a large generator being built, our old test bay wasn’t large enough and we needed to find a way to test them. Therefore, we relocated our liquid-cooled test bay to a new area and installed upgrades to our new test bay to suit our growing capabilities.
THE OLD
The old liquid-cooled test bay was created inside an old paint bay. For many years, this was sufficient and we were able to conduct full load tests on units up to 90kW. But, the old test bay was not able to accommodate the larger, housed units. It was also lacking an adequate fuel system.
THE NEW
The new liquid-cooled test bay is larger, more organized, and able to test our 600kW. Our testers also have a separate area where the can apply loads and monitor readings without having to be close to the generator itself.
Check out the video for a little tour!
Stay tuned to see our other test bays, air-cooled and PTO!
WINCO has been in business since 1927, starting with wind turbines to power a family farm’s radio batteries. As we have grown through the years, generators have been created and became obsolete while new generators were being designed.
One of the great perks of owning a WINCO generator is the longevity of support. We have 50+ year old units still out there; powering homes, businesses, farms, etc. The key to a long life is simple; conduct routine maintenance and replace parts as needed.
PARTS SUPPORT
With over 20 years of experience at WINCO, our parts department is a wealth of knowledge of our generators, new and old. You would be amazed at all the part numbers they can rattle off from the top of their head.
Not too long ago, a customer needed AC brushes for his obsolete Winpower GE6W4 restoration project. We had the parts he needed, along with rectifier diagrams, and he was able to finish the project.
Now, we must state that we can’t get every part from the past. As years go on, some suppliers went out of business. But, we will do our best to help you.
Photo courtesy of Terry from Iowa
Our parts department has a library of all parts list of generators built.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Beyond getting parts, we also can help with technically questions on older models as well. Our technical support team is knowledgeable not about our generators, but also has an education in AC & DC electrical theory as well as working experience with electric motors and controls.
Being a company that likes to hang on to things, really benefits our customers. You can find manuals and other product support documents on our website by searching your model.
This 45 year-old unit came out of Dow Chemical in Midland, MI. Our technical support team was able to help with this customers questions.
Photo courtesy of Scott from Michigan
Need help looking for your model on our website? This blog will show you how to find your model or you can also go the the Service Support tab.
You can also call us at: Parts Department: 507-357-6831 ext. 1. Technical Support: 507-357-6831 ext. 3.
Q: What grade are you going into? A: I am starting my Freshman year.
Q: What do you like to write? A: Fantasy/fiction stories.
Q: I heard you like Anime, what is your favorite? A: Saiki K at the moment.
Q: Any plans for after High School? A: Not sure yet.
Q: How are you liking WINCO? A: This is my first job. I like it, people are cool. I have been working as a material handler and picking parts.
Name: Janik Wagner Hobbies: Gaming, working around the house, water sports, drawing, running.
Q: What grade are you going into? A: I am going into my Senior year.
Q: Do you run for your school? A: Yes, track and cross country.
Q: Any plans for after High School? A: I want to go to college, probably get a business degree.
Q: How are you liking WINCO? A: It is a good environment and good work experience. I liked working in maintenance the most.
Thank you for taking time to talk with me! We enjoyed having you all here and hope that you have a great 2022-2023 school year! We hope you come back next summer!
