Customer Spotlight: Lomar Machine
We recently had the pleasure of talking with Tim Hubbard (Maintenance Manager) and Rick Johnson (Powder Coating Operator) from Lomar Machine & Tool, located in Horton, MI.
Lomar Machine & Tool Co. was established in 1976 in North Adams, Michigan. The company started with a 3,000 square foot facility. As the business grew larger, Lomar’s owner, Jim Geisman, found a former screw machine shop in nearby Horton, Michigan, to accommodate growth. And grow the company he did!
Today, Lomar has six facilities with over 162,000 square feet of production and office space used to manufacture a diverse line of products utilized in the automotive, aerospace, appliance, agriculture, furniture, HVAC, hydraulics, medical, and military markets.
What is Lomar’s primary business?
Tim: We build standard and custom equipment for crimping, tube end-forming, and tube bending. We have just about every type of manufacturing machine there is, which gives us the ability to provide a variety of products and services for our customers. We’re a one-stop shop for pretty much anything related to manufacturing.
What would you say sets you apart from your competition?
Tim: Probably the fact that we can produce 95% of our equipment in-house. It provides us better control over our timelines and we’re less impacted by the supply chain issues most businesses are facing these days. Our ability to manufacture a wide array of products really gives us an edge in the market.
What made you decide to buy Reliant equipment?
Tim: We talked to another powder coating company who referred us to Reliant. After reviewing the quality of the equipment, we found Reliant to be the best fit for us. The quality was at a price point that we found reasonable, and the oven looked to provide exactly what we needed, so it seemed like a good choice.
How has Reliant equipment impacted your day-to-day operation?
Rick: The oven we purchased from Reliant is twice as big as our old oven but gets to temperature faster and holds that temperature longer. We can coat twice as many parts as we used to. The oven’s heat up time is much faster than we were used to. We’re also really happy with the oven’s ability to hold that temperature during our workday.
Tim: And that gives us more uptime to focus on the products moving through the oven.
Rick: The size of the oven and its up-to-date technology make it really easy to work with. I honestly don’t have a single complaint about the oven.
Your first purchase from Reliant was for an oven. You recently ordered a spray enclosure. What drove that decision?
Tim: We needed a booth that was sized to accommodate the larger oven we purchased from Reliant. We were really happy with the oven we purchased, so it was a no-brainer to get a booth that could support the throughput we have with the oven.
What are some of the future plans for Lomar?
Tim: That’s a tough one. We’re definitely looking at diversifying even more in the next few years. We like to say we’re a one-stop shop. With that being said, there are still some items we outsource. We’re currently looking at bringing more machinery into our shop so that we can remain in control of our production. Expansion is our goal–continuing to grow and move with the market.
Thanks again for your business and for taking time to chat with us. We’re extremely happy that you’re getting good results from your Reliant powder coating equipment and enjoying success with your business!
Visit Lomar Machine & Tool at https://lomar.com/ to take a look at their extensive machine and custom tool services.