Cotton Farming Ginners Marketplace October 2023

Ginners Marketplace

MTS And Kimbell Gin Machinery Join Forces

Module Truck Systems, Inc. (MTS) has purchased the assets of Kimbell Gin Machinery Company (KGM), including Diamond K Manufacturing. The two Lubbock-based manufacturers have been supplying essential equipment, parts and service to cotton gins across the Cotton Belt for many years and the leaders of both companies are excited to have the opportunity to combine their experienced and talented teams and their product lines.

Richard (Dick) Kimbell founded KGM in Earth, Texas, in 1954, and moved it to its current location in Lubbock in 1964. His son, Wylie Kimbell, has led the company since 1979. KGM is known for building e icient, highly durable centrifugal fans, cleaners, module feeders, dryers and other components for today’s high-capacity cotton gins. The company’s current president, Donnie Wren, has been with KGM since 1989. He and his wife, Dondra Kimbell Wren, will continue to manage the KGM operations at their current location, 226 NE Loop 289 in Lubbock.

Wren said, “I believe combining the engineering, fabrication and service talent of these companies will provide cotton gins and other industries a unique, reliable source for traditional and innovative new products. Our employees are excited to

join the MTS team and provide our customers with great products and service.”

The history of MTS goes back to the introduction of the cotton module truck in 1974. The company has been led since 1996 by its chairman, Curtis Gri ith. MTS has been the leader for

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Adrian Salazar, MTS director of manufacturing, welds some pipe for a gin.

many years in the number and quality of module trucks moving cotton from the field to the gin from Virginia to California. Since 2002, it has been located at 2010 East 50th Street in Lubbock.

Ginners Marketplace

Dolle Barker purchased control of the company in 2020 and today is its president and CEO. Under her leadership, MTS acquired Mettran, Inc. including the Gene Winn designs for the hot shelf dryer, the Big Mach cleaner and the Winn module feeder, among others that have become increasingly popular in the cotton gin industry. MTS also designs, builds and refurbishes equipment for TxDOT and other area businesses.

Take A Hard Look At Insurance Costs And Safety Culture At The Gin

Barker said, “We are working to diversify MTS while still being the preferred source for cotton module trucks. Bringing together the awesome teams of these two historic companies will give us the engineering and fabrication talent and tools to be the vendor of choice for not only the products they have built for many years but for many new products as well. We will continue to operate both companies in their current locations for now but are looking forward to bringing them together in a brand-new facility in the near future.”

Distractions have become “routine” in our daily lives. Our phones go o , we get text messages and we’re bombarded by the never-ending news cycle. Everything seems to be trying to get our attention, and it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important. Things can sneak up on you, and those are the ones that will jump up and bite you.

tions have been aware of this and have brought it to the attention of our memberships. But I think many of us got distracted by the other things going on and have now been hit with the reality that it’s not getting better.

In the last year or so, we’ve seen huge increases in our costs. As I write this, we’re getting news of the highest inflation in more than a generation… maybe two.

Module Truck Systems, Inc. provided this information.

While I’m personally seeing some of the things that increased so much ease down a bit, it’s not common for costs that have gone up this much, this fast, to come down or come down very much. We will likely have to learn to live with some of them.

The Cost Of Insurance

One of the costs that snuck up on many gins in the past year or so is the cost of insurance. Normally, this is a once-a-year expense we get hit with.

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The past renewal cycle or two have been more than a bit of sticker shock for many in the ginning industry. Your associa-

This is a simplified explanation, but insurance companies are going to do what they need to in order to stay in business. They must make money like we do. The companies take our premium and invest it. They pay claims with it, and they expect to have some left over. If losses are low and return on investment is good, you have happy insurance companies. We get stable premiums and competition.

If they have poor investment returns and higher-than-expected cost of claims (read inflation), you have unhappy insurance companies. They may decide to pull out of the market and/or significantly increase rates. This is where we are today.

Your ginners associations and the National Cotton Ginners’ Association have been concerned about this for some time. We need healthy insurers and competition, but we really can only help one side of the insurance problem…losses. NCGA has put together a list of questions to ask yourself, so you can evaluate

Lummus Ag Technologywants to express its appreciation to our many loyal customers for their continued support and business. With the challenges we face in our industry, we are continually workingto evolve and adapt to changing market conditions and customer needs.

Lummusoffersa wide range of products and services, all geared to help your operation be efficient and profitable. Regardless of the project scope, contact Lummus to discuss your goals and needsto ensure your success.

Just a short listof items we offer:

 All-new complete Gin Plants

 Ginning Machinery (individual machines, stand-alone systems, presses, etc.)

 Press Consoles and Main Control Consoles

 Burner and Moisture Unit Gas Train/Controls upgrades

 Air Monitoring and Fire Detection Kits

 DGC 2020 Gin and Feeder Controls



The future is bright! Cotton prices have optimism at levels we haven’t seen in a while. A renewed commitment to customer service has Lummus excited for the future – join us as we move forward!