Storage News
50 years of Lambton Conveyors
O by Robert Nieminen
ne source. One solution. As company mottos go, Lambton Conveyor Limited has hit the mark. A onestop solution for grain handling operations, Lambton offers grain storage, material handling, and drying and cleaning equipment and continues to expand their line. The family-owned company will celebrate 50 years this summer and has emerged as an industry leader in a time when mergers and acquisitions are almost the norm. Lambton is one of Canada’s leading manufacturers of grain storage and handling systems.
From Regional to Global
Lambton Conveyor Limited is a privately held corporation founded in 1979 as a grain storage distributor. Its predecessor firm was a construction company established in 1965 by founder Ray Moorhouse. In the 1980s, Lambton began manufacturing grain handling equipment and developed a full line of chain conveyors and bucket elevators, essentially everything on the grain and bulk handling side of the business. It wasn’t long before Lambton started expanding its reach and manufacturing complete elevator systems, everything from small grain bins to hopper tanks to a complete accessory line. From there, the company shifted gears, and by the 1990s, Lambton had become “an OEM supplier,” producing equipment for other grain equipment suppliers, which has been a catalyst for the company’s international growth and expansion. Today, Lambton provides an ever-expanding line of innovative and practical products, including silos, bucket elevators, drag conveyors, grain cannons, screw conveyors, flow system accessories, bin unloaders, bin dryers, hopper tanks and custom fabrications. Almost all of the equipment produced by Lambton is fabricated using galvanised steel, which ensures a long service life and a low maintenance finish. Most products are also available in
stainless steel and painted mild steel upon request depending on the application.
Modular Design Principles
Lambton’s modular design principles allow the flexibility to custom-fit each assembly. It offers a global network of factorytrained field consultants to develop, build, and support grain systems for specific operations. Jordan notes that many of the company’s distributors and suppliers are located in the United States and that the domestic North American market is a big focus for the company, in addition to its expansion into global markets in recent years. The company has grown from a regional manufacturer to a global operation, with global network field representatives in more then 25 countries around the world, with a new manufacturing facility of 200,000 square feet headquartered and rooted in the rich southern Ontario farmland of the Great Lakes region. A second manufacturing facility is located in central China. “We are fortunate to have great representation worldwide. Even with all of the turmoil going on, we continue to experience growth globally,” says Jordan. What sets Lambton apart from the competition, he says, is that while the company has expanded representation in domestic and international markets, the company’s reps still treat customers as though they are family and give them the tools they need to succeed. Whether it’s helping to establish or strengthen engineering guidelines, offering assistance with trade shows, or simply being there to support the customer’s needs, Lambton offers a complete package of products to its customer base regardless of where they are located. This focus on partnerships is what has enabled the company to continue developing its product lines, expand the business, and maintain its market share. “We continue to value our close personal connections with customers and associates around the world,” says Depooter. “We’re offering modular design principles, which give us the flexibility to custom-fit every assembly to suit the customer.” Depooter says the engineering and support team is committed to giving customers the most productive and most cost-effective solution, from the factory to the farm. “Our know-how design team constantly is expanding our range of Lambton-built components and accessories, to achieve the best delivery and costing for our customers,” he adds.
Storage project
Sympathetic Barton silo design blends with rural setting
B
arton Fabrications, the UK’s largest aluminium silo manufacturer, has recently installed several silos at an environmentally sensitive site in England. Installed at a food processing site, the silos have been designed to keep within the factory roof line and to be visually sympathetic to the local countryside. The 21 metres high silos have a capacity of 90 tons and are all fitted with maintenance free beige coloured cladding. Commenting on the success of the silo design and installation Mark Barton, Managing Director, of Barton Fabrications said: “The client was very conscious of their rural setting and wanted to ensure that the new storage silos were in keeping with the local area. Our environmentally sensitive design met this challenge, giving the required storage capacity, whilst harmonising with the rural landscape.” The Barton half penthouse design supplied to the customer provides safer working conditions at the top of the silos and double doors at the bottom allow full access to the base. In addition to an environmental design, the silos are also fitted with load cells and a hygienic skirt, which prevents rodents and insects entering via the base.
72 | Milling and Grain