Based in Palmdale, California, MurCal has been distributing Murphy products since 1958. When Art Murphy started the company that would later be called MurCal, he was distributing the entire line of F.W. Murphy safety switches, control panels and automation devices to the oil and irrigation market on the west coast.
Today with 20 employees, MurCal serves the western U.S. as an authorized Murphy distributor.
We spoke with Jessica Iarussi, head of sales at MurCal, to find out more about her company and what makes it unique.
What unique needs do customers in your area have, and how do you solve them?
Jessica: What is extremely interesting about our customer base is they’re very diverse. We talk to somebody who has unique application we had never heard of on a regular basis, and working with them to find an individual solution tailored to exactly what they need makes it that much more rewarding.
There are a couple of areas that are unique in our area, one is that the amount of water that is still moved using engines. You would assume this would not be the case in places like California, but we deal with customers with these applications on a daily basis. This can be with large farms or with municipalities. We use a lot of Murphy controls in these applications.
The other area is specialty agriculture machines. From frost prevention to manure spreading, we get a lot of experience with customers in these applications.
What is a unique benefit you provide your customers?
Jessica: In addition to our very knowledgeable sales team, we have a team of engineers who are truly familiar with both the product and the programming. Together, this provides our customers something specific to their needs.
This week, we had a customer who needed custom programming by Friday, and we were able to fulfill their needs in under a week because our engineering team is that knowledgeable with the product and the programming.
We win by learning and understanding the applications. As controls experts, the companies we work with are looking for us to take our knowledge and solve the problems they have. This is an area that we not only excel at, but we also enjoy solving these problems. We live to meet our motto of “One Call, Problem Solved”.
Why do you tell your customers to use Murphy products?
Jessica: The company has been around a long time, so not only are they tried-and-true, but they are always innovating and improving. I have talked to countless customers who have been using the same switch or gauge for close to 50 years. MurCal recently attended the ARA show along with Murphy by Enovation Controls, and they were displaying the new 5 and 7-inch displays, so between the long tenure of the company and the fact that they’re always looking for the next big thing is what I look for when I’m shopping for someone to do business with.
Murphy is known for the rugged and reliable products they provide, and we are able to leverage this brand reputation and match it with our controls expertise to create great customer solutions.
What trends do you think are important for 2019?
Jessica: Tech is definitely the biggest trend for 2019. Telematics has a ton of buzz in our market, and everyone we talk to is looking to automate more of their processes.
What’s your favorite part of working for MurCal?
Jessica: I was in a completely different industry before I came to MurCal, and just being in this building with people who have worked in the industry for so long is a daily learning experience. There is so much knowledge and history here. I literally learn something new every day, which is important for me because that helps you grow both personally and professionally. I love that we have both the big company feel as well as the family-run company feel. It’s the best of both worlds for me.
To learn more about MurCal, visit their website at murcal.com. To find your local distributors in your area, visit our Find a Distributor page.