IBT Industrial Solutions • 316-946-5761 • http://www.ibtinc.com
Reprinted from Grain Journal May/June 2018 Issue
Every supplier in the grain industry is in business to sell products they either manufacturer or distribute. However, IBT Industrial Solutions in Merriam, KS believes it’s a mistake to reduce its mission to a mere sales transaction. Rather, the full-service industrial supplier believes it is in the business of providing solutions – and for nearly 70 years, that’s exactly what it has been doing. The company has been helping customers maintain efficient, productive, and safe facilities through quality industrial MRO supplies, products, and services.
Grain Journal recently spoke with Tim West, business group director, to find out how the established company got its start, how it serves the grain industry today, and what factors have helped make it a success.
Company History
The groundwork was laid for IBT by Forrest L. Cloud, when he founded the company under the name Industrial Bearing & Transmission in 1949. Instilled with his strong sense of family values, the company served as a single-source supplier, and Cloud worked hard to provide products for companies to do jobs better.
The ambitious entrepreneur was always willing to add or adapt inventory to meet customer needs – a legacy that has helped to shape and grow IBT into a leading supplier in the grain industry.
According to Stephen Cloud, chairman, “It wasn’t unusual to hear him say, ‘We can do that!’ And he’d then do whatever it took to make the solution a reality.” This can-do attitude led to the growth of IBT today, with approximately 450 employees serving hundreds of industries. IBT continues to flourish under Jeff Cloud, the third generation of Cloud family leadership.
Products and Services
Whether it’s conveyor belting, material handling, wear products (sheet goods), or other grain services from fabrication to custom-cut parts, IBT has something for everyone. “We carry a wide variety of manufacturers well known in the grain industry. Across the majority of our product categories, we carry a good-better-best-type offering for people who are price-conscious to those who want a premium, superior quality product,” West explains.
IBT’s product categories include bearings, power transmission products, gearing, conveying system components, electric motors, drives and controls, conveyor belting, industrial hosing, hydraulic and pneumatic system components, safety and warehouse equipment, and other general industrial tools and supplies.
While IBT’s scope is broad, in 2013, the company created its Grain Division, which is dedicated uniquely to meeting the needs of the grain industry, says West.
Whether it’s for an elevator, storage, or transfer application, IBT offers a wide assortment of belting designed to withstand the harsh operating conditions of grain handling facilities, including rubber-covered belting, specialty belts including PVGE elevator leg belts, baler belts, combine pick-up belts, or belting modifications.
IBT’s material handling team understands the importance of reliable systems designed for an application to provide high performance while achieving peak efficiency. High-quality material handling systems, including drag chain conveyors; bulk elevator systems; troughed belt, screw, and screw feeder systems; as well as magnetic separation systems are available.
The company also carries a range of durable sheet goods in multiple sizes and thicknesses in both polyurethane and UHMW.
In addition to a range of engineering, maintenance, and safety services, the Grain Division’s capabilities extend to customer services, such as full belt punch and fabrication, field splice vulcanization, and custom-cut parts using die and waterjet capabilities.
“We have 40-plus branches in the Midwest throughout Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois, and through all those branches, we can facilitate grain handlers, grain mill elevators, operators, and other grain customers with all of our products being shipped from our central location in Wichita, KS,” West says. “We have specifically dedicated grain sales personnel who work in all those states to meet with the end user customers and help facilitate inquiries, orders, and solutions to problems.”
Keys to Success
IBT stands out among “big box” and other distributors, because of its team of knowledgeable industry professionals, coupled with an expansive network of manufacturing partners, who always aims to provide top-quality, innovative solutions, tailored to the needs of each customer.
“As a result of IBT’s emphasis on reliability and customer satisfaction, in addition to our culture of cultivating valuable relationships, we have some of the most loyal employees and customers in the business,” says West. “We pride ourselves on safe work practices and the many years of experience our product group experts bring to the table.
“In striving for continuous improvement, we are always advancing our business model of superior service through periods of growth and market adaptation,” he adds.
Ultimately, what has made IBT a success is its continued commitment to the vision and mission of its founder nearly 70 years ago: “To continually earn customer loyalty, by providing differentiated industrial solutions that create increased value for our customers and shareholders, through our robust supplier relationships and highly engaged team members who operate responsibly in the communities we serve.”
