july2017

58 59 LOMA SYSTEMS, AN ITWCOMPANY protein processing manufacturing facilities that need to inspect either the product in pro- cess or post-packaging, the assurance that there is no contaminant within the finished product.That contaminant can range fromametal-basedmaterial, to hard plastic,bone,stone and things of that nature. So,we target our marketing,our sales,support,and service to that portion of themarket.We also have a dedicated pharmaceutical product line that’smeant strictly for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical portion of the market.” Regarding its competition, LeMire states that there are only a small number of companies that provide all three technologies.“We have a number of competitors in the space that provide only one of those technologies,which means they’re only addressing a portion of the customers’ needs in the process,”he explains.“We approach the market as a trusted advisor and solution provider to our customers, providing more of a holistic ‘check and detect’ inspection process, so,whether it’s metal detection, x-ray, or the checkweighing portion of the application need,we’re able to provide that to- tal solution.Also, the structure that we have under the ITWCorporation, and the size and makeup of Loma Systems, both worldwide and in the busi- ness unit in North America,make us very unique among our peer group.” Loma Systems is also well-known for its contin- uous and far-reaching research and development programs, and LeMire says that the company is constantly improving its products.This is particu- larly true since it was acquired by ITW.“From the corporate level, ITWCorporation has built out an enterprise strategy approach to howyou address and grow the business,”he explains.“Historically, ITWhas grown quite a bit through acquisition. Much of our focus now is on organic growth. It’s through taking our knowledge of customers’ applications of our core technology and advanc- ing it to take it that next step in identifying and addressing future customer needs. So, there’s a strong focus on engineering and development; a very strong focus on customer-back innovation of the technology and then partnering with them to provide themwith the best solutions.” “For example, if you look at metal detection, there are a lot of advancements in the elec- tronic controls of the base technology, which is opening up the doors for more flexible solu- tions for the customers,” he continues. “If you look at the customers’ needs, today and in the