Plastics Manufacturer Innovates Products for Grain-Processing Industry
11-12-10
Lundell Plastics, a leading manufacturer of innovative plastic products, has nearly saturated the agriculture industry with its products, and the company is expanding in a related market: grain processing. Lundell Plastics is seeing increased sales to grain-processing plants around the U.S. as the industry that processes grain for ethanol, livestock feed and human consumption looks for ways to increase efficiency and reduce operating costs.
Lundell Plastics first entered the grain-processing market about 20 years ago, gaining traction by offering plastic products to replace traditional steel parts, which are prone to corrosion and not as durable as Lundell's high-tech poly. Lundell Plastics has recently introduced new products that will benefit grain-processing plants, including drag conveyer paddles, U-trough liners and plastic auger flighting. Processing plants handle significantly more grain than small farms, so they require larger diameters of Lundell Plastics' products to fit their commercial-grade augers. Considering the processing plants' needs, Lundell Plastics offers flighting to fit 10-, 13- and 17-inch augers.
Customers have been pleased with the Lundell Plastics products, said Brian Lundell. "They're happy to see cost savings, both with the initial prices and the savings over time." Lundell believes that because many plants find it difficult to reduce operating costs, Lundell Plastics products have been able to successfully advance quickly in the grain-processing industry, even in the international market.
From the company's headquarters in Odebolt, Iowa, Lundell Plastics has shipped its products throughout the U.S. and around the globe for nearly 30 years. With the addition of new products and larger sizes of existing products, Lundell said he anticipates more sales to the grain-processing industry. "We can offer customers some things that bigger companies can't," he said. "I think part of the reason we've grown into the grain-processing industry is because of our approach toward personal service. As we branch out, we maintain focus on costumer service, which will ultimately help our customers grow their businesses too."