As a self-sufficient custom fabricator of both material handling conveyor systems and industrial ovens, LEWCO, Inc. of Sandusky, Ohio serves customers across the United States and around the world. The company benefits from three generations of industry expertise firmly rooted in a culture that embraces outstanding quality and customization.
LEWCO’s facility is equipped with everything it needs to deliver the finest goods in its league. That includes a UL 508-certified panel shop where the team manufactures all the controls that run the company’s fully integrated electrical equipment.
Thanks to the top-notch engineering capabilities of its team of around 600, LEWCO has manufactured equipment for myriad purposes and industries, with a list of longstanding customers as broad and impressive as its capabilities. Its reliable baking and conveyor options put manufacturers across the globe ahead of their competitors. In addition, the company’s wealth of knowledge spanning two industries gives its offering an edge that further benefits clients.
“LEWCO has a niche. We don’t know of any company that has those two standard product lines,” says Jude Guerra, Vice President of Sales.
“If you look around wherever you’re sitting, almost everything you’re looking at went through an oven of some kind during manufacturing,” adds Lou Schaefer, Senior Application Engineer and Sales Manager of oven products.
The same is true for conveyor systems, as most manufacturers use conveyors to move products at some point during fabrication, assembly, and packaging. In this context, the company’s ovens are used to prepare components for missiles, ammunition, chair components, automobile and airplane parts, and much more. And while industrial ovens and assembly lines may appear like an unlikely combination at first glance, the reality is that they evolved out of high demand.
In its time, LEWCO has created an extraordinary range of equipment to meet customer demand. Not long ago, one customer in the automotive industry approached the company with a request to boost robotic weld cell productivity in suspension system fabrication. LEWCO’s engineering team had to consider how best to collect and move sub-assemblies of varying sizes weighing around 33 pounds, and steel rails 8” wide x 8” high x 8.5 feet long that weigh as much as 115 pounds, which are then welded together.
Under the leadership of Tom Cook, an applications engineer, overall requirements and optimal outcomes were calculated. The final design was settled, and a double-level conveyor system was developed thanks to resourceful engineering. The outcome pleased the customer, and this legacy of problem-solving is indeed nothing new for LEWCO. The company has made a name for itself through innovative engineering since its earliest days.
As 1980s growth in the automotive industry in Ohio exceeded the region’s historical records, LEWCO’s conveyor systems brought a golden age of tremendous expansion to the firm itself. It also brought increased innovation as, in 1986, one client needed to heat 50-gallon drums.
“That was when we built our first drum oven—known as a hot box. This was the start of us getting into industrial ovens,” Guerra explains. As one of the company’s third-generation owners, Guerra had a front-row seat to this evolution.
Growth remained steady, and 2020 saw the business quadruple its earnings—again due to its conveyor systems being in demand in the e-commerce and distribution fields. At the time, the company’s leadership identified the need to expand engineering expertise to stay in stride with market demand. In the process, and to help meet demand, LEWCO leased an extra facility of 500,000 square feet.
The firm was originally established in 1917 in Sandusky, Ohio, as The Ohio Welding Company by Mr. C.F. Meyer. In 1952, the company sold its welding department to the Grumney brothers, who turned it into Lake Erie Welding & Fabricating. At this time, the remaining business, specializing in welding supply and gas, became O.E. Meyer Company. Later, Lake Erie Welding employed Tony Guerra, who bought half the company in 1963. The purchase was followed by the acquisition of the rest of the firm in 1973. In 1981, Guerra Sr. was joined in the business by his two sons, Ron and Jerry.
During the automotive industry expansion of this time, the company’s diverse conveyor offering expanded significantly. A period of standardization followed and resulted in a portfolio of sturdy machines available to the general market. As a result of the increase in business, the company soon outgrew its footprint, leading to the purchase of a 64,000-square-foot facility where it would stay until 1992 when it upgraded again to a different 165,000-square-foot property. Two years later, it changed its name to LEWCO, Inc.
In 2002, the company’s founder handed the reins to his sons upon retirement. Alongside their team, the Guerra brothers celebrated the company’s ISO 9001 certification just five years following their takeover. The business continued its robust growth until it once again outgrew its premises. This led to buying back its original 64,000-square-foot property, turning it into a facility for fabricating unelectrified roller conveyors.
LEWCO’s 2021 response to the growth of e-commerce saw the introduction of its 35-million-dollar investment in LogistiQ. The division revamped a 750,000-square-foot facility in Port Clinton, Ohio where its sole focus remains on providing customers with complete material handling options. As a result, its team also grew, with around 200 people. Now, the firm can support its customers through the consistent output of equipment for the retail sector.
LEWCO Inc.’s story is one of thriving through both good times and bad through strategic expansion and continuous re-investment in its facilities. By making smart business decisions, the company has secured a significant portion of the market share in its niche. At present, its fabrication footprint accounts for 980,000 square feet of its real estate assets.
Recently, a project that combined LEWCO’s industrial oven and conveyor expertise called for an entirely new scope for the company’s skill sets. “We were approached by a company to develop a system for processing large parts. It is unique and has not been done before,” says Schaefer. Due to space constraints on the client’s side, engineers set out to develop a vertical conveyor solution. Within this system, parts had to be transferred from a lower level to a higher position at 600 degrees Fahrenheit—all while maintaining precise and consistent temperature.
Automation played a key role in creating the ‘set-and-forget’ type of machine. To achieve this, LEWCO’s controls and automation team had to devise new solutions while maintaining tight tolerances. This high-stakes project had the team working against the clock, adding the challenge of time constraints to the pressure.
“The big thing is the automation of the equipment. All of the control sequencing was done here,” says Chad Fritz, Engineering Manager. “That elaborates on the quality and the design of the conveyor and material handling equipment.”
This seamlessness extends to all LEWCO’s product development processes. Project teams first ensure that they understand the intended use of the equipment before development starts. Then, following a detailed study of the requirements, systems, and environments in which the machines will be running, the team presents its designs and possibilities to the client. This is followed by an engineering hand-off process preceding fabrication.
Customers are never left to fend for themselves. The company’s application designers remain involved throughout the process to ensure operational requirements are met, and clients who request it can arrange for turnkey equipment installation. The entire process is marked by a high level of engagement with the client whereby all parameters and progress reports are communicated clearly and regularly.
Despite all the growth already achieved, the sky is the limit for LEWCO, with vast potential for further facility expansion and growth across many industries. Guerra and his fellow leaders have a singular focus on the future: “We’re a growing company, and ownership [continues] to reinvest in the business to develop innovative products,” he says. Through dedicated investment and innovation, LEWCO, Inc.’s future is bright.
