EBM Manufacturing, Inc.
EBM Manufacturing, Inc. is a three-generation, family-owned and -operated business located in Norfolk, NE.
Founded in 1976 by Clayton Ellsworth, EBM manufactured equipment for the fertilizer industry. The company now develops products for the feed, grain, and seed industries. EBM Manufacturing holds several U.S. patents, has sold products worldwide, and designs and develops new equipment such as its Gentle Roll™ screener, which is designed with a rotary drum to sift, scalp, sort, or clean grain and feed products.
Grain Journal spoke recently with Marketing Coordinator Tiffany Palmer to find out what’s new with the company and learn a little more about its most popular products.
EBM Manufacturing continues to grow as a company, most recently in the form of expansion into new buildings at our location in Norfolk. We recently moved our assembly and screen fabrication operations into a new 12,000-square-foot building. The space includes bridge cranes to aid in assembly and the loading of screeners onto trucks for shipping once completed. In addition, several pieces of manufacturing equipment have been added to increase our efficiency and precision during fabrication.
Our aspirator is becoming more popular, and the demand has increased since its debut in 2017. It can be paired with our Gentle Roll screener or installed downstream from the cleaning phase. Utilizing aspiration offers customers a different dynamic of cleaning by removing material that may be similar in size, but a lighter density. It is also great for housekeeping and general dust control and can be used in both grain and feed applications.
We are seeing an increase in customer demand for higher grain quality. What was considered clean 10 years ago isn’t making the cut anymore. Customers have higher expectations with grain quality, whether it be pre-cleaning grain before storage or cleaning before bagging. Wherever screening is used, the standards have been raised.
Innovation is key for EBM. There is a saying, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” There is some truth to this phrase, but EBM is not one to be complacent. Our Gentle Roll screener has been around for several years. The general concept is the same today as it was in the beginning. However, we continuously make subtle improvements, such as changing the door style to be more user-friendly, or how a part is fabricated by implementing new technology. In our industry, competition is strong. It is important to constantly innovate so our products remain the best in the industry.
We have been extremely fortunate the past couple of years to experience growth within our company. We are reaching a broader customer base within the grain and feed industries, as well as other markets, such as the pet food and pulse industries. Sustaining and supporting growth as a company is a challenge, but we have 40-plus years of experience guiding us through it all.
Reprinted from Grain Journal July/August 2019 Issue
