EDMONTON – In a softening economy, like that of Alberta's, one industrial company is taking a different approach, pushing into growing global markets and bucking the downturn that is affecting many Canadian manufacturers.
LJ Welding Automation designs and manufacturers specialized welding automation equipment and focuses heavily on global exports of their custom products.
Their new manufacturing facility allows for heavier research and faster development of new technologies. “With our 45,000 sq ft of manufacturing space, the engineering team is able to work side by side with operations, resulting in better communication and idea sharing and ultimately continual improvements to our product line,” says Ryan Holt, COO and Partner. “The engineering team specialize in the research and development of custom products that work alongside LJ’s huge inventory of standard products. Couple these with our rental fleet, and we become a one-stop shop for our customers from Alberta to Zimbabwe and everywhere in between.”
LJ’s newly minted website invites customers to pre-build their orders and rentals. With product specifications and media content readily available (and optimized for mobile shoppers), the goal is to optimize the speed of ordering to meet the demands of the global market.
Under current ownership for the past decade, LJ stormed on to the global market and never looked back. Starting with six employees at its inception in 2006, the company has boomed to over 70 employees and serves 35 countries through its global partnerships and distributors.
Partnering with gas service powerhouse Praxair USA, LJ has bolstered US exports and, as Praxair remains a key player, new opportunities are expected in their emerging partnerships for 2016/17.
LJ Welding has also caught the attention and involvement of over a dozen trade schools, including Edmonton’s own technology institute NAIT which utilizes LJ’s welding positioners and column boom welding manipulators for practical hands on training. Additionally, the University of Alberta Chemical and Materials Engineering department has turned to LJ to provide equipment to aid them in cutting edge welding automation R&D projects.
