FOUNDING MEMBER
Small Town Roots Lead to Big
BP6800 1998
by Lee Griffi
The rich history of Highline dates to the Bussiere family farm just east of Vonda, Saskatchewan, in 1963. Raymond Bussiere’s father built the first ever Rock-O-Matic rock pickers to sell to local farmers. He would eventually purchase the assets and change the name to Highline Manufacturing. Even today, there is a genuine smalltown feel at the company, owned by Bourgault Industries Ltd. Highline today believes their best advertising is word of mouth from their customers. “Our lean vision is 100% customer satisfaction. We want to design, manufacture, and distribute the highest quality equipment out there. That has been Highline’s goal from day one,” said Gina Dosch, who is Highline’s sales and marketing support person. “We build at a high quality and at a competitive price.” In addition to rock removal products, Highline manufactures bale processors, feed mixers, mowers, rock pickers, rock rakes, round bale movers and large square bale stackers. The company prides itself on not only its rural beginnings, but also as a contributing member of the local community. Highline routinely takes part in area events such as parades and sponsors organizations such as the 4-H
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CFR Bale Pro 2020
Club. Keeping the local environment clean is also something they hold stock in. “We are very respectful of the farmland surrounding the facility. If for example we have a windy day and some of our garbage ends up in a nearby field, we are out there cleaning it up. We have a great respect for the community and the people around us,” said Dosch.
Quality and Processes Make a Difference Creating a high-quality product is one of the reasons for Highline’s long-term success and that includes a rigorous testing regimen. “We don’t build a huge batch and test every 50th one. We test all our machines to make sure they are functioning properly before they leave the factory,” said Dosch. Highline uses documented work instructions so anyone can walk into any position at any time and do the job. It is a consistent standard process, and staff know where to get the information to do the job of creating a safe work environment. “The most fundamental purpose of our company’s existence is to improve the lives of the people who work here. It is the only way to ensure positive outcomes for our team, our customers, and our shareholders. It’s all a working cog so the safety, the quality, a consistent process, the better the
Implement Success | Winter 2020-2021 | 50th Anniversary Edition
quality of the machine, the more the sales increase so then it comes around full circle where everyone benefits from safety and quality,” she added.
DID YOU KNOW? On June 5, 2006 it became official that Bourgault Industries Ltd. would acquire the assets of Highline Manufacturing and operate it as a wholly owned subsidiary of Bourgault Industries Ltd.
The Industry and Highline Have Evolved Technology has changed the agricultural manufacturing business in more ways than one. “Things like robotics, computer numerical control (CNC) equipment, lean processes, have all resulted in tremendous improvements in how our products are made,” said Dosch. Robotics have also played a key role in Highline’s processes. “We have a laser in house now, so we are able to do a lot of the things at the facility we previously needed to outsource. That did create some logistic issues at times.” Materials are also received in time now, meaning
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