All of that is driving the industry. We have more orders in the books now than we have ever had, more than three times what we had last year at this time.” Gene Fraser is Vice President of Business Development at Manitoba’s MacDon Industries Ltd. He said there was more optimism in the business world as COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out. He adds an improved trade atmosphere has also helped. “Trade tariffs in 2020 made business interaction unstable and I would say things are a bit more normal today. As the machinery inventories for both new and used depleted last year, that too has played a significant part in this global ag machinery demand.”
Filling Open Positions No company in Canada illustrates just how busy the ag manufacturing sector has been in 2021 than MacDon Industries Ltd. The Winnipeg-based operation has been on a hiring tear of late, adding 350 new positions in the past five months. Fraser said finding the employees was not really an issue but completing their orientation was. “Getting new hires onboarded and trained was a big challenge during the pandemic. We have had strict COVID-19 protocol measures in place since the beginning of March last year.” His focus has now turned to hiring about 40 students for roles in product support, engineering and other areas. “It gives the students some great work experience and it has been a valuable addition to MacDon with all the young people coming into our workforce,” he added. Manufacturers who are located next to larger urban centres are at a definite advantage. Horst said their geographic location in Southern Ontario has provided them with a greater employee pool than remote locations, particularly in Western Canada. He added that word of mouth has also been a big boost. “The most successful attribute for us has been employee referrals. What we have done recently is offer a referral bonus and pay it out if the new worker stays on the payroll for at least 90 days. It has been extremely popular.” One roadblock Horst has noticed in acquiring new talent is the housing market. “Not only is it difficult to find housing, but the cost of living is becoming a burden when it comes to moving to a new city. Everything is more expensive.” For Väderstad, their most successful approach is with our work environment through branding. “We try and focus on
@AMCshortlinecda
becoming the employer of choice and we believe we have reasonable salary levels and benefits package, and we focus a lot on training and development,” said Jones. “It has worked relatively well for us and we seem to have a lot of people who are aware of Väderstad. We are starting to attract people from outside of our immediate geographic area as a result,” he added. Despite the positives, Jones said they are looking at a deadline for filling open positions. “We are booked right until next May, which is unheard of for us. We know what’s in front of us and this is the challenge. We need to hire close to 60 people over the next few months if we are going to meet that challenge. We have closed off all new orders because we don’t want to take on more if we can’t meet the delivery date.”
“There are lots of challenges, but there are just as many opportunities to feel good about.” — Gene Fraser, Vice President of Business Development, MacDon Industries Ltd.
Cor Lodder is the Director of Walinga’s Carman Machining Division in Manitoba and he said skilled workers are what his company needs right now. “It does get tough from time to time. All our locations are advertising right now for trades like welders, fabricators, and transport trailer techs.” He added that much of the success they have had in the past is by attracting talented immigrants. “We utilize a strong immigration program of well-educated and well-trained German machinists and tradespeople. We have utilized that opportunity for 15 years or more to the point we are looking at a second generation of the group. The pandemic has unfortunately caused immigration officials to work from home meaning longer wait times. It’s time-consuming enough to get someone through the immigration process at the best of times so Walinga has put the program on hold.” Lodder, who is a machine apprentice graduate from Ontario’s Conestoga College, said having close relationships with academic institutions is a crucial endeavor. “Colleges are very aware of what’s going on in the industry and what our needs are. We have been involved with Manitoba’s Red River College in
terms of recruiting new skilled employees and our Ontario division has a close relationship with Conestoga.”
AMC Launches Competitive Engagement Committee AMC is well apprised of the challenges its members are facing to recruit and retain talent and have prioritized it as a focus area for its new Competitive Engagement Committee – the mandate for which is to advance key strategies, challenges and issues to support the world-class reputation of Canadian agricultural manufacturers and their suppliers. Fraser, who chairs the committee, said one avenue they are taking is to provide input to post-secondary educational institutions, and governments at the federal and provincial levels, when it comes to the skills, education and trades manufacturers and dealers need. “Our role is to facilitate and collaborate with members as needs may vary from region to region. Larger municipalities have vastly different workforces to draw upon than the more remote rural areas where many of our members conduct business,” said Fraser. He added that governments could also stimulate trades programs to encourage people to consider – and ultimately choose – careers in ag manufacturing. Additionally, AMC will soon be launching a member survey focused on identifying emerging trends, skills, in-demand roles, and baseline salary and benefits across Canada to help our members know the ranges they need to be in to attract and retain employees. The association also gives members the opportunity to share their best practices when it comes to workforce issues, something Horst is very aware of. “The networking, talking to my fellow board members has been great. There are also dozens of AMC members I know I could drop a line to at any time to compare notes on human resources issues.” While rising material prices and supply chain issues continue to concern our industry, Fraser is optimistic about the future. “There are lots of challenges, but there are just as many opportunities to feel good about. The world during the pandemic acknowledged that agriculture is an essential service. We see that the general public valued the many people who work in agriculture and people quickly realize that we must have a safe and secure food supply.”
Implement Success | Summer 2021
13
