‘Made in Canada’ Tour regional sponsors

Regional Sponsors ‘Made in Canada’ Tour

Eldale Machine & Tool

Putting the spin into agricultural machinery

Eldale Machine & Tool sits right in the heart of the Waterloo County agricultural community, in Elmira, Ontario. For more than 40 years, Eldale has been manufacturing a full line of hubs and spindles from 1,000 lb to 40,000 lb capacity. Their spindles are used on everything from grain and turnip carts, farm wagons, manure handling equipment and mining and forestry equipment, right down to small utility trailers. Their capabilities extend to modifying their hubs for custom applications such as turntables, coulter hubs, pivot points and other industrial applications. The company also offers custom repairs and tractor spindle repairs on site.

‘Made in Canada’

President of Eldale Machine & Tool, Randy Bauman spoke of the importance of ‘Made in Canada’: “‘Made in Canada’ has helped our business in terms of export as other countries look to Canada for superior workmanship and high standards. When they see 'Made in Canada' they are confident they will be receiving a very high-quality product." Eldale is feeling the supply chain squeeze as many other manufacturers are. “Lead times and costs have skyrocketed and it is difficult to source the items we need. We have the orders and could ship more product if we had what we required.”

Second location in 2022

Despite the challenges supply chain issues are causing the company, Bauman predicts steady growth over the next three years. They have added a second shift, are now at capacity in their current facility and are excited to be opening a second location in the new year. Says Bauman, “This will give us much needed space, making it possible for us to expand and to continue to increase sales.”

Innovation

When asked about the most important innovation that Eldale has seen over the past few years, Bauman says that the installation of new state-of-the-art pieces of equipment have helped the company grow. “We have been investing heavily in technology and this has made it possible for us to be far more efficient and in turn produce more product with less labour.”

“'Made in Canada' has helped our business in terms of export as other countries look to Canada for superior workmanship and high standards.”

Horst/HLA

Horst Welding has 300 employees. Located in Listowel, Ontario, the company manufactures farm wagons, loader attachments and snow blades. In the early 1990s, the HLA line of Horst Loader Attachments was conceived. The HLA brand of attachments includes adaptors, buckets, grapples, hydraulic rotary brooms, spears and more. In the mid-1990s HLA Snow was added. Today, it is an integral piece of the HLA product line. HLA Snow is committed to providing customers with innovative snow and ice handling blades, buckets, and spreaders. Horst Wagons is Horst Welding’s line of top-quality farm wagons that farmers can trust for reliability and durability.

For more than 70 years, MacDon has been a world leader in technology, innovation, and manufacturing of high quality, high-performance harvesting equipment. Rooted deep in the rich prairie heritage of Winnipeg, Manitoba, MacDon products are distributed and supported worldwide from offices in Canada, the United States, Australia, Russia, Brazil, and Germany. MacDon are harvesting specialists providing equipment for the harvest of cereal grains, rice, oilseeds, pulse and forage crops; including self-propelled windrowers equipped with a draper header or disc mower-conditioner and pull-type disc mower-conditioners. MacDon rigid or flexible draper headers and pickup type headers are compatible with most major brands of combines. One of MacDon’s newer products is the C-Series corn headers. While corn headers may be a new product for MacDon, their understanding of what is essential for harvesting performance isn’t. The C Series headers are lighter than many competitors’ products and require less power from the combine for operation, which equals fuel savings for operators. Additionally, there is a folding option on the headers which allows them to go from field-width to roadwidth in under two minutes all with the push of a button from the combine’s cab. MacDon’s relentless pursuit of improvement is driven by the desire to make harvesting easier and more productive for farmers. Working directly with producers and custom harvesters in the toughest real-world conditions; this relationship guides MacDon to pioneer industry-leading innovations like the FlexDraper®. MacDon has a worldwide reputation for excellence as “The Harvesting Specialists,” making equipment that helps producers harvest the crops that feed the world. As well as priding themselves on producing top quality equipment for farmers around the world, MacDon is committed to community involvement notably with their support of STARS Air Ambulance, 4-H and Progressive Agriculture Safety Day.

Marcrest

since 2018, but the company’s history goes back another 10 years to a farm shop a few kilometres away from the company’s current location. As farmers moved away from small square bales for hay and straw to large round and square bales, Marcrest owner Mark Horst saw that an important segment of consumers was being left behind by the change and designed the Bale Baron to fit the niche. The Bale Baron bundles small squares into a package that handles like a large square bale eliminating the manual labour usually needed to handle small squares. The bundles make removing and transporting small squares from the field more efficient for the farmer while still allowing the end user the convenience of using small squares. The Bale Baron allows hay growers and brokers to export their premium small squares without the back breaking work of loading tractor trailers by the handbomb method. Like many other manufacturers, the company of roughly 60 employees is experiencing strains due to supply chain. Getting components on time continues to be difficult; Horst believes the

biggest reason for this is a shortage of workers, not an increased demand. Marcrest is working on new projects that should give the company significant growth opportunities as those products are introduced. In terms of streamlining manufacturing to be able to keep up with the demand an increased product line will put on the company, Horst says, “In the past we have outsourced a significant portion of our production which has worked well for us, but as this increases, we may be bringing some of it back in house.” Currently painting is outsourced but Horst says the company is in the midst of planning an in-house paint application facility. Asked what Marcrest’s innovation has been, Horst says, “The Bale Baron has been our first invention and is still our flagship product today.”

“We listen to what they need in terms of design and dimensions, and we deliver. Our most important innovation is our robust customer service.”

Penta

Farming and ag service roots support manufacturing at Penta

Farming and family values run deep at Penta Equipment with its owner and the many employees who were raised on the farm. The company was originally dedicated to the sales and service of dairy equipment when it was founded in 1970 and gradually migrated its operations to manufacturing agricultural equipment. Today, Penta has 90 employees working in two locations in Southwestern Ontario: Thamesville (final assembly of equipment) and Glencoe (steel fabrication). Penta specializes in the production of total mixed ration (TMR) mixers, dump boxes and manure spreaders. Penta Equipment has been an AMC member for more than 10 years and company president, Glenn Buurma, has been a board member for the past three years. “AMC is about the networking. Learning from other members is so valuable,” he observes.

Relationships feed innovation

When asked about the company’s biggest innovation, Buurma says, “Really it’s more about listening to our dealers and being responsive to their needs in the field. Penta does well with that. We listen to what they need in terms of design and dimensions, and we deliver. Our most important innovation is our robust customer service. We have an amazing customer service team and they are always listening to what our dealers and farmers require.” Buurma is thankful that the company has not had the labour shortage that so many companies are experiencing and says that one of their biggest challenges has been supply chain issues. “At the moment, we have never had a bigger order book in our company history. It’s going to take until the third or fourth quarter of 2022 to meet our

“‘Made In Canada’ is a trusted standard and we have a great reputation for delivering high quality.”

requirements due to the global supply chain issues. We continue to monitor North American trucking as well, as we are concerned about the issues they are facing. “I would like to grow the business by about 15 per cent in 2022,” Buurma continues, “but supply chain will be one of the limiting factors.” Recognizing these challenges and possible obstacles to meeting growth targets, Buurma faces them with forward thinking and says they “have huge challenges on our hands right now. In Canada, the only way it works is if we are continuously being creative with our design and manufacturing processes.”

“There’s pride that comes from building something here”

Penta takes great care to build products that stand up to harsh conditions - robust equipment that they sell around the world. “‘Made in Canada’ is well known for quality,” says Buurma. “There

“Canadian manufactured equipment is held in very high regard in many export markets.” “AMC is a brilliant way to keep advancing in the industry and learning from others while also networking.”

are many things we could dwell on right now that are challenges, but ultimately we make great equipment and it stands up in many countries. We celebrate that fact. There are many countries that produce equipment, but ‘Made in Canada’ is a trusted standard and we have a great reputation for delivering high quality.”

Salford Group, Inc.

One of the pioneers of vertical tillage equipment, Salford Group, Inc. started in Salford, Ontario in 1978, manufacturing conventional tillage equipment to support local growers. Over time, the company has expanded and now has five manufacturing sites and another three parts distribution centers across North America. Brad Baker, Salford Group VP of Sales and Marketing, says they “continue to stay in tune with grower needs today, consulting with our customers and neighbours to deliver solutions for their farm businesses.” All of Salford’s facilities are strategically located to support growers in their regions. Salford has a global staff of more than 500 and invests in people who know the growing challenges distinct to their areas. In many cases, staff members have a personal farm or equipment operator background. While still focusing on tillage as a large part of Salford’s business, the company has steadily built a strong line-up of granular application products for fertilizer, micronutrients, granular crop protection and cover crops. When asked what ‘Made In Canada’ means to Salford, Baker responded that Canadian manufactured equipment is held in very high regard in many export markets. It is viewed as highly robust, well-designed, and able to cover the vast swaths of land farmed throughout our country. This perception of Canadian equipment makes it the preferred choice, even over domestically manufactured options in many markets. For the Canadian market, Baker said, “Investing in a Salford machine means you have the support of a local company.” Close proximity to customers provides shorter lead times for machines and parts and reduces delivery costs, time and carbon footprint. Choosing to locate in rural areas in order to serve customers best also comes with challenges. Acquiring staff in all areas of the organization can be a factor since the pool of available labour is smaller. To address these issues, Baker feels there is a need to promote what the ag manufacturing industry has to offer; stability, as the world demand for food continues to rise; technology, as precision ag and autonomous vehicles gain foothold; and purpose, which comes from contributing to an essential industry that needs to adapt to a changing world. Looking forward over the next several years, Salford will continue their innovative, customer-oriented path with growth, product expansion and hiring.

Tubeline

Quality is the rule at Tubeline

At 100 staff, Tubeline Manufacturing in Elmira, Ontario employs nearly one per cent of the community’s population. The company has been manufacturing manure spreaders and bale wrappers and today serves not just the domestic market, but exports to Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and the U.K.

‘Made in Canada’ is a sense of pride for Tubeline

President Paul Horst says, “‘Made in Canada’ is providing business opportunities and work for our communities. We are rich in resources and technology and so fortunate. We utilize what we have here and we produce a premium product. We are really blessed in that a lot of other countries recognize Canadian manufactured products as quality. Canada is a fairly easy country to do business with.”

Like most businesses, Tubeline has seen some challenges right now. Many businesses are struggling to find employees and Tubeline is not an exception. Says Horst, “We can use welders all across the board as well as a draftsperson and assembly team.”

Looking ahead

Next year looks very promising and robust for the company. After that, further into 2023 and beyond Horst says it “depends on the North American economy and interest rates. It could be a rude adjustment.” Regardless of what economic surprises may lie ahead, Horst believes in thinking forward to keep the gears turning. “New product development is key, whether it is a new model or building on an existing model. Defining the need, building on that and supplying to our customers.”

AMC

Tubeline has been an AMC member for five years. Asked about the company’s membership, Horst commented, “It’s a brilliant way to keep advancing in the industry and learning from others while also networking.”

Väderstad

Väderstad’s beginnings in 1962 were humble. Rune Stark was frustrated with the constant maintenance and tine replacement of his wooden harrows on his farm in Sweden. He spent his evenings dreaming and eventually planning steel tine harrows that would

require far less maintenance and would last longer than traditional wood-tined harrows. Planning and persistence paid off, and soon Stark was selling his steel-tined harrows to his neighbours. It wasn’t long before he and his wife Siw were nearly overwhelmed by Swedish demand for their new product. Väderstad is still a family-owned business that today boasts a global presence with manufacturing facilities on six continents. The business is focused on providing modern agriculture with highly efficient machines and equipment. The company’s primary focus is on seeding, planting and tillage equipment which simplify work and improve results for the farmer. Väderstad has been in Canada since 1992 and employs 250 people in their Canadian plant in Langbank, Saskatchewan. The spirit of Väderstad’s founder lives on to the highest possible degree in the company. “Make it to last” was an expression often used by Rune Stark. It is something the company continues to adhere to closely through extensive testing of machines and components, including field testing, mechanical testing, stress testing and lab testing.

What the future holds for Väderstad

Site Manager for Vaderstad Industries in Langbank, Nigel Jones says, “Our vision is to be the world’s leading partner for outstanding emergence.” When asked

about the most important innovation that has helped Väderstad grow, Jones continues, “Innovation itself. Gamechanging designs and equipment have been at the forefront of the company’s growth.” Over the next three years, Jones expects the company will be adding some products to expand their portfolio “to better reflect our primary focus on seeding, planting and tillage. We anticipate further growth and have plans for expansion of our current manufacturing footprint.”

Obstacles to growth

While demand for their products is increasing and the company is evolving to be able to meet the need, Väderstad is dealing with many of the same challenges as other manufacturers in North America and throughout the world. According to Jones, “supply chain restrictions and ongoing recruitment are the two major obstacles.”

A Swede ‘Made in Canada’

Clearly, when a company is able to manufacture in its destination market countries, there are conveniences such as reduced shipping, tariffs, and so on that make it a wise business decision. ‘Made in Canada’ goes further than a convenience for Vädertad though. “Canadian agriculture leads the way when it comes to innovative practices that increase yields and reduce inputs. In return, these conditions and expectations require innovative and efficient equipment and methods. ‘Made in Canada’ is synonymous with innovative and efficient agricultural equipment and methods that have changed farming practices in Canada and across the world. Canadian equipment is recognized across the globe as innovative, reliable and efficient.”

“Game-changing designs and equipment have been at the forefront of the company’s growth.”

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