Family-owned Byron manufacturer produces tools that help make special screws

BYRON, Ill. (WTVO) — A Byron-based company has been making the tools needed to make screws for decades.

Loomis International, LTD., began as a company in 1979 by Randy Loomis’ father.

“In the basement of my parents home,” he said. “I was employee number one.”

Randy and his children now run the company together.

To help understand part of the story of Loomis, we have to get to know the TORX line of products and Camcar, the company that patented it. TORX was invented in Rockford.

Jim Wayman is with Camcar Innovations. The company licenses to Loomis the rights to build the tools that help make the TORX screws.

“Our relationship with Loomis is a great one,” said Wayman, who serves as Camcar’s Licensing Manager Americas & Marketing. “They’re one of our top innovative header tool licensees. We ask them to help us design something, they jump right in.”

The Loomis family gave us a tour of their Byron facility to show us how they make their header pins for the TORX screws.

“We start with bar stock,” said Randy.

His son, Thom Loomis, said the company goes through roughly 50,000 pounds of raw material a year.

“The raw material comes into our factory, and then we cut it off through a machine process to the desired length,” Thom said. “Then, it’ll go on to the next step through a press to form the TORX header pin.”

“Now we’re taking that blank and we’re coming in with a punch and a die to form that TORX six lobe type shape,” Randy showed.

The next step is grinding and polishing.

“After the pin is formed, now we have to go in and we have to polish the lobes because in the heading process the surface finish is almost got to be like a mirror to get any type of tool life,” said Randy. “That’s a polishing wheel. It’s got a polishing compound on it.”

Next is coating. They have two coating machines.

“They put a PVD coating on the tool and what that does is it extends the life of the tool for very little money,” Randy explained. “This is a process we do here that most companies have to send out and it takes about a week turnaround. Here we can do it within a day if we need to.”

The product is now done.

“You’re looking at a finished TORX pin,” said Thom. “This size right here is a T-50. So this will go in a TORX 50 recess pin or screw. These are our stock pins, so a customer can call, and they’ll ship the same day. This will go into a cold header. The cold header will then horizontally press the indentation of the TORX into the screw itself.”

The Loomis family said they’re excited for the future.

Thom said, “I think as the third generation Loomis we’re excited about the future because we see manufacturing starting to come back to America.”

“Hopefully the fourth and fifth generation will still be working at Loomis,” said Randy. “That’s my goal.”