Western States has come to be known as a touchstone in the centrifuges industry and has plans to expand its presence even further in Mexico.

How has the company evolved over the last 50 years, and how has it applied this experience to the chemical sector?

Western States started manufacturing centrifuges for the sugar industry for the separation of sugar crystals from a substance known as massecuite in the final stages of the production process. Because of the high quality and success of these machines, the company subsequently became popular all over the world. Western States quickly became known as an expert in centrifugal separation. We started developing and researching several types of processes where separation or extraction was part of a production process. We have manufactured high-grade centrifuges for over 100 years, supporting customers by allowing them to customize our equipment to meet their requirements. We work in different aspects of the chemical industry, for example with condiments companies such as Ajinomoto and Tyson. We also work with Pfizer, Shell, Dow Chemical, and other companies that use centrifugal forces for separation to produce specific products. One of our top-five customers in the US is Ingredion, headquartered in Chicago. We actively support the operations at its production facility, and all its centrifuges are Western States machines. Our market share in the US is extremely important with continual growth over the last 50 years. Western States even expanded into the multinational operations of these corporations. Our clients who had the experience of working with Western States in the US helped establish us in different countries like Mexico. For example, we have our machines in operation with Ingredion in Mexico, and we are currently exploring different projects with ADM and Hershey’s at their locations in Mexico. Hershey’s uses our machines in every plant worldwide.

What industries does Western States target in Mexico?

We target every industry that needs some kind of separation and are proud of our line of chemical and pharmaceutical centrifuges. Our extensive catalogue of centrifuges in multiple sizes and capacities are perfect for use in R&D labs up to large-scale production. There are many chemical companies in Mexico that will benefit from our expert separation service, and we plan to approach these companies and explore how we can support them. Western States has a lab in the US for companies that are unsure if centrifuges can play a significant role in achieving their goals where we perform tests to assure those clients that our machines will meet their needs. We engage with the customer as part of our service to help them to trial their products in our facility. This has worked out extremely well for us for several years, and we look forward to offering this service to potential customers in Mexico. Western States is a solid partner for companies looking to diversify their portfolio and move up to the next level. We have established a position in Latin America in the chemicals industry. We have service technicians set up for all those countries, so there are no issues with assisting customers when they need after-sales service. I am excited to see many opportunities and benefits for us when Western States continues to expand in Latin America. We want our customers to be assured that they have a partner in their supplier who they can depend on, therefore we strive to maintain our safety stock of common parts to help keep machines running smoothly for many years. Our team is quick to respond and help in any way possible.

What are the main priorities and goals for Western States this year?

Our main goal for Mexico is to continue to grow Western States’ exposure in varying industries where centrifuges can ease production burden. A part of this goal is to get in touch with the big players in the industry; we need to push further to start building our network by reaching out to those companies with which we already do business in the US and which also have offices in Mexico.