Highline Manufacturing

FOUNDING MEMBER

Small Town Roots Lead to Big Success for

BP6800 1998 CFR Bale Pro 2020

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 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 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

Small Town Roots Lead to Big Success for

Highline Manufacturing Mission Statement

To design, manufacture and distribute the highest quality, most durable and reliable farm equipment in the world, which is affordable and meets or exceeds the expectations of our most demanding customers.

AccuMix™ 2020

they aren’t sitting in the yard aging and rusting. “Staff no longer have to spend time buffing our parts. They can focus strictly on the manufacturing processes.” The sector has also gone through a revelation when it comes to marketing and sales. “We have gone from a world of fax communication to a world of email communication. Information arrives in real time. Social media has become huge. We can get information about our products in front of the customer much faster. If we release a video it’s out there whereas before we would have to wait until a tradeshow,” she said.

Dosch, who has been a part of the company for nearly 20 years, says she has seen a culture change in her time at Highline. “We have flexible work hours, a flexible work environment. Twenty years ago, if you had a family and your work hours were 8 to 4:30 you were here from 8 to 4:30. It didn’t matter if you wanted to be at the first day of kindergarten for your child. If your employees can spend more time with their families their output at work is going to be much higher.” On a personal note, she leaves no doubt how much she has enjoyed working for the company. “It has been an absolute pleasure working here. It just keeps getting better and better. This is not just a job for me, it is a career. I can say with confidence I will end up retiring from Highline.” The company not only believes in listening to their employees but encourages them to have a voice and bring new ideas to management. “The more an employee enjoys their job, and feels they are contributing, they have a voice in the organization. We have leadership that listens. They may not agree or adopt all ideas, but it is a very free-thinking environment. Employees feel empowered that they are part of a team and what they say matters,” said Dosch. “We have many long-term employees here and there is a reason for that.”

The Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada Advantage

As one of the founding members, Highline sees the value in the association, particularly when it comes to having a united voice for government relations. “AMC is the voice of our industry in bringing issues forward to the federal and provincial governments on behalf of its membership. The message from a national body like AMC carries weight that would be more difficult to achieve if we each attempted the same on our own. Knowing that AMC is advocating on our behalf allows us to focus on what we are good at – designing and manufacturing farm machinery,” said Highline general manager Bob Cochran. He adds that another plus is being able to come together as a sector and share ideas, concerns, and successes. “Being an AMC member has also given our team the opportunity to network with peers across Canada. We clearly see value in membership, having been with the organization since its inception.”

Looking Forward

Products for the agriculture industry are evolving quicker than ever and Highline continues to invest heavily in product development as a result. An example of the outcome of this investment is last year’s launch of the new Accumix self-propelled, self-loading feed mixer. “This machine is the first of its kind to be fully designed and manufactured in North America. Technology like the Accumix is needed to continue to assist our farmer customers in increasing the efficiencies of their operations. Their success and longevity is key to ours,” said Cochran. The company is expecting 2021 to be a busy year and is planning to increase production and hire additional staff.