A new CEO and a teamwork approach:

By Karen Sample and Janet Morley

Agricultural Roots on the Prairies

Paul Buczkowski, the relatively new PAMI CEO, says teamwork defines the institute under his leadership and seeing the success of clients’ projects is what drives PAMI’s success. His goal is to make sure clients have “an amazing experience” working with PAMI.

Buczkowski joined the company in May of 2023 as Director of Finance and moved to his current role as CEO in March of this year. With a background in professional hockey, Buczkowski is familiar with the benefits of teamwork and knows that a team that works together, using all members to reach a common goal, will achieve targets and create success for clients.

Clearly, Buczkowski is up to the challenge. His own recently blended family, with six youths all involved in hockey or other sports, has added to his already significant team-building experience.

Ask for help

At PAMI, Buczkowski tells his team that if they “spin their wheels” thinking about a problem for 15 minutes, then they need to go and ask another team member for help.

Founded in 1975 as the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute, PAMI offers support to people and companies who have product ideas they need to develop and test to bring them to market successfully.

Today, the organization prefers to be known by its acronym, PAMI, since its scope of work and geography now extends beyond agriculture and the prairies. The company has branched out into the mining and transportation sectors; however, true to its roots, approximately 75 per cent of PAMI’s work is still agricultural.

What does PAMI do exactly?

The organization studies, designs, builds, and tests machines, machine components and processes. It has grown to also provide engineering solutions and R&D, focusing on bringing creative solutions to complex problems both nationally and internationally. PAMI does not own intellectual property; their clients do.

“We love machines,” says Buczkowski. Their 40-acre location in Humboldt is designed to test machines inside or outdoors. The large processing building onsite can be turned into almost anything based on the needs of the client and the project.

20,000-square-foot building, smaller test rooms and an impressive cold chamber that can accommodate a 50-foot trailer PAMI can cover everything from manufacturing line challenges to electrical issues to testing vehicle rollovers and crush resistance from -50C to 40C.

Buczkowski is also excited about the possibility of their Manitoba facility returning online after the COVID-19 pandemic left PAMI no choice but to offer the facility for sale. “There are some amazing pieces of equipment there,” he says.

It is no wonder he has achieved a lot in the first few months, from rebuilding the team to preCOVID-19 numbers, to strengthening the culture, to coaching his expanded sales group to bring in new projects from about 15 companies that have never worked with PAMI before. Buczkowski is quick to add, however, that about 80 per cent of PAMI’s work still comes from loyal clients. It is essential for his team to over-communicate to make sure clients are happy and getting exactly what they want at all stages of any project.

For example, PAMI recently helped AGT Soileos (formally Lucent BioSciences) improve its process for pelletizing a fertilizer called Soileos by recreating its manufacturing line in the Humboldt facility. Combined with onsite visits to the AGT Soileos plant, PAMI engineers could see everything from start to end, troubleshoot and adjust the process to get the new product to market 18 months ahead of schedule.

“We have a really good relationship with them. It’s one of those long-term relationships we keep building on,” Buczkowski says.

Well-designed facilities

PAMI’s facilities and the flexibility of their buildings and acreage allow them to work on several projects simultaneously. With a sizeable

With limited MTS testing and simulation tools in North America, Buczkowski has his sights on a potential new aerospace project that would allow retention of the Manitoba assets and employees. “I don’t want to lay anybody off. I want our team to be successful as a whole. I’m really excited to potentially take that sign down and keep that part of the business. We are currently re-evaluating our options and developing a new business plan and will be presenting that to our Board of Directors soon.”

Powering into the future through teamwork

Although PAMI is officially a not-for-profit company, Buczkowski aims to shrink its current deficit and run it closer to a standard business model, with fiscal responsibility being a key goal.

Targets for sales and revenue this year are currently being exceeded, and projects are expected to generate approximately $5 million in operating revenue. He cites a solid strategic plan, developed before he became CEO, as another essential component in the current growth and success.

“Teamwork is what makes us famous,” he says. “We changed the culture to teamwork with lots of recognition. To be happy going to work, people need to be recognized for the great job they do.”

Buczkowski understands, however, that building a team isn’t all “rocket science.” He brought with him a simple but valuable tool from his experience in other organizations – a snack bar. The PAMI snack bar is situated such that employees headed to it pass by Buczkowski’s office. That gives him a chance to engage personally to get to know the team.

Getting to know the team is a meaningful way to ensure employees’ needs are recognized and met, but creating true teamwork relies on more than that. Buczkowski wants PAMI customers to have the best experience. To do that, there must be recognition of individual successes because the team’s success relies on the individual’s success.

Ownership and accountability are key to both individual and team success. To that end, Buczkowski consults with the entire team on major decisions. Everyone is involved, and the team has input.

To gauge progress so far, Buczkowski recently did an engagement survey that included a question asking whether staff would recommend a friend or family member to work at PAMI. A total of 17 out of 18 surveyed said yes, they would recommend employment with PAMI. “This is a very important metric that indicates engagement, motivation, and an opportunity to bring in like-minded people. Without good people, companies fail to reach goals, targets, and potentially have a toxic work environment. PAMI is a place to enjoy day-to-day activities, challenges and share in the successes and we want that for all our team members,” Buczkowski states.

He attributes the positive perception to personal engagement, accountability, ownership, and the decision to involve the entire team in significant decision-making. He is ensuring that every individual on the team is set up for success through training and support from others at PAMI.

Who are PAMI’s clients?

PAMI works with a full range of clients, from large companies to small start-ups to farmers, with an idea they’d like to develop to improve their machines. It doesn’t matter whether the business has been around for decades or is brand new; there is a spot for everyone and all engineering problems at the table. PAMI can help anyone with an idea take it from conception to finished product. The organization usually handles about 40 projects in any given year, ranging in scope from $500 to $1,500,000. Looking back historically, Buczkowski recounts a story of an individual who came in with a new idea for a three-point hitch. we can add value to it.”

PAMI’s role is no small undertaking, and the vision for the future is substantial. “We try to be on the cutting edge to make machines, our testing and the whole process more efficient for our customers.”

Buczkowski says they aim to make sustainability part of the whole package at PAMI. They are looking for possibilities and future partnerships to work on better EV batteries and emissions reduction, as well as hydrogen-fueled vehicles and machinery.

AMC and PAMI: relationship development

“PAMI was able to help them through the design and manufacturing process, and it’s still technology that is in use today. We love working with start-up companies with fantastic ideas they don’t know how to put into motion. Those are the most fun.”

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the larger projects, like a sprayer project utilizing modeling and numerical simulation expertise that yielded fabulous results, a safety in mining test called FOPS (Falling Object Protective Structures) that involved dropping large weights on mining vehicles to test vehicle integrity during cave-ins and the upcoming potential collaboration with NP Aerospace, now at the proposal stage.

In a recent project, PAMI worked with a start-up company, Mojow, on their EYEBOX™ autonomous vehicle controller, allowing the operator to drive a tractor with their phone (or other electronic device). EYEBOX™ can read the land; for instance, it will drive around a slough created by an overnight rainstorm. Mojow came to PAMI with an idea, and PAMI engineers were able to help them come up with their concept and do a lot of their testing, taking them from that idea to a marketready product.

Sustainability and innovation go hand in hand

Being partially funded by the Manitoba and Saskatchewan governments and the obligations that come with that help to keep PAMI on the leading edge of innovation. Buczkowski says, “What is important for PAMI is also important for our governments, from autonomous driving to clean energy. We look at environmental sustainability through R&D as well. What will happen to used EV batteries when they start to die? We are starting to look into that and ask how we can help. We’re trying to be at the leading edge of what will be important to people and see how

Agricultural Manufacturing remains PAMI’s primary business focus, and Buczkowski wants to build relationships with the people in the industry. “We want to make sure that we are evolving with them because it is such an important industry in the world, not just in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Alberta but everywhere.”

“We want to form those relationships with people that have great ideas and are passionate about the industry, and AMC is where we’re going to find that. AMC members are fantastic people with lots of experience, proven with new products and services. We definitely want to be a part of that to help them create something, but we also want to build a long-term relationship for repeat business, Buczkowski explains.

“An AMC member may come to us and say, okay, I want to do this. And this. And this. We want to be able to help them. We want to bring people’s thought processes and ideas through the whole project lifecycle to get them to market or be more sustainable or efficient.

“That’s one of the reasons why I think it’s essential to have AMC because we’ll build those relationships,” Buczkowski says.

What does the future hold?

Buczkowski believes in slow and steady growth in the future. He will continue to build and strengthen his team and the teamwork culture. Combined with his positive attitude, openness to new ideas and desire to anticipate and develop new products on the leading edge, it is easy to see how PAMI is back in full force and on a winning trajectory under his leadership.