LUXME INTERNATIONAL LTD.
Luxme International manufactures conveyor equipment and other solids handling systems, key pieces in moving material in the manufacturing, mining, chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries. Their partnership with Global Polymer Industries, Inc. has expanded their capabilities, and their business, over the years.
The Montreal-based company first called on Global Polymer 14 years ago in search of a manufacturer who used compression molding. They needed a way to make a chain conveyor safe for food handling. The solution was discs, created with UHMW, molded onto the chain. There would be no exposed hardware — a requirement for food handling — and only the paddle-like discs ever touched the food.
“We made our own prototype, struggling in our own way,” said Luxme president Navam Jagan. But it worked. Well. Soon there was a high demand in the industry — and copycats to compete with.
“We went in search of a company to commercialize that particular design,” Jagan said. “And that is how Global Polymer came into the picture. The experience has been excellent. They are a working partner. They work with us, not only producing these parts for commercial use, but also in recent years we have been working with them as a partner developing new product lines. When I say new product lines, I mean using UHMW. We have gone into other areas using the application because there is such a great demand.”
Luxme and Global Polymer are developing discs for conveyors in a wider range of shapes and sizes, Jagan said. They’re also developing UHMW parts for high temperature applications and working on making metal detectable parts — the better to find and remove any loose screws or other metal pieces that could be accidentally introduced in food handling conveyors — by embedding magnets inside UHMW.
“The beauty of UHMW is that it has a different characteristic,” Jagan said. “My personal belief, and the reason that we went with Global Polymer, is that when a particular product that can be made using the compression molding process, we have found from experience it increases the strength of the unit. We have actually studied the benefit of it and also seen that it increases the longevity. The wear and tear is very limited.”
That first prototype they made 14 years ago using UHMW is still going strong, he said.
“For spare parts, business is bad,” he added with a laugh. “But from a normal operational point of view — keeping the machines running — business is good.”