Relevance or long-term success in any industry is not a given, it is earned through continuous innovation, learning and the ability to embrace change.
Lummus Corporation embodies this philosophy to develop high-performance cotton ginning machines that withstand the demands of the industry over time. Being in the industry for over 150 years, the company has a reputation for creating high quality, robust, and durable equipment.
Its long-standing presence has made the company recognize the impact of the silver wave and the importance of equipping new talent with the essential skills for operational excellence. To address this, Lummus is enhancing its focus on service, support and technical advisors, offering real-time assistance and in-field technical training to empower the next-generation workforce. while honoring the contributions by employees who have made a lasting impact on the industry, such as Engineering legend Donald Van Doorn, Ross Rutherford, and Doug Wardlaw.
Ensuring Uptime through Expert Advisory and On-Site Support
“Customer feedback is the foundation of our solution development and we are working closely with them to integrate their input into our business,” says Bill Antilla, president of Lummus Corporation. “We are focused on being a problem-solving partner, working side by side with customers to complement the robust engineering and technical performance of our machinery and equipment.”
The company implements a structured customer feedback system to ensure that insights from the field directly inform its engineering and product development teams. The service and sales teams interact daily with customers to capture valuable data on performance issues, areas for improvement and feature requests. The feedback is then systematically categorized by product type and issue.
Lummus monitors multiple reports on the same issue to validate data and make changes that drive engineering and manufacturing improvements. Regular internal discussions among service technicians, engineers and management ensure that customer insights are seamlessly integrated into its innovation efforts.
The company also plans to expand its customer-facing team by adding more service technicians to work alongside customers, addressing challenges in real time. Its technicians bring direct customer feedback, which is then shared across departments like engineering, purchasing, manufacturing or quality.
This enables essential adjustments, ensuring the products customers rely on consistently deliver top performance. The hands-on approach enhances existing products while also ensuring that future designs are tailored to meet customer needs.
Client Centricity – At its Finest
During cotton ginning season, the company’s service technicians are always on call to provide real-time assistance. It supports customers by optimizing processes like adjusting settings, managing moisture control and improving press efficiency. The company also assists in providing in-field troubleshooting, quickly diagnosing and resolving issues to ensure uptime.
“Our technicians also offer customers proactive recommendations to identify opportunities for long-term improvements. There have been instances of our team being on-site, even at 2 AM, to resolve issues,” says Bill Antilla. “If an issue requires engineering or supply chain intervention, our established processes ensure a swift resolution, keeping operations running smoothly for our customers.”
These acts establish trust and credibility, strengthen long-term customer relationships, and ensure that customers repeatedly rely on Lummus for support.
As part of this commitment, Lummus is focused on maximizing uptime for customers by eliminating key operational challenges. This includes addressing fluctuations in cotton moisture levels, resolving bottlenecks in pressing and optimizing bale-per-hour efficiency to enhance overall productivity and reliability.
The company is refining the products to include enhanced moisture handling systems that can accommodate a wider range of moisture conditions and improve processing flexibility in ginning cotton without delays.
A notable example includes a customer who was facing significant moisture fluctuations due to inconsistent rainfall. Their cotton would shift from extremely dry to very wet within just a few days, which caused many shutdowns. These fluctuations pushed the operations to the edge of the existing moisture window, leading to repeated system trips and interruptions.
Lummus came in and addressed these issues by adjusting the controls and sensors to help the customer maintain operational stability. Instead of the system shutting down upon detecting an out-of-spec condition, adjustments were made to either slow the process slightly to keep it running or integrate a compensatory system to manage the variation. This resulted in the customer being able to sustain productivity, significantly reducing downtime and improving overall efficiency.
This customized approach to problem-solving reflects its ethos of listening to customers and refining solutions to meet their evolving needs. In that same spirit, the company has revamped its 170-Saw Imperial™ III Gin Stand, incorporating customer feedback to enhance both cotton quality and operational efficiency. The company is focused on optimizing machine performance, maintaining a balance between cost reductions and maintaining high-quality cotton output.
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Lummus’s dedication to customer-driven innovation extends beyond product enhancements to operational support. During on-site visits, its service technicians work with the plant manager to assess inventory and identify critical repair items with long lead times. This proactive approach helps prevent shortages and keeps operations running smoothly.
“With our warehouses across the U.S. and internationally, we can secure critical parts ahead of repair season. We utilize our distribution network to be there when our customers need us, whether it's a bearing failure or a casting break in the middle of the night,” says Bill Antilla at Lummus Corporation.
Strengthening Success through Long-Term Partnerships
Its partnerships further play an active role in operations by regularly visiting the company’s facilities and accompanying service technicians to customer sites. This hands-on collaboration maintains consistent quality, responsiveness and alignment with customer needs, building its reputation as a trusted industry leader.
Looking forward, the company aims to grow local presence in emerging markets. Lummus has a dedicated team, office and warehouse in Brazil and Australia and further plans to accelerate growth in these regions to serve international customers better.
With a legacy built on durability and customer-driven innovation, the company has redefined what’s possible in cotton ginning technology. By blending engineering excellence with real-world insights, Lummus delivers practical solutions that keep customers ahead of the market curve.
Lummus Corporation embodies this philosophy to develop high-performance cotton ginning machines that withstand the demands of the industry over time. Being in the industry for over 150 years, the company has a reputation for creating high quality, robust, and durable equipment.
Its long-standing presence has made the company recognize the impact of the silver wave and the importance of equipping new talent with the essential skills for operational excellence. To address this, Lummus is enhancing its focus on service, support and technical advisors, offering real-time assistance and in-field technical training to empower the next-generation workforce. while honoring the contributions by employees who have made a lasting impact on the industry, such as Engineering legend Donald Van Doorn, Ross Rutherford, and Doug Wardlaw.
Ensuring Uptime through Expert Advisory and On-Site Support
“Customer feedback is the foundation of our solution development and we are working closely with them to integrate their input into our business,” says Bill Antilla, president of Lummus Corporation. “We are focused on being a problem-solving partner, working side by side with customers to complement the robust engineering and technical performance of our machinery and equipment.”
The company implements a structured customer feedback system to ensure that insights from the field directly inform its engineering and product development teams. The service and sales teams interact daily with customers to capture valuable data on performance issues, areas for improvement and feature requests. The feedback is then systematically categorized by product type and issue.
Lummus monitors multiple reports on the same issue to validate data and make changes that drive engineering and manufacturing improvements. Regular internal discussions among service technicians, engineers and management ensure that customer insights are seamlessly integrated into its innovation efforts.
The company also plans to expand its customer-facing team by adding more service technicians to work alongside customers, addressing challenges in real time. Its technicians bring direct customer feedback, which is then shared across departments like engineering, purchasing, manufacturing or quality.
This enables essential adjustments, ensuring the products customers rely on consistently deliver top performance. The hands-on approach enhances existing products while also ensuring that future designs are tailored to meet customer needs.
Client Centricity – At its Finest
During cotton ginning season, the company’s service technicians are always on call to provide real-time assistance. It supports customers by optimizing processes like adjusting settings, managing moisture control and improving press efficiency. The company also assists in providing in-field troubleshooting, quickly diagnosing and resolving issues to ensure uptime.
“Our technicians also offer customers proactive recommendations to identify opportunities for long-term improvements. There have been instances of our team being on-site, even at 2 AM, to resolve issues,” says Bill Antilla. “If an issue requires engineering or supply chain intervention, our established processes ensure a swift resolution, keeping operations running smoothly for our customers.”
These acts establish trust and credibility, strengthen long-term customer relationships, and ensure that customers repeatedly rely on Lummus for support.
As part of this commitment, Lummus is focused on maximizing uptime for customers by eliminating key operational challenges. This includes addressing fluctuations in cotton moisture levels, resolving bottlenecks in pressing and optimizing bale-per-hour efficiency to enhance overall productivity and reliability.
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Customer feedback is the foundation of our solution development and we are working closely with them to integrate their input into our business
The company is refining the products to include enhanced moisture handling systems that can accommodate a wider range of moisture conditions and improve processing flexibility in ginning cotton without delays.
A notable example includes a customer who was facing significant moisture fluctuations due to inconsistent rainfall. Their cotton would shift from extremely dry to very wet within just a few days, which caused many shutdowns. These fluctuations pushed the operations to the edge of the existing moisture window, leading to repeated system trips and interruptions.
Lummus came in and addressed these issues by adjusting the controls and sensors to help the customer maintain operational stability. Instead of the system shutting down upon detecting an out-of-spec condition, adjustments were made to either slow the process slightly to keep it running or integrate a compensatory system to manage the variation. This resulted in the customer being able to sustain productivity, significantly reducing downtime and improving overall efficiency.
This customized approach to problem-solving reflects its ethos of listening to customers and refining solutions to meet their evolving needs. In that same spirit, the company has revamped its 170-Saw Imperial™ III Gin Stand, incorporating customer feedback to enhance both cotton quality and operational efficiency. The company is focused on optimizing machine performance, maintaining a balance between cost reductions and maintaining high-quality cotton output.
Lummus’s dedication to customer-driven innovation extends beyond product enhancements to operational support. During on-site visits, its service technicians work with the plant manager to assess inventory and identify critical repair items with long lead times. This proactive approach helps prevent shortages and keeps operations running smoothly.“With our warehouses across the U.S. and internationally, we can secure critical parts ahead of repair season. We utilize our distribution network to be there when our customers need us, whether it's a bearing failure or a casting break in the middle of the night,” says Bill Antilla at Lummus Corporation.
Strengthening Success through Long-Term Partnerships
Its partnerships further play an active role in operations by regularly visiting the company’s facilities and accompanying service technicians to customer sites. This hands-on collaboration maintains consistent quality, responsiveness and alignment with customer needs, building its reputation as a trusted industry leader.
Looking forward, the company aims to grow local presence in emerging markets. Lummus has a dedicated team, office and warehouse in Brazil and Australia and further plans to accelerate growth in these regions to serve international customers better.
With a legacy built on durability and customer-driven innovation, the company has redefined what’s possible in cotton ginning technology. By blending engineering excellence with real-world insights, Lummus delivers practical solutions that keep customers ahead of the market curve.
