Premier Pneumatics started out in Salina, Kansas, where it was first known as Salina Manufacturing in the years following World War II. The company’s early focus was on mechanical equipment for moving and storing bulk materials, but as the plastics and food industries grew, its engineers began refining ways to handle powders and pellets through air-driven systems. By 1978, the business had rebranded as Premier Pneumatics, a name that reflected its growing expertise in pneumatic conveying. From that point forward, it became well known for dependable rotary valves, vacuum loaders, blowers, diverter valves, cyclones, and complete conveying systems built to withstand the demands of continuous plant operation. Customers valued the company for straightforward designs, long service life, and equipment that performed reliably shift after shift.

K-Tron International purchased Premier Pneumatics in 2006 to strengthen its process equipment division and to combine conveying systems with its established line of feeders and blending technology. The partnership gave processors a single source for both feeding and conveying solutions. In the years that followed, Hillenbrand acquired K-Tron and later added Coperion, a global name in compounding and extrusion machinery. These operations were eventually unified under the Coperion K-Tron brand, carrying forward the engineering knowledge and product designs that originated with Premier Pneumatics into a broader portfolio serving material handling and processing plants worldwide.