L-K Log July 2019
History of L-K Industries
Pursuit of the American Dream
During the month of July, while we celebrate American Independence Day, we take pride that we offer a full catalog of products that are made in America. We welcome you to join us as we look at our history, a true example of the American Dream.
In 1930, while the world economy was in the middle of the The Great Depression, Louis Hill Kennon founded L-K Pump & Valve Company in Houston, Texas on the beliefs that quality products and services are the pillars to building long-term success. Nearly 90 years later, L-K Industries continues operating on the same principles and is proud to carry such a well-respected name in the industry. We at L-K are proud that our products are still made at the headquarters in Houston, TX.
L-K has always searched for new ways to expand and provide value to its customers and in 1951, Louis Kennon and Sam Melton designed the first oil testing centrifuge, the “Melton Heated Oil Centrifuge.” In the mid 1950’s L-K moved to the facility in Houston where we currently reside and was renamed to L-K Industries, Inc. In 1962 the ASTM standards for testing crude through centrifugation were released based on the Melton Centrifuge and in 1963 the API standard was released for centrifuge testing.
In 1989, L-K Industries continued to expand its products by adding an in-house glassblowing shop to create centrifuge tubes. L-K’s next innovation was the first transport centrifuge model, enabling crude oil haulers to test crude quality before picking up a load. Our transport models continue to be one of our most popular products to this day.
In 1999, L-K designed its first laboratory centrifuge, the Benchmark 2000 and then in 2014 released it’s second lab centrifuge the Benchmark 2014, the first Class I, Division 2 certified heated oil centrifuge. Today L-K offers a full line of lab centrifuges and lab heaters designed specifically for crude oil, LP, and refined petroleum testing.
In 2016, L-K Industries acquired Miller-Weber of Texas and opened its ISO/IEC 17025 accredited calibration laboratory in the Houston manufacturing facility. L-K also manufactures precision liquid-in-glass thermometers to strict ASTM standards. The in-house calibration lab allows us to offer certified thermometers, hydrometers and centrifuge tubes to our customers.
Earlier this year L-K joined the WEST family of companies, and through the combined knowledge in all aspects of petroleum measurement will continue to drive innovation in the industry and bring new value to our customers. Looking to the future L-K is excited to launch our next innovation, the Smart Transport Centrifuge, to be released in Q4 2019. This model will bring field crude testing into the digital age by streamlining the recording and reporting of test data through wireless and cloud storage technology.
L-K Industries continues to bring innovation to the petroleum industry and takes pride that we offer products that are made in America.