Company Profile
Nielsen-Kellerman Company designs, manufactures and distributes waterproof instruments for active lifestyles and technical applications, including:
Customer Service and Commitment
If you distill what we at NK do into one phrase, it would have to be that we design and manufacture products for… fanatics. Whatever our niche, we know our customers won’t forgive us for letting them down, and will tell their friends what they think of us, good or bad. We employ a fully-staffed customer support department, and when our customers call or email, we bend over backwards to keep them happy.
Every NK rowing product is covered by a full two-year warranty, and Kestrel products are covered by a five-year warranty. All products are further covered by a lifetime Customer Care warranty, providing damaged product replacement at a very generous discount. We know that convincing customers to purchase a product is just the first step—once you’re an NK customer, we want to keep it that way! We’re proud of our tremendous repeat and referred customer percentages and virtually non-existent return rate.
Innovative US Manufacturer
Committed to US manufacturing, NK has continually updated and modernized its manufacturing methods to remain cost-competitive. NK employs Lean Manufacturing and Toyota Production System methods throughout its plant. Cellular manufacturing ensures continual close quality control and inventory is managed by a pull/kan-ban system to enable rapid response to customer demand and a high on-time shipment rate. NK’s plant also features NIST traceable calibration facilities for every product we make, including a 20-foot tow tank.
Giving Back to the Community
The rowing community has embraced NK for over 25 years, and NK strives to improve the sport by not only developing innovative products, but by also giving back to the community.
We donate over 2% of our pretax profits to charitable organizations that we believe are helping make the world a better place.
On the elite end of rowing, NK wants to make sure our country’s top athletes are training with the very best equipment. Our partnership with USRowing ensures that the National Team coaches, boats and athletes are outfitted with the latest NK electronics.
NK Core Values
Integrity
Our products are designed and engineered to give our customers accurate and reliable measurements. Our sales literature and specifications are honest and complete. We don’t sell snake oil.
Involved Owners
Nielsen-Kellerman has always been managed and led by its owners. Two or three owners can create a culture which numerous anonymous shareholders cannot, and two or three owners, not motivated purely by greed and the bottom line, can provide an environment benefiting equally its customers and its employees.
Independent
The owners started NK because they valued their independence no less than they valued the integrity of their products.
Integration
NK is a vertically integrated company. We design, manufacture, market, sell, and service all our products. We treat our manufacturing operation as an asset, not a liability and we use this asset to insure the quality and performance of our products.
Innovative
NK is a technology user, not a technology creator, but we are innovative and all of our products share the quality that they provide our customers with solutions others have failed to provide.
International
NK chose very early on to promote and sell it products worldwide. Today, in a different world in which the EEC, and soon China, are larger single markets than the US this commitment is a necessity, not a bold move.
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