Lenmak produces metal products for builders, building supply yards
NEWTON, Mass. (July 28, 2015) – Ray Turner is a regular attendee at METALCON and he regularly leaves with something new for his business.
“I’ve spent a lot of money at that show through the years, but it’s all been money well spent” says Turner, who owns Lenmak Exterior Innovations Inc., an Edmonton-based manufacturer of light-gauge metals for residential, commercial and agricultural applications. “It’s where we see equipment up close, watch it run. It’s a great place to learn and make comparisons.”
Turner is currently planning his next visit to METALCON. The 25th annual show will be at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla., October 14-16.
One exhibitor Turner always visits is MetalForming Inc., a leading provider of high-tech sheet metal component manufacturing machines. As usual, MetalForming will be located front and center at METALCON in booth 903.
MetalForming is one of several sheet metal forming equipment suppliers at METALCON. The Peachtree City-based company is one of the largest suppliers of high-end architectural sheet metal machines in North America. MetalForming also is a world leader in providing software, communications, training and consulting services for companies in the metal building and roofing industry. MetalForming helps customers optimize both jobsite and factory operations in ways that reduce waste, increase revenue and efficiently position them to meet the “just-in-time” needs of today’s construction business.
Turner says his business has grown in large part to the equipment he has discovered at METALCON, and specifically at the MetalForming booth. Lenmak produces a variety of metal siding, cladding and wall curtain products, metal roofing, insulated metal back pans and trim for all its products. Lenmak has seen its customer base grow to include installation companies, building supply yards, home and commercial builders as well as window and door manufacturers.
Turner’s needs have evolved through the years, but METALCON keeps delivering. “Early on, the most important thing for me, what I needed to do and what I enjoyed, was the seminars,” he says. “They’re staged in the morning, which was perfect. The show is afternoon, so it worked out perfectly to attend seminars and then get to the show.
“Now, I try to take breakfast meetings with the manufacturers that are there, some from Europe. It’s a chance for me to peel back the onion and learn what they can do for us. Usually before the show, I’ll email them photos to show them what we’re up to and see if they have any ideas for us.”
At the 2015 show in Tampa, Turner will be on a different mission. “Right now, I’m very much interested in software,” he says. “I want to find out who has the best stuff out there. So I’ll be software shopping and I’ll be shopping for updates on automation and to see what’s the latest stuff to hit the streets.”
As in years past, there promises to be several software companies among the METALCON exhibitors this year. Turner is looking to keep Lenmak Exterior Innovations ahead of competition and what drives the market … smart customers.
Turner believes one of Lenmak’s strengths is versatility. “We’ll run whatever we need for a job,” he says. “We may need 80 pieces for one project and then 120 for a different job. We have to be nimble and MetalForming offers the equipment that allows us to do that.”
One product Lenmak has created a following with is its steel-based NaturClad siding, which resembles wood. Turner always like the look of wood siding, but believed many of these expensive products were not as durable, especially in the drastic weather changes they are subjected to in Canada.
Lenmak manufactures NaturClad on a fully automated production line, designed to produce customized siding panels. NaturClad combines a low-gloss prepainted PVDF printed coating of nominal dry film thickness of 1.1 mils, 0.20 mils on reverse, on a 24-gauge Galvalume steel substrate.
About Lenmak Exterior Innovations Inc.
Lenmak specializes in world class, state of the art manufacturing of light-gauge metals for residential, commercial and agricultural applications. Lenmak leads the market in technology with the goal of penetrating new market growth by manufacturing custom products efficiently, accurately and economically. Visit www.lenmak.com.