A recent Chamber of Commerce Existing Business and Industry tour of Lufkin allowed participants a behind-the-scenes look at the company’s operations.

Lufkin Industries was originally chartered as a foundry and repair shop for local sawmills in Lufkin, Texas, in 1902. The company now consists of three divisions: the Power Transmission Division, which manufactures and repairs gears that range from 300 lbs. to 250 tons; the Oilfield Division, which provides pumping units and maintenance on derricks used in the mining of petroleum; and the Trailer Division, which designs and manufactures van, platform and dump trailers for the trucking industry.

The Cullman shop is one of four aftermarket facilities in the U.S., and is part of the Power Transmission Division. As one can see from a walk around the shop floor, the gears and housings the shop deals with can range in size from a foot or so to 20 feet or more in diameter with gearboxes large enough for a small crowd of people to gather inside.

The Southeast Gear Repair facility’s staff is comprised of salespeople, who sell new OEM gears manufactured by Lufkin, and repair technicians, some of whom travel all over the world to fix gears in remote locations such as drilling platforms in the North Sea or oil derricks in Saudi Arabia.

According to Operations Manager Albert Stokely, Lufkin opened its facility in Cullman in May of 2003 as a test shop of sorts, hoping to fill in a regional gap. Starting out with six employees, the shop’s business has taken off and the employee roster has grown to 21. The company also expects to hire at least four more employees before the end of the year.

“Our shipments are great for a shop this size … we’re exceeding what we’re supposed to do,” Stokely said. “We’re the second largest aftermarket facility, and we’re the highest grossing shop overall.”

Stokley said the company had projected that the Southeast Gear Repair shop would bring in $5 million per year in five years time. Last year, after only one year of operation, the facility had brought in $4.4 million and is on track to do $8 million in shipments this year.

Currently, the shop has only one shift, but there are plans to add a small second shift starting in May. In addition, there are plans to double the size of the 21,000 sq. ft. facility, which is located in Cullman's Industrial Park I, and possibly begin manufacturing gears here as well as repairing existing gears and transmissions.

“We’re very proud of our operation, and we’re proud to be in Cullman,” Stokely said. “Cullman County has really been a blessing for Lufkin.”

For more information on Lufkin Industries Southeast Gear Repair Facility, visit www.lufkin.com.