Company Profile
Electro-Sensors, Inc.

Reprinted from Grain Journal January/February 2014 Issue

When it comes to grain handling and processing facilities, nothing is more devastating than a dust explosion. To minimize the risk of such an event, it is important to monitor critical points in processing and handling operations.

Electro-Sensors, Inc. in Minnetonka, MN, a suburb of Minneapolis, has been serving the grain industry for 46 years, producing rugged machine monitoring sensors and hazard monitoring systems. Its goal is to manufacture the industry-preferred product for every market it serves through total quality commitment and by exceeding customer expectations.

When it comes to hazard protection and machine sensors, accuracy and reliability is what operators are relying on. No one knows this better than Electro-Sensors, which lives by the motto, “You only have one reputation, and it only takes one second to change it.”

“Electro-Sensors has been in business since 1968, and is one of the pioneers in the fields of speed monitoring, hazard monitoring, temperature monitoring, and speed controls,” says newly-appointed CEO and CFO David Klenk. “Electro-Sensors is a leader in the feed and grain market. We are well known and have longstanding relationships with the primary players in the industry,” he notes.

Hazard Monitoring Focus

Electro-Sensors, which has 30 employees, is in the business of hazard monitoring to keep grain elevators running efficiently and within safe limits. Anyone who has worked in grain handling knows that equipment failure is a real concern and can have devastating, life-threatening consequences. Electro-Sensors hazard monitoring sensors and systems are designed to operate with the utmost accuracy in harsh environments. Dependability is critical, and that’s exactly what the company has built its reputation upon.

“Reliability is key,” explains Brad Slye, director of product development, “because these facilities may operate up to 100 years in the same location.

“Some elevators are located next to train tracks or waterways, which are used to transport the grain, so moving the elevator is not an option. Even though most of our products come with a five-year warranty, many of them will continue to operate perfectly for 20 to 30 years,” he says.

“If you do the math, that’s four times longer than the life of an average integrated circuit,” Slye points out. “I’ve had people tell me that Electro-Sensors is a little like IBM, in that nobody has ever gotten fired for buying Electro-Sensors products.”

Company Evolution

Electro-Sensors opened its doors in 1968 in nearby St. Louis Park, MN, where founder James P. Slattery set out to create material handling and process control solutions for industrial applications. Among the company’s initial product offerings was the Bin-Levetrol sensor, which was used to detect the presence or absence of material and functioned as a high- or low-level control for bins or hoppers used in dry bulk material handling systems.

Electro-Sensors soon began manufacturing another core product: a speed monitor that was applied to the shaft of conveyor belts, screw conveyors, and bucket elevators that ensured critical shaft speeds were maintained and would shut off the drive otherwise.

As the company grew, and technology improved, a variety of sensing technologies and products were added to monitor temperature, vibration, and position in industrial applications.

Today, Electro-Sensors offers a broad line-up of monitoring products important to the grain market: shaft speed sensors, shaft speed switches, bearing temperature sensors, belt misalignment sensors, vibration switches, position sensors for slide gates and valves, tilt switches, and complete hazard monitoring systems.

Automation Business

For many businesses, the goal is to improve their products or services continuously and increase the bottom line. To do this, companies adopt new technology, re-evaluate their methods, and make the changes necessary to evolve.

“Our products help streamline the automation process for grain handlers allowing for handling larger volumes.  By using sensors, any deviation from normal operating conditions will be identified and can be neutralized allowing for maximum uptime,” says Klenk.

When grain volumes increase, and automation is added to keep up with demand, the probability of a mechanical error or employee injury also increases. However, Klenk notes that Electro-Sensors’ products are preventive in nature and designed to maximize both safety and efficiency.

“Our sensors are used to warn operators when a fault condition is detected. Operators and managers then can inspect the machinery and determine the solution, before the problem escalates possibly resulting in a catastrophic breakdown, failure, or explosion,” he says.

“Many of our products are also wired to shut down equipment, when a defined setpoint is exceeded. For example, if a bearing heats up due to low lubrication levels, our bearing temperature sensor will trip out shutting the elevator down, before the heat gets so intense it creates a spark,” Klenk explains.

“So there are a couple of different ways in which Electro-Sensors products are used,” he continues. “One is for predictive and preventive maintenance, which helps to keep processes running efficiently, and the other is a failsafe latch that will shut equipment down, before a catastrophe occurs.”

The Future Is Remote

According to Klenk, technology is leading the way to the future of grain handling. As operators gather more data and get more comfortable accessing it remotely, tremendous possibilities become available to utilize the information and make additional processing improvements.

“It is about using highly efficient sensors to gather quality data,” says Klenk, “then deciding how you are going to use that data to improve your processes.”

Slye adds that another trend he’s seeing is an increase in Ethernet connectivity to sensors and hazard monitors that allows managers to access data remotely from their plant on their smart phone, tablet, or PC.

“The other thing we continue to expand on is wireless monitoring,” says Slye. “We were one of the first – probably the first – to incorporate wireless sensing technology in certain parts of grain facilities, and you’re going to see an expansion of those capabilities from us.”

While Electro-Sensors won’t divulge much information about upcoming product announcements, it’s safe to assume that the future of hazard monitoring appears to be in remote access. As Klenk points out, hazard monitoring systems and sensors in grain handling facilities most often are connected by miles of cable. With the introduction of wireless technology and elimination of the need for cabling, “you can really impact the ease of installation, as well as the cost of installation,” he says.

Electro-Sensors isn’t just about products but also about people and providing top-notch support to customers. Products are delivered promptly and are supported by knowledgeable support technicians. Slye says the company’s dedicated staff of applications engineers and years of experience combine with the industry’s most advanced technology to deliver reliable solutions that perform over time.

If the past is any indication, Electro-Sensors is positioned for even greater success in the future thanks to a renewed vision and leadership that is building on a legacy of excellence.

“We have a great history and we have been in business for 46 years. We are proud of the path we have taken, but we’re also looking toward the future,” says Klenk. “We have some new leadership internally building on to a strong foundation and adding new skills and abilities. We are acutely focused on how we are going to lead this company into the next 10 years.

“There’s a fresh wind throughout the company, and there’s a very real sense that interesting possibilities are in front of us,” he continues. “The future is very bright for Electro-Sensors, and we’re very excited about it.”