PMPA Member Lusk Quality Machine Products Finds Success in Superior Technology and Customer Dedication

When Lloyd Lusk bought his first Davenport screw machine and founded Lusk Quality Machine Products in 1976, few could have predicted that his background in the oil industry and little prior experience in the screw machine business would lead to more than 40 years of success as a custom manufacturer of high-volume precision machined parts for a variety of industries. Mr. Lusk was introduced to the industry through working for his brother-in-law, who owned a product line shop. After buying a couple of outdated Davenports and hiring a setup man as his first employee, the two left his brother-in-law’s business to start Lusk Quality Machine Products. Originally a Davenport screw machine job shop, one of its original customers required a larger diameter capacity machine, so in 1978, the company expanded its operations by purchasing a shop that ran Wickman automatic screw machines.

After several moves, Lusk Quality Machine Products today is still family-owned and headquartered in a 24,000-squarefoot facility in Palmdale, California. The company manufactures parts for products that include anything from musical instrument components, bicycle pumps, semiconductor industry valves, injection molding inserts, to plumbing and faucet parts. Lusk Quality Machine Products’ service capabilities include CNC milling, precision turning and a complete range of secondary operations and outside processes, such as passivating, heat treating, plating, soldering and more.

“For many of our customers, we hold and manage the inventory that they don’t want to,” says Randy Lusk, general manager at Lusk Quality Machine Products. “We had to revamp our model of the old days of doing constant machine setups and change-overs. It was easier to have the equipment setup on jobs and run a month’s worth of parts at a time, taking inventory dollars off the shelf, which then allowed us to respond to customer demand without becoming inefficient or tying up capital.”

Without the use of salespeople, Lusk Quality Machine Products attracts all of its new business through referrals or word-of-mouth methods. In addition to the many customers it has attained through the years, the company still does business with its original two customers, thanks to its superior technology and employee knowledge.

“Even though one of these customers has been sold five times, it’s the same projects for the same industry throughout all these years. So we knew more about some of the projects and processes than the new owners,” Mr. Lusk says. “To a certain extent, we’ve become partners with these customers and helped them be able to participate in the market.”

Lusk Quality Machine Products joined PMPA in the early 1980s, and Mr. Lusk, who serves on the Technical Conference committee, believes the organization played a significant role in the company’s longevity and success. Through PMPA, Mr. Lusk learned about new technology that eventually led to new business that the company might have previously declined because they lacked the proper equipment to quote the customer. Most of Mr. Lusk’s employees started their careers at Lusk Quality Machine Products, so he believes PMPA and its listserves have given employees a broader perspective of the industry as a whole.

“The ability to access a resource like PMPA when a customer in China is asking you to quote processes you’ve never heard about and be able to have detailed responses in just 24 hours is huge,” Mr. Lusk says. “In our 30-plus years as PMPA members, the listserves have probably been the most significant factor in allowing us to attempt and succeed at things we would have let pass by. Our PMPA membership is, without a doubt, the most effective time-saver we have at our disposal.”

Lusk Quality Machine Products is located at 39457 15th St. East, Palmdale, California 93550.
Phone: 800-272-0630. Website: luskquality.com