Family owned and American built with pride for more than 60 years!

BE's Founder, BILL HISS, the co-inventor and Grandfather of the Part Washing industry

Better Engineering is a company that designs and manufactures industrial cleaning machines, also known as “Part Washers,” for various industrial, food, and pharmaceutical processing centers across the globe. The company was founded in 1960 by two WWII veterans, Bill Hiss and Earl Sprecher, who were looking for a way to clean and reuse automatic transmission parts. Their invention, the Torque Converter Flusher, led to the establishment of Bill and Earl’s Auto Shop in Rosedale, MD. They worked tirelessly in the basement of the auto mechanic shop, developing their patent for the Torque Converter Flusher, a machine that would revolutionize the automotive industry by cleaning used automatic transmission parts to be repaired or refurbished.

Once the patent was approved, Bill and Earl’s invention, the Torque Converter Flusher, hit the global market, creating the part washer industry.

Years later, Bill & Earl sold Bill & Earls Garage in Rosedale, moved their design and manufacturing operations to a business park in Bel Air, MD, and changed the business name to Better Engineering, using the first initial of each of their first names as a tribute to their legacy.

About Bill Hiss

Our Founder, Bill Hiss, exemplified “the greatest generation.” Born in 1924, he joined the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific during WWII. Bill went on to establish Better Engineering (BE) in 1960 with the invention of the patented “Torque Converter Flusher,” used by transmission shops to clean torque converters during the remanufacturing process.

Bill was the father of three, a community activist, and the patriarch of Better Engineering until his passing in 2000.

Family Owned & Operated

Over the years, Irma, Bill’s wife, took great pride in managing all the business aspects of the company, managing all aspects of the company until her passing in 2008. 

Keith Hiss and Denise Hussar followed in their parent’s footsteps and are the second-generation owners of BE. Keith succeeded his father as president and general manager, taking Better Engineering to a new level by introducing the first part washer for the automotive industry. Under Keith’s leadership, Better Engineering was the first manufacturer of automated, aqueous-based parts cleaning systems that people are familiar with.

Today, Ryan Hiss and Lyndsey Hiss-Peters, two of Bill’s grandchildren, continue the family-owned and operated legacy of over 60 years.

Expansion and Innovation

Better Engineering has become a global leader in manufacturing industrial cleaning machines in the past four decades. Our products are used for automobile parts and in virtually every industrial industry, including precision cleaning for metal passivation and sanitization requirements in food and pharmaceutical processing. From our humble roots with Bill and Earl, our best-in-class engineering and production teams partner with our clients to innovate machines that solve some of the toughest cleaning challenges, delivering quality machines that exceed strict cleaning standards.

For more information about Better Engineering, watch our company profile video below. 

William "Bill' Hiss

Our History

THE BEGINNING

BE was founded upon the invention of a machine called the “Torque Converter Flusher.” This patented machine was used by automatic transmission repair facilities to gauge and clean torque converters during the rebuilding process.

1960

STARTING TO GROW

Between 1960 and 1980, BE sold over 8,000 of their patented torque converter flushers. BE developed other tools and equipment for the auto rebuilding industry like the oil cooler/line flusher.

1970

AQUEOUS CLEANING

BE manufactured their first water-based parts cleaning system – a small jet washer designed for auto repair facilities. At the time, nobody could have foreseen the impact this product was to have on BE’s future.

1980

EXPANSION

By this time, BE was the largest producer of aqueous parts cleaning systems. BE had distributors throughout the US and they were now producing larger and more sophisticated systems for industry.

1990

CUSTOMIZATION

BE now has over 50 standard parts cleaning systems, a large engineering staff for customized machinery, a parts-cleaning-lab/chemistry division, a full line of water-based detergents, and distribution throughout the world.

2000

IN-LINE CLEANING

By 2010, Better Engineering has established itself as a premier manufacturer of complex in-line cleaning systems.

2010

AUTOMATION INTEGRATION

Today, BE designs and manufactures a broad range of machines from compact, single-stage systems to complex systems with automation integration.

TODAY

Our Mission

We are committed to providing products and services that meet or exceed our customers’ expectations. In order to effectively carry out this policy, we make the following commitments:

Our Company is

Customer Focused

Commitment to Quality

Better Engineering is committed to the highest quality standards and is ISO-9001 certified.

Our services

Sustainability

We are committed to being socially and environmentally responsible. Our operations are conducted fairly and support environmental sustainability to help reduce our collective environmental impact.

Factual Decision Making

We establish measurable quality objectives that clearly indicate the level of continuous improvement.

Leadership & Teamwork

We keep all employees informed about our direction and quality objectives and help one another to be positive and make positive changes.

Continual Improvement

We strive for continuous improvement of our designs, processes and overall quality management system.

60 YEARS EXPERIENCE

For three generations, BE has manufactured rugged, well-engineered automated parts washers, utilizing spray, immersion and ultrasonic technologies. Headquartered in Joppa, MD, Better Engineering now builds a full spectrum of fully automated cleaning systems including: turntable washers, conveyor washers, drum washers, immersion washers, as well as customized parts cleaning systems and systems that incorporate robotic integration.

Services We Offer

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Engineering Capabilities

Helping solve tough cleaning applications is what we do. We have the highest caliber engineering staff in the industry. Utilizing innovative design software, we are able to build great, unique parts washing systems to solve any particular cleaning problem.
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Test Cleaning & Laboratory

Not all cleaning applications are the same so we work closely with you to make sure that the system we build for you suits your specific needs. We have a complete Engineering Process Lab and Machine Demonstration Test Center to evaluate your parts and cleaning process.
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Customer Support

Outstanding customer service is a big reason why Better Engineering has been in business for 60 years. We are committed to meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations.
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Technical & Field Service

Our Field Service Technicians are expert at installing new systems, reconditioning existing equipment after years of hard use, and modifying & modernizing existing systems to meet operational growth and change.