WINTER 2021
ImplementSUCCESS Volume 18 Issue 2 | The Official Publication of AMC | Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada | www.a-m-c.ca
INSIDE: Engineered for Longevity | page 18 Member Collaboration | page 22 We Speak Iron | page 26
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Implement Success | Winter 2021
www.a-m-c.ca
ImplementSUCCESS
Winter 2021 Volume 18 Issue 2
Features
In This Issue Chair’s Message
Celebrating more than 50 years of innovative & world-leading Canadian agricultural equipment manufacturing
‘Made in Canada’ Tour page 8 ‘Made in Canada’ Tour: In Photos
page 5
President’s Message
page 10
page 7
Raising Concerns in Ottawa
Pre-budget submission
page 14
Thank you to our corporate partners
Canada’s Ag Manufacturing Sector Hiring
Labour & Technology Survey highlights
page 16
Vale Industries
A business engineered for longevity
AMC Re!magination spotlight
page 18
page 42
By Dave Bannister
Neeralta Manufacturing
Neeralta has grain storage in the bag
page 20
By Janet Morley and Paula Schuck
AMC member collaboration combats equipment wear page 22
page 44
page 46
Strategic Priorities
By Paula Schuck
Lethbridge Iron Works
page 26
By Paula Schuck
Northern Plastics, SAIT, JCA Technologies, TiMOTION, CLS Consulting Ltd.
AMC Innovation Tour
AMC New Member spotlight Index to advertisers
Apollo-Clad Laser Cladding, Alberta Industrial Heat Treating
We speak iron
page 6
page 28
AMC is proud to be the only Canadian association dedicated exclusively to ensuring agricultural equipment manufacturers and their suppliers succeed in domestic and world markets by focusing on three strategic pillars:
AMC Cultivates
By Paula Schuck and Janet Morley
Drive Opportunities for Growth
Eldale Machine & Tool, Horst/HLA, MacDon, Marcrest, Penta, Salford, Tubeline, Väderstad
‘Made in Canada’ Tour regional sponsors
page 34
It is our job to continually attract new experts to our brain trust to ensure our association, our members and our industry continue to develop, remain highly competitive and thrive.
AMC Advocates
Axalta Coating Systems Canada, Walinga, The CTD Group, Highline Manufacturing, Lethbridge Iron Works
‘Made in Canada’ Tour supporting sponsors
One United Voice for Our Industry
page 38
AMC Golf Tournaments
It’s all in the long game: AMC Golf Tournaments were worth the wait page 40 A national organization with global impact, the Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada represents agricultural equipment manufacturers in Canada and the many companies that supply them. We actively identify and drive opportunities to support industry growth. AMC is the only Canadian association that is 100% dedicated to agricultural equipment manufacturing. @AMCshortlinecda
linkedin.com/company/amc_3
AMC is an advocacy champion for our members. With decades of industry leadership, Federal and Provincial government representatives listen when AMC speaks. Our advocacy work propels policy change that fuels progress and expansion, making our industry stronger.
AMC Collaborates
National Catalyst for Thought Leadership AMC is constantly creating new and innovative ways to serve our membership. We provide frequent opportunities for input and exchange where our industry experts can spark and incubate ideas. Through events and our communications, we bring members together for networking, information sharing and collaboration that encourages knowledge to flow and business to grow.
Look for these icons to see how our Strategic Priorities are reinforced in our content!
Published semi-annually for Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada (AMC), 204-666-3518 | a-m-c.ca MISSION STATEMENT To foster and promote the growth and development of the agricultural equipment manufacturing industry in Canada. PU B LIS H E D BY 31st Line Strategic Communications, 316342 31st Line, Embro, Ontario N0J 1J0 | Ph. 204.666.3518, Fax 519.475.4792, www.31stline.com. G RO U P PU B LIS H E R Karen Sample E DITO R AMC M A R K E TIN G AMC PROJ EC T M A N AG E R AMC L AYO U T Heather Knott ©2021 Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada. All Rights Reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher. Published December 2021/PIM-AMC3380
@AMCshortlinecda
Implement Success | Winter 2021
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YOU MANUFACTURE WE FINANCE Partner with the only lender 100% invested in Canadian agriculture and food. fcc.ca
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Reflections from AMC’s Board Chair By Frank Capasso For the past two years, I’ve had the honour and privilege of serving as Board Chair. Now, with my term complete, I want to take this opportunity to reflect on my time in the role and the incredible accomplishments of our organization. Since the 1970s, I have been involved with AMC, and throughout those five decades have seen - and been part of - the innovation, development, and demands of our ever-evolving industry. And yet, for fifty years, one element has remained consistent - the commitment of our members who, when banded together with AMC, form a powerful collective.
Frank Capasso Chair | Board of Directors Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada
AMC members have always been vital economic drivers of their home communities and of the Canadian economy as export powerhouses who create the highest quality ‘Made in Canada’ equipment that helps farmers feed the world. The obstacles and unknowns posed by COVID-19 during the last 22 months have not daunted our members. To the contrary, they have risen to the challenge, coped with the demands, and ensured their employees stayed safe and their companies sound. It is because of this resilience and adaptability our industry has emerged even stronger than it was before the pandemic. These times have truly been remarkable, just as my time as Board Chair has been. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with our AMC team, our talented board, and with our members and other partners. I have been very fortunate to work with some of the top manufacturing leaders and best minds in Canada, and we have attracted new experts to AMC to ensure our association, our members, and our industry continues to grow and remain highly competitive and successful. During my time as Chair, we hired Donna Boyd as our President, and I couldn’t be more proud of her accomplishments to date. Donna has done an excellent job of promoting the organization and getting out there to see and hear exactly what members need. Donna brings new ideas and a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and energy to her role and to this association. She has made my term as Chair most enjoyable. The pace she set for herself for the ‘Made in Canada’ Tour is a perfect example of Donna’s commitment to AMC and its members, and to raising awareness and profile for our industry. During my term, the support and steadfast dedication of AMC’s Board of Directors was unparalleled, and I could not be more grateful for their leadership contributions – ensuring our continued success in uncertain times. Collaboration is and has always been at the heart of our organization, and I want to express my sincere appreciation for everyone involved with AMC who has worked together to help our association and our industry remain powerful, vibrant, and thriving. I look forward to continuing to serve AMC as Past Chair and welcome a time in the near future when we can all come together in person to celebrate our many achievements and create an even greater future ahead!
@AMCshortlinecda
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Thank you to our Corporate Partners With a growing number of members, AMC collaborates with corporate partners to provide ongoing support, services and programs that help members’ businesses grow.
aon.ca
mltaikins.com
fcc-fac.ca
AMC Team
Donna Boyd President 204-666-3518 DonnaBoyd@a-m-c.ca
Cherrille Price Member Services and Administration Co-ordinator 204-666-3518 cherrille@a-m-c.ca
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Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada | Board of Directors Chair | Frank Capasso Executive Vice President The CTD Group 1331 Chevrier Blvd. Winnipeg, MB R3T 1Y4 204-453-6833
Vice Chair | Cor Lodder Director Walinga Inc. PO Box 1790, 70 - 3rd Ave NE Carman, MB R0G 0J0 204-745-2951
Treasurer | Linda Turta Chief Executive Officer RAM Industries PO Box 5007, 33 York Rd E. Yorkton, SK S3N 3Z4 306-786-2678
Past Chair | Richelle Andreas Chief Executive Officer S3 Group Ltd. PO Box 39, 2180 Oman Drive Swift Current, SK S9H 3V5 306-773-0645
Director | Nigel Jones Chief Executive Officer Väderstad Industries Inc. PO Box 123 Langbank, SK S0G 2X0 306-538-2221
Director | Grant Adolph Chief Operating Officer Buhler Industries Inc. 1260 Clarence Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3T 1T2 204-661-8711
Director | Paul Horst General Manager TubeLine Mfg/Horst Welding 6455 Reidwoods Drive Elmira, ON N3B 2Z3 519-669-9488
Director | Randy Bauman President Bauman Manufacturing / Eldale Machine & Tool 3 Industrial Drive Elmira, ON N3B 2S1 519-669-5195
Director | Mark Hildebrand Vice President, Sales Monarch Industries Ltd. PO Box 429, 51 Burmac Rd. Winnipeg, MB R3C 3E4 204-786-7921
Director | Bob Cochran General Manager Highline Manufacturing PO Box 307, Hwy 27 Vonda, SK S0K 4N0 306-258-2233
Director | Cam Cornelsen Vice President Norstar Industries PO Box 119, RR1 Morris, MB R0G 1K0 204-746-8833
Director | Glenn Buurma President Penta Equipment Inc 73 Main Street Glencoe, ON N0L 1M0 519-882-3350
Associate Committee Chair | Robert Ablamowicz Canadian Group Leader Axalta Coating Systems 54 Lake Crescent Toronto, ON M8V 1V8 416-720-9754
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www.a-m-c.ca
Message from AMC’s President 'Made in Canada' These three words represent more than just geography; they represent world-leading products and services, and highlight people and companies advancing the innovation, quality, and reputation of Canada’s agricultural manufacturing industry. For more than 50 years, our members have overcome challenges through ingenuity and creativity, and they continue to find innovative ways to take on new challenges. In this issue of Implement Success, we are sharing and celebrating those ‘Made in Canada’ success stories. AMC Members are essential to their home communities and Canada’s economic recovery. Our members employ more than 25,000 people and export $2.4 billion to 149 countries.
Donna Boyd President | Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada
Although COVID-19 prevented us from celebrating our achievements together in-person this year, we embarked on the ‘Made in Canada’ Tour to visit and engage with members across five provinces, and learn more about their contributions to the growth of Canada’s economy. Here are a few tour highlights featured in this issue: Kendra Cruson, Business Support Manager and Co-owner of Saskatchewan-based Vale Industries, speaks to the importance of working together and how collaborations enhance Vale’s world-class manufacturing operations. Further west in Neerlandia, Alberta, Neeralta Manufacturing’s Rob Wierenga shared how their focus on quality grain storage and in-house manufacturing has provided greater adaptability, employment, and strong support for the local economy. Henk Vogelaar of Alberta Industrial Heat Treating Inc. (AIHT) and Gentry Wood of Apollo-Clad Laser Cladding in Edmonton explained how their partnership is solving wear and corrosion issues for agricultural manufacturers with the addition of a new custom-designed laser cladding cell. Automation and technology have been driving growth at Lethbridge Iron Works, which has a proud 123-year history of creating iron castings for companies and engineers around the world. The Innovation Tour feature focuses on AMC Members’ forward-thinking approaches to business and technology, from the applied research and industry partnerships forged by the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT,) to TiMOTION’s electric linear actuation systems that play a key role in not only agricultural equipment, but furniture and mobility aids that impact our daily lives. Our ‘Made in Canada’ Tour sponsors also shared their successes while reflecting on the importance of what ‘Made in Canada’ means for their businesses. Thank you to our Presenting Sponsors, S3 Group Ltd. and Walterscheid; and to our Regional and Supporting Sponsors, for your commitment to AMC and for making the ‘Made in Canada’ Tour possible. AMC had a busy year of advocacy efforts, ensuring the voices of Canadian ag manufacturers and their suppliers are heard. We launched the Labour and Technology Survey to learn more about members’ critical needs. This feedback was vital to informing the Pre-Budget Consultation submitted in advance of the 2022 federal budget, focusing on recommendations across four key themes: trade and access to export markets, fostering innovation, investing in green transformation, and strengthening the workforce. This past summer, we were happy to bring AMC members together for a day of networking and fun at our golf tournaments in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting these events and to participants for joining us. We look ‘fore’-ward to ‘tee’-ing up a return to these events in 2022 – watch for updates in future AMC Connection enewsletters. Our Re!magination Spotlight shines on Siemens Transportation Group, Power-Link Inc., and Cancade CBI Ltd., and their unique solutions to challenges faced by many of our member companies. In our New Member Spotlight, we introduce nine companies providing new opportunities for growth and collaboration. Finally, I would like to acknowledge Frank Capasso, our outgoing Chair of the AMC Board of Directors, for his long-standing service. Frank’s dedication spans nearly five decades, although none of those years could parallel the past two throughout the pandemic. During his term as Chair, Frank’s steadfast commitment to our industry, AMC, and its members was evident in every encounter – and no matter the challenge presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Frank’s enthusiasm, expertise, and resiliency were guideposts we could all depend upon. It has been a sincere privilege to navigate these uncharted times with you, Frank - reaching new heights despite the uncertainties of the pandemic, celebrating AMC’s 50th anniversary in 2020, and making significant strides forward for our industry in 2021. On behalf of our board, staff, and members, thank you for your commitment and contributions to AMC, and we relish being able to continue to count on you as Past Chair. As we look ahead to 2022, we are pleased to announce Cor Lodder, Director of Walinga Inc. and current Vice-Chair of the AMC Board, as our new Chair of the AMC Board of Directors. We look forward to continuing to work together to strengthen our world-class ‘Made in Canada’ agricultural manufacturing industry.
@AMCshortlinecda
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‘Made in Canada’ Tour
Celebrates more than 50 years of innovative & worldleading Canadian agricultural equipment manufacturing Our Presenting Sponsors
After more than a year of having to rely on virtual communication with members, AMC President Donna Boyd couldn’t wait to hit the road this summer and fall, to visit AMC members at their locations, meet people one-on-one and discuss their needs and concerns. The other key objectives for the 'Made in Canada' Tour were to raise the profile of AMC and its members and champion the importance of the agricultural manufacturing industry within Canada and abroad, particularly with our elected officials. Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada is proud to be the only Canadian association exclusively dedicated to ensuring agricultural equipment manufacturers and their suppliers succeed in domestic and global markets. Created in 1970, AMC has grown to over 250 members reaching all across Canada, the U.S. and Germany. Our members employ more than 25,000 people and contribute more than $2.4 billion in exports to our national economy. This is particularly important in the pandemic recovery as our members more than do their part to strengthen our local, provincial and national economies. The ’Made in Canada' Tour was designed to do what AMC does best and what this association is all about: Cultivate. Advocate. Collaborate. It has helped to reinforce the importance of these principles within the membership, by
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reaching them one-on-one by gathering input and concerns, sharing successes, and helping members connect with each other to solve issues within their own businesses and the ag manufacturing sector as a whole, AMC is now armed to advocate with government and increase awareness of the vital contributions of our industry. AMC President Donna Boyd made her first ‘Made in Canada' Tour stop in Alberta on July 19, 2021 and has continued her journey across five provinces to meet members over the last few months. “Our members share tremendous pride and satisfaction in being Canadian manufacturers who produce the best agricultural equipment in the world,” says Boyd. “During our ‘Made in Canada' Tour the visionary people and companies responsible for our world-class reputation are the focal point of demonstrating that ‘Made in Canada’ represents much more than mere geography. It is exhilarating to be able to meet personally with our membership and tour their operations. “They are champions for our industry
Thank you to all of our sponsors who made the ‘Made in Canada’ Tour possible!
who have continued to deliver on the vision of our founders with innovative and unique products and services.” This event, celebrating AMC’s 51st anniversary, is being presented by AMC founding member S3 Group Ltd. and Walterscheid Powertrain Group. Both companies have a strong history of export, growth and support for Canada’s agricultural industry.
S3 Group Ltd. Richelle Andreas, CEO of S3 Group and past chair of AMC’s Board of Directors, says Canadian farmers lead the world in the adoption of new technologies and sustainable farming practices. “Canadian farm equipment manufacturers have risen to the challenge, matching the pace of innovation and leading the world. ‘Made in Canada’ doesn’t just refer to the communities all across the country where you will find ag manufacturers. When it comes to farm equipment, ‘Made in Canada’ is a reputation – hundreds of companies strong – of solving problems, standing behind our products, and adding value to the men and women who produce our food,” she says. About AMC “As an AMC member, we know we are not alone, “ explains Andreas, “Sometimes when you are in your business you feel like you are the only one in the world struggling to understand foreign exchange, hedging or social media technologies, the only business struggling to find qualified employees or feeling unsure about extending financing to a customer overseas. But we know that whether we’re battling Canadian copyright legislation, or concerned about the carbon tax, AMC has our back.” About S3 The S3 Group brings 55 years of experience to the farm equipment and agricultural component market, along with a flexible, customer focused and values-based philosophy. www.a-m-c.ca
Walterscheid Bob Socha, Sales Manager for Walterscheid Powertrain Group says: “We are delighted to demonstrate our commitment to AMC. Walterscheid has a long history with Canadian agricultural manufacturers. We look forward, via this tour, to again show our support of AMC and the agricultural community in Canada. We are especially excited to do so following so many months of uncertainty. To be meeting face to face again feels fantastic.” About Walterscheid Powertrain Group Walterscheid Powertrain Group is a global provider of connected and smart powertrain solutions and complete in-service support for the world’s leading off-highway and industrial equipment manufacturers. The firm continually develops new technologies and customer solutions which
deliver efficiency in the agriculture, construction, mining, utility vehicle and industrial markets and offers through life services for all powertrain products and systems between power source and power applied. With its global platform across four continents Walterscheid Powertrain Group is the technology partner and innovation leader to the leading global OEMs. This together with a comprehensive aftermarket and service offering positions the group for above market long term growth. About AMC Socha says, “AMC does a tremendous job of advocating for its members, always working towards securing the best possible position for ag manufacturers to continue producing the highest quality products for their domestic and global clientele.
“AMC networking situations provide excellent opportunities for members to build working relationships with other manufacturers and suppliers. We look forward to being a part of that journey for many years. “Walterscheid makes innovative products that are used in Canada and all over the world. We are a company that takes pride in having created many industry firsts. The 'Made in Canada' Tour celebrating innovators in the ag industry across Canada is a great fit for Walterscheid which is recognized for being the best in construction, mining, agriculture, and heavy-duty equipment.”
AMC Advocates
One United Voice for Our Industry
AMC Collaborates
National Catalyst for Thought Leadership
Regional Sponsors
Supporting Sponsors
“For more than 50 years, AMC and its members have shown that Canada is home to the world’s leading agricultural manufacturing equipment. Thanks to their leadership and Canadian businesses bringing their Made-in-Canada solutions to the world stage, Canada’s innovative agricultural equipment manufacturing sector continues to be a global industry leader.” The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, congratulated AMC on the tour.
@AMCshortlinecda
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‘MADE IN C ANADA’ TOUR
Alberta
‘Made in Canada’ Tour In Photos
Henk Vogelaar (second from left) & co. of AIHT
MLT Aikins LLP, Livingston Place
Sunnybrook Welding & Machine Shop Ltd.
Apollo-Clad Laser Cladding Renn Mill Center
Rob Wierenga of Neeralta
SAIT Thomas Riley Building, home to the School of Manufacturing and Automation
Lethbridge Iron Works
Just prior to kicking off the tour, we kicked up our heels at the Prairie Sky Event during Calgary Stampede with Cal Johnson of Prairie Sky and Cam Cornelsen from Norstar/Triple Green
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Supreme International’s CEO, Jeannette Guertin, is a former AMC board chair
Stephan Rezansoff and Jeff Gibson of Standen's
www.a-m-c.ca
Five provinces and close to 50 member visits!
Rite Way Mfg.'s Cory Ochitwa and Heather Forbes on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Vale Industries
Dutch Industries
Hi-Tec Profiles Inc.
Canada’s Farm Show home Evraz Place
Saskatchewan
Väderstad
Sheldon Mohr (left) and Jack Degelman of Degelman Industries
SeedMaster
Stewart Steel
Garratt Industries Ltd.
Manitoba
Wildwood Transport
@AMCshortlinecda
Marcel Kringe of Bushel Plus
Jeneika, Cancade CBI’s newest woman welder hire
Elmer’s Manufacturing
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Manitoba
‘MADE IN C ANADA’ TOUR: IN PHOTOS
Carman Dufferin Economic Development
Lode King
Magna-Lite
Norstar
Xplornet Enterprise Solutions
Ontario
Mandako
Triple Green
Bauman and Eldale
Welding stations at Conestoga College's Brantford campus
Horst Welding/HLA Plant 1
Delta Conference Centre in Guelph, home to AMC's Expo in April 2022!
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AMC President Donna Boyd with Brad Baker at Salford Group
Marcrest
Wallenstein
Walinga Guelph
Tubeline (Yes, they can match your tractor colour!)
Penta Equipment
Walinga Fergus
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www.a-m-c.ca
1971: Wilf Degelman takes over from George Morris as PIMA President (Courtesy of Jack Degelman)
Imeco
Jack Degelman, brother Paul Degelman and Sheldon Mohr with their PIMA Hockey Tournament Trophies sharing fond memories
Tour Memories
Québec
A.M. Pinard
Power-Link
The first ever PIMA convention showing Wilf Degelman and Ray Malinowski (Courtesy of Jack Degelman)
AM Machinery
Thank you to our Presenting Sponsors
AIC representing Walterscheid Powertrain Group
S3 Group
@AMCshortlinecda
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PRE-BUDGET SUBMISSION
Raising AMC Concerns in Ottawa In response to member recommendations, and with the consultation of AMC’s Government Relations Task Force Committee, AMC sent in a Pre-Budget Submission on behalf of members on August 6, 2021. The submission featured four key areas of concern: building resiliency in our supply chains, fostering an innovative and competitive business climate, incentives for energy efficiencies and workforce development.
“We continue to innovate every day, but we need support to keep small businesses in business,” says Jamie Pegg, General Manager of Honey Bee Manufacturing. “The lack of clarity will [not only] destroy the rural communities but will also destroy the economic base driving the economy.” 14
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Resilient supply chains, access to export markets key to recovery North American manufacturers are facing critical supply chain disruptions — including shortages and soaring prices — that threaten their ability to get cost-effective products to market and secure well-paying jobs. Infrastructure issues prevent getting goods to new markets. A strong infrastructure network allows our high-quality Canadian-made goods and products to move quickly across the world. Better infrastructure is the key to long-term expansion of production, more sales and the competitive development of export markets.
Fostering innovation and supporting SMEs to remain competitive In today’s digital environment, physical product design is becoming increasingly reliant on software, networking and computerization. Many pieces of industrial equipment are required to interoperate, often as a network of digital and analog components. U.S. copyright law makes exceptions for legally modifying motorized agricultural equipment for the purpose of interoperability. Canadian copyright law does not. “We continue to innovate every day, but we need support to keep small businesses in business,” says Jamie Pegg, General Manager of Honey Bee Manufacturing. “The lack of clarity will [not only] destroy the rural communities but will also destroy the economic base driving the economy.”
Removing this barrier to competitiveness and economic growth will allow innovators to develop more products that help Canada’s farmers do more with less and address important public policy issues such as climate change. Fostering innovation also means reducing the tax burden on small businesses.
Innovating and investing in green transformation The agricultural sector is taking significant steps to meet the objective of producing more with less while at the same time reducing pollution. For example, innovative members such as Triple Green Products are using biomass — a clean, renewable energy — to fuel operations and support environmentally friendly composting. The current carbon tax is a barrier to business growth for hundreds of SMEs.
Strengthening the ag manufacturing workforce There is an urgent need to attract and retain talent in the agricultural equipment manufacturing sector to help grow small and medium-sized businesses. There are serious labour shortages. Approximately 80 per cent of our members intend to grow their workforce this year, but it’s not clear if they will be able to secure enough workers.
www.a-m-c.ca
The 4 key recommendations of AMC’s Pre-Budget Submission:
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That the government improve access to export markets by supporting policies that build resiliency in our global supply chains; invest in infrastructure projects that allow goods to get to market faster; and prioritize funding for Export Development Canada to expand its services in emerging markets.
That the government provide more incentives for businesses to make energy-efficiency upgrades to their innovative production capabilities.
That the government work with industry and other levels of government to address serious labour shortages in the agricultural equipment manufacturing sector.
That the government foster an innovative and competitive business climate by providing clarity on interoperability under the Copyright Act and extending the Capital Cost Allowance deduction on manufacturing equipment.
It is through efforts such as this Pre-Budget Submission that AMC works continuously to bring members’ concerns to government. Did you know that AMC also sends the newsletters AMC Connection and AMC Champion as well as strategic issues of Implement Success to Members of Parliament to keep your concerns and successes front and centre? Through these continued lobbying efforts and more, AMC works towards exacting the changes needed to see member companies thrive and grow.
AMC Advocates
Use this QR code to access AMC’s full Pre-Budget Submission, recommendations and PBS backgrounder
One United Voice for Our Industry
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L ABOUR & TECHNOLOGY SURVEY
Canada’s ag manufacturing sector hiring Agricultural equipment manufacturing is a growing industry in Canada, with revenues reaching over $3 billion per year. In Canada, agricultural equipment manufacturing has evolved as a distinct sector of innovation and economic activity relative to other manufacturing sectors. AMC member companies export more than $2.4 billion annually in agricultural implements to 149 countries making the Canadian agricultural manufacturing sector one of the most successful innovators. Last summer, we asked our 250 member companies to take the AMC Labour & Technology Survey. To work with governments at all levels, we needed to know where challenges and successes lie in members’ workforces – initial hiring, retention, etc. Those members who chose to participate in the survey have already received the full results. For our new members, you will find a summary of the survey results below.
Primary Operations Located In:
Unique & growing industry Agricultural equipment manufacturing is a unique and growing industry in Canada, with revenues reaching over $3 billion per year. In Canada, agricultural equipment manufacturing has evolved as a distinct sector of innovation and economic activity relative to other manufacturing sectors. Canadian-made agricultural equipment is among the highest quality and most sought-out in the world. AMC’s 250 member companies export more than $2.4 billion annually in agricultural implements to 149 countries. Additionally, from minimum and zero tillage equipment that reduces erosion and conserves our soils to keep them healthier, to extremely accurate, almost pinpoint soil-testing, targeted GPS product applications, and autonomous equipment advances, the Canadian agricultural manufacturing sector is truly one of the most successful innovators.
Overview of workforce Average Salaries
$54K $80K+ PRODUCTION
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MANAGERS
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Membership overview AMC members are highly innovative and versatile companies manufacturing everything from harvesting equipment to specialized parts for farm machinery using artificial intelligence, GPS technology and cloud solutions. The ag manufacturing sector is made up of small and medium-sized businesses that employ highly skilled Canadians in rural and urban centres. During COVID, members said they increased investment in technology or equipment and increased the use of automation in operations. 83.33% say they expect wage increases. Companies spend up to 20 per cent of gross revenue on R&D.
TIME TO FILL MOST IN-DEMAND NON-SEASONAL ROLES
80% 3 MONTHS
15% 6 MONTHS
5% 1 YEAR
Eighty per cent of members say it takes up to three months to fill most in-demand non-seasonal roles, while fifteen per cent say it takes up to six months and five per cent say it can take up to a year.
72% 83% 82%
Employers say the number of people working for them increased in the last year
Businesses expect to increase wages
Businesses will continue to increase hiring
www.a-m-c.ca
Reasons cited for difficulty in filling jobs include: Rural location, having to relocate High competition for labour, tight labour market The vetting process required Limited skills, skills shortage, education system not training for jobs of tomorrow Availability Salary Lack of available transitional housing Government subsidies keeping people at home making more money than returning to the workforce Retention
Experience & skills in-demand: Engineering, chemical knowledge Metal finishing Management, skilled trades Automation experts and robot programmers Welders, painters, machinists Technical skills for robotics Equipment operators Supply chain experts Industrial mechanics Software
What are the barriers to adopting new tech? More than half said a shortage of skilled labour is a barrier to adopting new technology and automation Almost a quarter said lack of access to high speed internet 72 per cent cited the cost to purchase and implement the new technology
AMC Advocates
One United Voice for Our Industry
AMC Collaborates
We continue to be an export-focused sector
96% 96% 25%
Members who export to the U.S.
Members who export to other countries
Members that export half of their inventory
National Catalyst for Thought Leadership
@AMCshortlinecda
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MEMBER PROFILE Vale Industries:
A Business Engineered for Longevity By Dave Bannister Vale Industries is a diversified steel manufacturing company located east of Regina at Indian Head, Saskatchewan. The company has a strong history of providing portable and stationary materials handling. Its roots date back over 30 years of agricultural manufacturing, with the current establishment of its product mix and business model in 2014.
Vale Industries operates in two primary areas: Agriculture Hopper Cones and Grain Giant Field Bins Aggregate and mining Portable Conveyors, Feeders and Hoppers, Portable Plants, and Stationary Equipment. Kendra Cruson is Business Support Manager at Vale, as well as an owner. She leads production planning, purchasing, marketing, and human resources. As owner, she manages finances and works with CEO Pieter Cruson on strategic planning, forecasting and Kendra Cruson Business Support Manager budgeting. Vale Industries
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Cruson grew up on a Saskatchewan farm and feels a strong connection to the land. “My career has largely been connected to agriculture. I earned my MBA at The University of Regina, started my career in ag manufacturing and spent some time on the grain buying side. My business partner and husband, Pieter, and I have worked hard to own a steel manufacturing business for the better part of our careers, and now own Vale Industries. I love the ag industry!” Cruson considers her management role a collaborative one. “We are continuously collaborating in all aspects of the business with our senior leadership team, from the highly technical side to procurement, staffing, and sales,” she explains. “We also work closely with our foremen and shop staff to improve their departments and increase efficiency. As Mark Twain said, ‘Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection,’ and I pretty much live by this. I often encourage my team by reminding them that every little improvement counts and can have exponential impact on the person and the business. We have a small but mighty team of experts helping us to run a safe and successful business.” Vale Industries’ vision is to be a worldclass manufacturer of quality steel products. “This is the language of the LEAN manufacturing philosophy," according to Cruson. “Here is a definition I like to use: World class
manufacturing is the philosophy of being the best, the fastest, and the lowest cost producer of a product or service. It implies the constant improvement of products, process and service to remain an industry leader and provide the best choice for customers, regardless of where they are in the process.” Cruson describes their operations: “Our mix of business has varied slightly from year to year, typically around 60% agriculture and 40% mining and aggregates. This year our ag hoppers will contribute less due to poor farm conditions and increased steel prices.” She expects future demand for the hoppers to remain strong though. “Our hoppers are engineered for strength and durability,” she explains. “We paint the interior of the cone for better product flow, and we have our own trucking/pilot fleets delivering our product directly to the farm.” The other primary ag product is their field bins. “We expect our Grain Giant to expand considerably with the launch at the Agri-Trade Equipment Expo in November,” Cruson explains. “We are the only manufacturer of field bins in Canada, and we offer the largest capacity in North America. Our bin holds a whopping 6500 bushels!” In the Aggregate and Mining sector, Cruson emphasizes Vale’s key strengths: “We offer Design-EngineerBuild options for our clients that allow
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full customization. Our reputation is for high quality and industry leading service.” 'Made in Canada' is an important aspect of the company’s offering, according to Cruson. “We love to support local as much as we can, and our customers feel the same way.”
A LONG WAY
TOGETHER
Cruson notes that it has been a challenge adapting business operations to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Internally we have closed our office to the public to limit potential exposure, while following all the provincial health regulations. The biggest impact from COVID-19 has been in material cost and delivery. First are steel prices. Our products take a lot of steel to produce. The typical hollow structural tubing used in all our hopper products has increased over 300 per cent in the last 12 months. Second are the supply chain problems in general. We are seeing lead times stretching, prices increasing, surcharges being added mid-order, and I believe the crest is still to come. We are mitigating this by increasing our prices and planning further into the
"AMC helps keep me in touch with what is happening outside my doors." future. We have had success pulling together to improve our estimating process, improving planning and purchasing, and we are generally more in touch with our costs in all aspects of the business.” Cruson credits working strategically and collaboratively with Vale’s dealer network for much of their success. “We focused on what they need to grow their businesses, which in turn has made Vale an invaluable partner for their operations. We have big plans to expand our hopper sales across the Prairies and northern states, build up our Grain Giant dealer network and expand our export sales to the U.S. with our Aggregates and Mining products. I expect our revenue growth in five years to increase by 20 percent, with a doubling of our dealer network across North America.” The bulk of Vale’s sales are from Canada, specifically Saskatchewan. The ratio of Canadian to U.S. sales is about 70:30, with markets outside of Canada
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being primarily in the northern states and the Pacific Northwest. Vale employs 85 full-time and 12 seasonal employees, according to Cruson. “Skilled workers in the manufacturing industry are in high demand due to the number of successful manufacturing companies in our small trading area,” she notes. “We offer unique hours that allow for us to wrap our work week at noon on Fridays, we build our team and promote within, we do exciting projects, and we really have the small town feel. About 50 per cent of our staff live right in Indian Head, 40 per cent from surrounding communities and farms,
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and 10 per cent come out from Regina.” The company is recruiting for a Metal Fabricator, a Welder/Fitter, an Ag Equipment Technician, and a Heavy-Duty Mechanic. Vale Industries has been an AMC member since 1991, notes Cruson. “AMC helps keep me in touch with what is happening outside my doors. They provide beneficial information and have great events where peers can connect and share ideas.”
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MEMBER PROFILE
Neeralta Has
Grain Storage in the Bag By Janet Morley and Paula Schuck About an hour and a half northwest of Edmonton there is a community called Neerlandia. Keep going a bit further north and you will find the home of Neeralta Manufacturing Inc. embedded in the prairie farming community there. What was started as a diversified repair and fabrication shop in 1984 has developed into a focused agricultural manufacturing business specializing in grain storage systems. Over the years, the company did a variety of work including repairs and fabricating of ag and oil field equipment, but it was in 2008 that Neeralta found its niche and began building grain baggers and then, a bit later, grain extractors. Eventually, the manufacturing of bagging and extracting equipment came to the forefront of the business. Rob Wierenga, co-owner of Neeralta explained, “We found that we had to focus to really do it properly. We focused on manufacturing and that made an impact. Since 2019, we have been strictly manufacturing our own product here.”
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Quality storage of grain between harvest and shipping is of utmost importance to farmers looking to get the best price for their crop. The lag time between harvesting and shipping can be several months depending on markets and farmers need the security of knowing the condition of their crop at harvest will be maintained through that waiting period. Traditionally, storage of grains would be done in bins, but bagging has brought versatility to farming operations. Bags are an alternative short-term grain storage system that can replace or augment grain bins with added benefits. Grain can be stored at higher moisture levels and can be stored right in the field. This versatility means leased land can house grain storage without the renter having to negotiate and pay for permanent structures on someone else’s land. During extraction, Neeralta’s extractor neatly rolls up the used bag for recycling, returning the storage area to farmable land again for the next year. Bagging is not limited to farming operations where structure storage is not available. In bumper crop
years, bagging can add additional on-farm storage capacity immediately without increasing capital costs. Neeralta has been an AMC member since 2013. When asked about the importance of AMC membership, Wierenga talked about the role AMC plays in providing a larger voice for Canadian ag manufacturers who otherwise would not have the time nor the greater impact of a group. “Having a group of this size that has a face to the organization, like Donna Boyd, there’s a direct link to government. In years past there has been a direct presentation to the government. That is incredibly important to the members. It is just not possible for us to be able to do this otherwise. Members are busy running their businesses, so AMC provides an important service in that regard. To have someone like AMC is invaluable and the convention is always such a hit too. It’s great to meet with peers as well as potential vendors at the trade show. These are very positive things about being a member.”
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‘Made in Canada’ With a client base in Canada and the U.S., Neeralta thinks of their product as made in North America. Right now, having to rely on some overseas components is causing some concern due to shipping delays. While these challenges are part of everyone’s business in these times, Wierenga comments that, “If there were someone here in Canada who could make those items here in Canada, at a somewhat competitive price point, they would have instant sales. 'Made in Canada' is extremely important to us because of keeping jobs here.” Wierenga summed up, “Supporting the local economy as much as possible is important to us as a business. We appreciate when we are supported, and we also try to support as much as we can here by keeping jobs here and supporting our communities.” A company of 20 employees, Neeralta says their greatest innovation has not been specific to one machine but is about direct communication with end users. They work the trade shows themselves and do a lot of direct sales. Feedback is analyzed promptly, and any
necessary changes are made quickly. This direct path to management has facilitated Neeralta being able to adapt to market changes and make product improvements more rapidly than other larger or more diversified companies. Without multiple levels of management for approvals, the company can react quickly to customer input. Wierenga said that Neeralta has
“‘Made in Canada’ is extremely important to us because of keeping jobs here.” managed to bypass the staffing difficulties that some manufacturers are currently weathering and they haven’t had difficulties maintaining their workforce of welders and assemblers. “Even last year we were pretty fortunate, and we stayed staffed quite well.”
Looking Forward Although no one can predict what the future holds, Wierenga says the
company, “will continue to move forward with products and strive to provide good jobs in our community and good products with a strong focus on customers and product reliability. We try to design products that have little downtime and are easy to maintain. This model has worked well for us. Roll with the challenges as they come and keep providing customer service and reliability that people expect from our product.” Being mindful of the dangers of putting all their eggs in one basket, Neeralta is developing new products to diversify their line, offering a wider range of products to their clients. During the last little while, Neeralta has made a strong effort to work on new product development. Neeralta’s new products were shown at this year’s Agri-Trade Equipment Expo, Red Deer, Alberta.
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MEMBER FEATURE
AMC Member Collaboration Combats Equipment Wear Together, Alberta Industrial Heat Treating Inc. (AIHT) and Apollo-Clad Laser Cladding are laser-focused on combatting equipment wear and offering new possibilities of repair for Canadian farmers. The two Edmonton, Alberta-based units of the parent company Apollo Machine and Welding Ltd. (Apollo) have joined forces to develop innovative solutions for wear and corrosion protection that have taken the oil and gas sector by storm. Now, they are offering these same state-of-the-art solutions to agricultural manufacturers. By Paula Schuck
The partners Apollo-Clad Laser Cladding is the laser cladding division of Apollo which has been around for 14 years providing laser materials processing solutions to the oil and gas industry. Apollo-Clad’s main products are laser clad coatings (or overlays) for wear and corrosion protection of drilling components used in oil and gas exploration. The business has expanded into mining, pulp and paper, defense, plastic processing, rail, nuclear, aerospace, and now agriculture. The benefits of laser clad coatings are vast, and Apollo-Clad has made significant investments in automation and process sensing to improve productivity and be cost competitive with existing welding solutions: better performance at a cheaper price. The Apollo-Clad facility currently employs 34 engineers, machinists, grinders, and support staff. Including the other three business divisions, Apollo now has over 200 employees. The business
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is growing, looking to hire labourers, laser operators, and engineers. Alberta Industrial Heat Treating (AIHT) is the traditional heat treatment division of Apollo. AIHT provides critical heat treatment services including quench and temper,
“Together, Apollo-Clad and AIHT complement each other, offering distinct but related products and services to address issues of wear and corrosion, which are virtually universal.” precipitation hardening, solution annealing, stress relieving, bake outs (hydrogen control for welding), normalizing, and full annealing. AIHT also offers state-of-the-art gas nitriding, gas carburizing, and induction heat treatments to tailor the surface properties of components for
specific customer applications. AIHT is comprised of a team of eight people and is currently looking to hire and train labourers and operators. Henk Vogelaar, Senior Sales Executive at AIHT, says right now business is thriving, and the company has responded by purchasing new equipment to meet the short lead time demands their customers have come to expect. Together, Apollo-Clad and AIHT complement each other, offering distinct but related products and services to address issues of wear and corrosion, which are virtually universal.
The benefits of laser cladding In the last 10 years laser cladding has broken through as a real solution for industrial-scale manufacturing. The process involves using high powered lasers to generate a molten pool. Additional material is added to that pool in either wire or powder form,
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which then cools quickly to create a high-quality, fully metallurgicallybonded coating. Gentry Wood, a senior research and development engineer for ApolloClad, calls laser cladding versatile. “Laser cladding can be used as a repair technology (chemistry match), coating technology and even as a path to metal 3D printing, known to those in the additive manufacturing world by the name ‘Directed Energy Deposition’ or DED. All the benefits of laser cladding are rooted in the laser heat source. Lasers provide precision application of heat, which minimizes material mixing and other negative side effects of excessive heat input making it a great technology for dissimilar metal coatings. The technology is routinely used to repair parts of a range of sizes with the incorporation of robotics and large CNC systems. The opportunity to fix components that are only worn out locally is immense, and we see laser cladding as a green technology for its ability to capitalize on the underappreciated “Re-use” of the 3Rs.” (See Figure 1.)
features that require treatment, traditional heat treatment processes such as nitriding, carburizing, or induction may be an alternative to laser clad overlays. These processes are completed in batch processes that take advantage of the hardening capabilities inherent to a specific material and its response to heat and potentially the addition of nitrogen (nitriding) or
“We consider it a strategic advantage to be a member of the AMC organization.”
The benefits of traditional heat treatment solutions For complex surfaces, large surface areas, and components with internal
Figure 1: Laser cladding of a stainless-steel coating on a high carbon steel R&D test piece for a railway application.
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carburizing (carbon) into the surface. Each technique has its own niche applications, but the AIHT advantage comes from a combination of digital process control and support in process development and R&D from the Apollo team of Ph.D. metallurgists. “AIHT and Apollo-Clad have a unique relationship with customers as we can offer metallurgical Lab services to do R&D for our customers and offer a solution, either from AIHT services or Apollo-Clad, tailored to the customer's unique application,” says Henk Vogelaar, Business Development at AIHT. (See Figure 2.)
New at Apollo Apollo-Clad has commissioned its ninth state-of-the-art laser cladding cell, which is focused on fast, highvolume manufacturing. The system has been custom designed to meet the needs of new agricultural customers, who are utilizing Apollo’s nickeltungsten carbide products to improve the performance and longevity of equipment for mechanical weed seed control during harvesting. The laser cell has been outfitted with a full sensor suite to monitor and control the process for maximum productivity and superior quality. This system is also likely to be used for Apollo’s work on industrial applications of laser additive manufacturing. (See Figure 3.) Recently, a second gas nitriding furnace was commissioned to offer this in-demand service for stainless steel products as an effective alternative to liquid nitriding. A state-of-the-art induction heat treatment unit with automated process control, increased working envelope, and superior case depth (hardened depth) for steel components has also been added. Apollo-Clad and AIHT have partnered to develop a patent-pending ApolloShield™ process, which combines the application of laser technology with AIHT’s traditional heat treatments
Figure 2: Induction heat treatment of a cylindrical alloy steel shaft.
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and we look forward to meeting the people and businesses that comprise our Canadian agricultural sector through continued participation in upcoming conferences and events,” says Wood. “Canada’s farmers have demands for cost and quality, and we think that our laser cladding solutions should provide the value they are looking for with a 'Made in Canada' solution they can afford. We are excited for the future, where we feel we have only scratched the surface of the potential of lasers in Canadian manufacturing.” “AMC gets members in front of the right people to discuss solutions to help our customers. It is a big family of companies that support one another and help AMC and our company grow,” says Vogelaar.
Figure 3: Cutting edge laser cladding system for agricultural manufacturing.
to maximize the hardness and case depth potential for a given material. This revolutionary new process is poised to be a disruptive technology for industries that need these types of wear protection and surface performance modification. Both Apollo and AIHT are excited to continue to develop the technique and find
new applications to demonstrate its potential.
On AMC AIHT and Apollo Clad have both been members of AMC for two years now. “We consider it a strategic advantage to be a member of the AMC organization,
Why ‘Made in Canada’ is important to their business “With COVID-19 being so serious right now, it’s comforting knowing that right here in our backyard we have our 'Made in Canada' companies that can
Modern solutions to wear and corrosion A proven leader in the field of heat treatment
• • • • •
Laser cutting Laser welding Laser cladding Laser hardening Additive manufacturing
780-980-5231 apollomachine.com 24
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Fully Equipped Metallurgical Lab • Gas nitriding • Induction heat • Gas carburizing treating 780-988-7798
aiheattreating.com www.a-m-c.ca
meet any supply or service need. We need more than ever to support each other to grow and excel,” says Henk Vogelaar. “We are a Canadian, family-owned business that takes great pride in our industry-leading products and services. Our push for productivity and quality has helped keep manufacturing jobs here in the country, and it is vitally important that we meet the needs of local customers who are also members of our community," Gentry Wood of Apollo-Clad comments. "'Made in Canada' means world-class quality, ingenuity, and reliability. Purchasing products 'Made in Canada' means supporting our local manufacturing industries, which strengthens our communities and provides prosperity here at home.” “As a Canadian manufacturer, we at Apollo appreciate those who recognize the impact of supporting our industry within our borders. As we compete internationally, it is becoming more important to work together strategically to navigate the complex ecosystem and unpredictability of global markets.”
See more of what Apollo-Clad & AIHT do here:
Figure 4: New gas nitriding system for stainless and alloy steels at AIHT.
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That means an even bigger global R&D, engineering and manufacturing team to back up your familiar Canadian reps. And we still promise warranty coverage up to 10 years and our convenient Warranty Wizard app. So our new name backs up our long-standing promise: any size, any spec, any challenge. Alliance is ENGINEERED TO KEEP YOU AHEAD.
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MEMBER FEATURES FEATURE
WE SPEAK IRON
Forward thinking keeps 123-year-old foundry burning By Paula Schuck Despite World Wars, the Great Depression and more recently the world-wide pandemic, Lethbridge Iron Works has kept burning. Continuously operating since 1898, Lethbridge Iron Works has a lot of Canadian pride.
Family-run Lethbridge Iron Works began operating in Lethbridge, Alberta well before Alberta was officially recognized as a province. Founded by George Davies, today, the president of the company, Dylan Davies, is a fourth-generation family member. The company, employing 175 people, has grown and adapted over the years to be able to continue doing what they do best. They are thriving and currently hiring. Lethbridge Iron Works produces Grey Iron, Ductile Iron, Austempered Ductile Iron, Carbidic Austempered Ductile Iron and Hi-Chrome Iron castings. They are a single source iron casting provider. Investment in a continuous capital improvement program has ensured they are at the leading edge of foundry technology. They use robotic finishing and automated production systems, and are known for having a short lead time. 26
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“We ship iron castings throughout North America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and everything in between,” says Mark Mundell, Director of Sales for Lethbridge Iron Works Co. Ltd. The business has expanded multiple times in the last few years. Still located in Lethbridge after 120 years, they have a modern production foundry of over 110,000 square feet. Use of up-to-date technology sets them apart, including two automatic storage and retrieval systems, Six Foxall™ Robotic Grinding Systems and the use of ignition software for collecting, controlling, and visualizing data throughout the process.
Transforming designs into cast reality “We are more of a service industry. I don’t have a widget that I sell. Instead, we work with companies and engineers to transform their designs into a cast reality,” Mundell explains. Business is about a 50:50 split between Canada and the U.S., serving basically every industry sector imaginable. “The interesting part is that it is built in Canada, but at the end of the day we can ship to anywhere in the world,” says Mundell. “We are growing and have been expanding significantly in the last three years. Some of that has been driven by things like increased tariffs and North American initiatives to buy local, but also by our focus on providing our customers with a unique experience. We need to be competitive, but most important to our relationships is the need and commitment to being honest, transparent, adaptable and fulfilling our promises.”
and who you are doing it for. When expansion isn’t doable because of your most precious resource - people - then you must really look hard at partnerships and doing things differently. It is a new world. “We all face challenges as to how we grow with these new limitations," says Mundell, who went to school in Lethbridge and started out at Lethbridge Iron Works cutting grass in the summer months.
‘Made in Canada’ “As a company that has been operating in Canada since 1898, our pride and formula for success has been relationships. Getting through this pandemic and continuing as the Canadian foundry of choice will only be achieved if we don’t lose sight of the value of relationships and of our people. “For 123 years, we have made Canada our home, employing Canadian people and contributing to Canada’s economic success. We have no plans to stop this anytime soon. “When you think about it, it’s impressive that the 50 per cent or more of current sales are into the U.S. considering buy American initiatives, and that we have continued to grow throughout the decades of low-cost offshore sourcing initiatives in North America. Our castings are identified by ‘Made in Canada’ or a small maple leaf and can be found in use throughout the world.”
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“For 123 years, we have made Canada our home, employing Canadian people and contributing to Canada’s economic success. We have no plans to stop this anytime soon.” In the last decade, the business has made significant investments in automation and infrastructure that have kept them at the forefront of their industry. “We took a hard look at our processes about 10 years ago with an eye to automate as much as possible. That was a strategic decision that we made at the right time.” Lethbridge Iron Works began looking at robotics during the oil and gas boom in Alberta. It was hard to find people then and while the economy has changed many times, the piece that remains true today is that it is still as challenging to find employees. “I’d hire you right now if you put in an application,” Mundell says. He notes that every company is limited at some point as to how much can be automated. “With the people challenge remaining an issue, a lot of companies are forced to evaluate and re-evaluate their business model. If you can’t grow your business easily then you have to start thinking about what you are doing @AMCshortlinecda
ENGINEERED TOUGH www.degelman.com Canada 1.800.667.3545 | USA 1.701.636.1876
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‘MADE IN C ANADA’ PROFILES
AMC
Innovation Tour: By Paula Schuck and Janet Morley
Plastics Ltd. says. “Fortunately, most of our hiring was done before 2021 and we are all comfortable with our staffing levels and all positions are filled. Going forward, I expect challenges filling new positions to come.” These expected staffing challenges come from a minor expansion planned for 2022 which will afford the company increased capacity and reduced lead times.
On the grow with Northern Plastics In beautiful Salmon Arm, B.C., right next to the Shuswap Lake and several mountains famous for world class snowmobiling and skiing, you will find Northern Plastics Ltd., a family-owned, local Canadian business established in 1980. Northern Plastics has been a leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of a wide range of industrial plastic products from the outset. Key markets for the company include wood processing, bearing and wear, and agricultural components. The company’s well-equipped CNC machine shop and experienced production staff serve customers with prototypes, development and full-scale production to fulfill parts or maintenance needs. Northern Plastics’ modern, diversified facility offers a wide range of production options to meet customers’ requirements in the most efficient way. Northern Plastics currently employs 31 staff and is always looking for skilled employees such as machinists and machine operators to join their team. Andrew Newnes, President, Northern
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When asked about Northern Plastics’ greatest innovation or element that has helped to grow the business, Newnes didn’t hesitate: “Great staff and hard work from our team!” Fairly new to the position of President, Newnes has already found benefits of Northern Plastics’ four-year AMC membership.
Challenges and looking to the future Although navigating COVID-19 protocols and ensuring the company remains compliant have been challenging, the company has been rewarded, thus far, with a zero per cent exposure rate. Over the next three to five years Newnes says the company will be “the exact same business with more capacity, more customers, and more manufacturing in Canada. “We are proud of our upcoming expansion and very much looking forward to it. Expansion gives us the ability to serve customers better and retain manufacturing in Canada.”
“'Made in Canada' is everything for us. It is creating jobs and a product in the country we live. It helps our communities.” “AMC is a great resource to educate myself on what is happening in the industry, as well as potential federal changes that affect us,” he says. “AMC has also connected us with a great new vendor.”
‘Made in Canada’ "‘Made in Canada’ is everything for us. It is creating jobs and a product in the country where we live. It helps build our communities. ‘Made in Canada’ is critical to our business. We are proud of our products and services we provide. ‘Made in Canada’ makes exporting to any North American country seamless.”
Building a better future for Canada and the world Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) opened its doors in Calgary, Alberta in 1916 as the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art (PITA) with a mandate to train veterans returning from the First World War. The institute’s initial 11 students were enrolled in metalworking and
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A look at AMC innovators motor mechanics. Over the years, the institute has remained sensitive and responsive to its community’s needs, and, indeed, Canada’s – as a hospital during the Spanish Flu pandemic and as a Royal Canadian Air Force Wireless Training School during the Second World War.
"Another example would be producers needing to be able to safely have autonomous farm equipment recognize objects in its path and understand how to cooperate and connect with other equipment on the farm. That is a problem that applied research helps to solve or works on.”
Today, SAIT has more than 14,000 students and shapes the next generation of inventors, entrepreneurs and pioneers with action-based learning, solution-focused research and industry partnerships. The institute’s roots are in Calgary, but its ambition is global: to bring more of the world to SAIT and more of SAIT to the world.
Josephs continues, “It starts out as a problem, and we work with companies and community groups to say ‘Here’s how we can do that.’ We might build it, or we might connect and collaborate with others who can do that piece. We act as an ecosystem connector and collaborator, developing people’s visions.”
Innovation through cooperation Trish Josephs, SAIT’s Director of Applied Research and Innovation Services (ARIS), speaks about the importance of the institute’s collaborative efforts: “We are in this together and we want to see Canada be successful in taking ‘Made in Canada’ solutions forward. We form partnerships with industries to help build a better Canada and a better world. In Canada, we are leaders globally.” Collaboration doesn’t only extend to industries - it extends to avenues such as signing a declaration with six other colleges and polytechnics to collaborate to advance agriculture and food research in Alberta. Applied research - developing people’s visions Josephs explains that applied research is the type of research that solves real world problems. “Someone comes to us and says, ‘We must build a device to put on our tractor that will do this.’ An example of this is GPS technology. It started out as a problem.”
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“I think one of the things that we are known for in Canada is rolling up our sleeves, finding solutions to big problems and driving innovation forward and that’s especially true in the ag industry.” Exporting Although the institute may not have physical widgets to export, Josephs says they are still exporters in a way. “We take all of the solutions that we find and develop here and we export those around the world. Tremendous work is being done right now in Western Canada. Right now we are also starting to see support and collaboration with polytechnic institutions, post-secondary institutions across Canada, working with industry partners and associations like AMC to move ideas forward.”
AMC – Value to members SAIT is one of the newest institutions that has joined AMC and they are proud of their involvement. “Industry partners come to us and ask for support solving a problem. “Ag equipment manufacturers would say 'We have a piece of equipment, and we need to advance it. How do we do that?' “We work with all industries including the ag industry. We build prototypes and help to advance technology through to commercialization.” Continues Josephs, “We exist as centres of excellence and innovation and right now Canada is thriving in this area of ag tech and driving innovation globally. The benefit for Canadian manufacturers is that there are many polytechnics in Canada, and together we help to educate the next generation and drive solutions forward that are better for people, planet and our economy. AMC membership – it’s being able to work with different industry partners and build on our collective strengths to transform, solve problems and drive innovation forward. We joined AMC because we saw that we could be of value to all of their members and help to elevate their impact on the global stage.” ‘Made in Canada’ Food security and the ag industry are all areas that are vitally important to the future of Canada and the world. Josephs remarks, “I think one of the things that we are known for in Canada is rolling up our sleeves, finding solutions to big problems and driving innovation forward and that’s especially true in the ag industry. We have technologically brilliant people in Canada in the field of agriculture. Implement Success | Winter 2021
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‘MADE IN C ANADA’ PROFILES
"We take these ideas in agriculture, food production, manufacturing and machinery and we work with the experts and innovators in Canada to bring them to the market.
“We really have world-leading intelligence here. Some of the best brains in ag are right here in Canada and they are driving what the future of ag looks like. “We ask 'How are we going to feed the world?' With compounding issues of climate change, food and water scarcity and population growth, this is a pressing question and much of the expertise needed to answer this question rests right here in Canada. It is taking a holistic view of what we need in agriculture and manufacturing to feed a growing global population. “Right now there is much uncertainty around the future of hydrocarbon producing vehicles, the push to go green, where does hydrogen fit, what is the impact and how can we execute a plan that addresses future challenges in the world of agriculture. The world is changing. We have climate change now and that is pressing. What does that look like for ag? “We have a tremendous role to play in helping to drive solutions and advance technology that is needed in ag around the world.”
John Anderson, President, JCA Technologies
A Leader in autonomous machine control systems JCA Technologies is a leader in autonomous and connected agricultural machine control systems. The company works with leading OEMs around the world to build automation into ag machines. JCA Technologies is among the winners of the U.K.-Canada: enhancing agricultural productivity
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JCA Technologies Autonomous Framework
and sustainability competition for their collaboration with U.K. companies Precision Decisions and Farmscan Ag Limited. The companies’ capabilities extend to engineering, technology, and manufacturing of electronics, wire harnesses, and control panels. Humble beginnings Nearly 20 years ago, John Anderson, Chairman and Founder of JCA Technologies (formerly JCA Electronics) started building wire harnesses for farm equipment out of his parents’ garage. Today, the company is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and has 140 employees and more than 30 engineers working out of state-ofthe-art locations. They have become experts in electronic control systems and manufacturing. Anderson says, “Equipment is becoming so technologybased now. We have core tools that help farmers operate their equipment more efficiently. It’s been the focus of JCA to work closely with ag OEMs to make their equipment more valuable to, and integrated with, the producer.” ‘Made in Canada’ On the importance of ‘Made in Canada’ to the company, Anderson says, “Canada has a real expertise in agriculture that is respected worldwide. The companies we work with at home have allowed us to become leaders in advanced control systems, and we are able to take that expertise to the global stage and succeed. The integrity and work ethic of Canadians is also well known. Our reputation for honest and hard work adds a respect that helps when doing business.”
Many successful companies in Canada have helped guide JCA towards what they needed to do to support clients’ needs moving forward. “That communicative relationship with customers allows us to determine what JCA needs to invest in to meet the needs of the evolving ag equipment market, while still being able to meet the immediate needs of our customers large and small. It allows us to keep evolving and to establish valuable business processes and IP.”
“Canada has a real expertise in agriculture that is respected worldwide.” Opportunity for growth JCA Technologies has an opportunity for tremendous growth over the next five years just through proper execution of its existing business. The many opportunities coming to their door today lead them to believe that this is just the beginning. As the demand for intelligent data and automation increases at the producer level so does the pressure on ag manufacturers to include it in their equipment. Anderson explains, “We have the hardware and software tools. Producers use them to not only control their equipment, but to integrate into their Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS). Everyone is trying to develop their own piece of this, but it is a huge amount of work and becomes insupportable without a lot of www.a-m-c.ca
coordination and standardization. Most companies don’t have the expertise or resources to do this. With our products and capabilities, we are able to provide those building blocks practically and enable OEMs to complete their true vision.” With growth, Anderson expects to see some of the hiring issues that come with it. JCA Technologies is already hiring a lot of people and knows the demand will only increase. “Finding all the technical people that we need will be a challenge. It’s an extremely competitive arena for finding good engineers and we need to be looking at expanding our resources around the world.” Innovation – The JCA Eagle The JCA Eagle is a rugged highperformance computing platform designed for autonomous off-highway solutions. It operates as an advanced guidance and perception platform that meets the needs of autonomous agricultural applications. It is based around the Nvidia Jetson Xavier SOM (system-on-module) with integrated dual L1 and L2 RTK (real time kinematics) enabled GPS receivers with an IMU (internal measurement unit.) This provides the computing power to run modern AI and perception algorithms from multiple sources, paired with sub-inch absolute positioning and orientation. Anderson explains the company's excitement over the Eagle’s capabilities: "It is not enough to have automated and precise independent equipment, it must also be able to connect and interact with other machinery so you can optimize workflows. We have developed an autonomous framework to do just that, with the Eagle as a vital component.” AMC family JCA Technologies has been an AMC member for almost five years. Anderson comments, “The networking AMC offers is of huge value and the conferences are always worthwhile. It’s a great opportunity to speak to our customers in a more informal setting and get to know them better. AMC is a big family, but that’s also very much what doing business in ag is about. This is why I have focused on agriculture. It is a culture that just feels right.
as the market leader of electric linear actuators, lift columns, and controls.
Building products that move and impact lives The odds are high that you have interacted with something that has TiMOTION technology in it. “Everyone who has ever been in a hospital or seen a hospital bed has encountered motion control technology like TiMOTION’s electric linear actuators, lift columns, and controls,” says Baxter Hufham, North American Sales Manager for the U.S. Division of TiMOTION. “Sit-stand desks and electric home reclining furniture are other examples of products that are made to move with you because of TiMOTION’s electric linear actuation systems.”
Baxter Hufham, North American Sales Manager, U.S. Division, TiMOTION TiMOTION launched in 2005 and opened its North American office in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2013. In 2018, the company established a presence in Canada. TiMOTION currently employs more than 2,000 people globally, with over 30 in North America including two full-time Canadian residents. As TIMOTION continues to service and grow its already substantial customer base, the company plans to add a third Canadian staff member with an eye toward establishing a second North American office in Canada. With headquarters in New Taipei City, Taiwan, and 14 subsidiaries and sales offices on five continents, TiMOTION is well-placed to meet the needs of manufacturers in search of electric linear actuation systems for their products. As growth for the company now exceeds 30 per cent year-over-year, and with North Carolina production capabilities, TiMOTION is preparing its U.S. office for continued evolution
A product that moves moving parts Hufham explains that a linear actuator is a device that converts a source of energy into a physical-mechanical motion to make a product move in a straight line. “Everyone has encountered linear actuators in daily life. They just don’t think about it or know it,” Hufham adds. “TiMOTION makes all of the moving parts under hospital beds and the parts that make ergonomic sit-stand desks lift. So, while we do not make the beds or the desks, we make the parts that make the beds and desks, pool lifts, and other motor control products that are height-adjustable.” When you’re using the button on the side of your car seat to move it forward and backward, you are using a type of actuator. If you have an electric reclining comfort chair, it is a linear actuator that makes it move. Height adjustable sit-stand tables are very popular in Canada, especially in Canadian government offices. The linear actuator business directly impacts the lives of people everywhere and their health and safety. Sit-stand desks, for instance, are ergonomic and proven to reduce work-related injuries. There are three types of linear actuators: electric, hydraulic, and pneumatic. TiMOTION makes more economical electric actuators, so the manufacturer using their parts benefits from a top-notch part at a lower cost. The company specializes in custom and bespoke work for clients. The company designs and manufactures an actuator to fit the exact specifications the client has set out. 'Made in Canada' – trade friendly – value in community presence TiMOTION’s linear actuators aren’t currently produced in Canada, and the company doesn’t make a widget that sits on a shelf here, but Canada is an important market. Although the Canadian government sets a tariff, Canada doesn’t have the additional Section 301 tariff*, which keeps the price of TiMOTION’s actuators down, Hufham explains. “What ultimately matters in the case of export is the cost of the product, and since there is no additional tariff, it
*Under Section 301, the United States currently imposes punitive tariffs of up to 25% on more than US$300 billion worth of annual imports from China, and such Section 301 tariffs are in addition to regular import duties
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‘MADE IN C ANADA’ PROFILES
makes business with Canada strong. There are a lot of ways that things are different between Canada and the U.S. While there are also many similarities, one key difference is the tariff in the U.S.,” Hufham notes.
Canada’s size is a challenge The Canadian market is a large area to cover, and TiMOTION has two people right now doing that. The company understands that the nature of the challenge going forward in Canada is not only the country’s geographical size but also the fact that Canadian markets are very different from one region to the next. The company would like to expand its Canadian presence to three sales representatives, one of them French or bilingual. On growing into the Canadian market with an eventual opening of a Canadian office, Hufham says, “While we have sales representatives all over the world, we’ve seen that there is a lot of value in having people in the communities where we do business. There’s value in investing in reps all over the world and building direct relationships with customers that you simply can’t always do on the phone. It’s very important to us to be there investing time to see what the Canadian market needs and talking to customers all the time about what they want.” Growth – looking to a safer future Over the next three years, TiMOTION would like to grow within Canada, adding at least one person and then an office on Canadian soil. When TiMOTION opened its North American division in 2013, it had 12 actuators. Today, Hufham says it has more than 40 actuators, as well as columns, controllers, and accessories while customizing for manufacturers has grown. “Everyone right now is facing the challenge of 'How do we make things safer? How do we make existing products safer for people, so there are fewer injuries and health claims?' Things that used to be stationary will now be required to move for reasons of health and safety. That is exciting and clearly driving growth.” Vertical integration Hufham considers vertical integration to be TiMOTION’s most important innovation. “It’s not just about the motors or controls. Vertical integration 32
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means we make all of the products ourselves. We lay our own printed circuit boards (PCBs), for instance.”
While that decision costs the company more money than subcontracting it out, it is a key decision that has contributed to its success, Hufham adds. “We are not at the mercy of shipping times and delays. We don’t have to worry about supply chain issues as much as some do. We make things ourselves, and that gives us a high level of control over quality. This also makes us more flexible in terms of the needs of the market.”
“Things that used to be stationary will now be required to move for reasons of health and safety. That is exciting and clearly driving growth.” Linear actuators are everywhere TiMOTION makes the lifts in hospital beds that make it possible to elevate a patient. They also make the lifts in mobility aids and wheelchairs. They contribute to ergonomic furniture such as sit/stand desks by providing the moving parts. Even reclining chairs, which may sound like a mere convenience, can be a real benefit to those whose medical conditions demand they can only sleep upright in a chair that reclines. And of course, there is the industrial use of linear actuators in lawnmowers, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and agricultural equipment. Hufham says that sometimes it feels like they are far away from the end product and its everyday impact on ordinary lives. However, last year he had his own hospital experience that drove home the significance of the product that TiMOTION creates. Hufham and his wife had their baby girl last year during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their baby was born nine weeks prematurely and spent six weeks in the hospital’s newborn intensive care unit (NICU). During the baby’s time in the NICU, the hospital used cribs with linear actuators. These cribs go up and down to reduce the lifting strain on caregivers. Hufham remembers, “That was an example of a time when I could actually see the impact of what we build. We are often so focused on direct sales that we
don’t see the impact of what we do - the impact on people’s lives and yet this was an example of how linear actuators help people.” Hufham’s daughter was “nine weeks early to the party, and now she’s living her best life.”
Baxter Hufham’s baby girl was born prematurely during the pandemic. She spent time in the NICU where Baxter witnessed the human impact of linear actuators, technology used to support raising and lowering cribs. The movement means fewer injuries for caregivers lifting their patients.
C CLS Consulting Ltd. L Canadian Immigration Service Provider S
Rethinking Recruitment CLS Consulting Ltd. may be the epitome of innovation when it comes to service-based businesses. Originally started as a livestock export company, CLS found itself needing to do a sharp pivot when BSE shut down livestock export in 2004. The company moved their overseas offices from China to the Philippines and moved into servicing the workforce sector. They have settled on travelling to the Philippines often because they have found the Philippines is a country that has an abundance of the kind of employees Canadian companies are seeking. Employees found in the Philippines tend to stay in their Canadian jobs once they have been placed. Home base for CLS is Lloydminster, Alberta where they provide immigration consulting and foreign recruitment services for British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. Each candidate that is referred to a CLS customer has been thoroughly screened by a CLS professional. The company then works with their clients to recruit employees, shortlist candidates, interview applicants and ultimately get them to the client’s business. CLS has seven employees and is currently trying to hire more people to increase capacity to meet the demand of Canadian employers for skilled tradespeople. The company represents the employer and works to not only find employees but to provide the right people to maximize www.a-m-c.ca
worker retention for their customers. Sydney Palmer, President and Owner, explains, “We want people to settle in the community where the business is. We won’t put someone who is a welder in a community where there’s no hospital if their wife works as a nurse, for instance, because they are likely to leave.” Employee retention for their customers equals more repeat business and referrals for CLS. Working hard to connect the right people with the right employer in the right location is only part of the challenge of doing business. The biggest issue is government regulations. “As a recruiter we often find legal and morally right don’t always match,” Palmer continues. “The rules sometimes don’t make sense.” Additionally, because skilled tradespeople like welders are in high demand in most sectors, those businesses that have the ability to offer higher wages can make headhunting of skilled labour a real threat to the company’s customers. On top of those challenges, time is also an issue. It takes eight to 12 months to get an employee to Canada and welders are even harder to find than other employees. The shortage of welders in ag manufacturing in Canada makes the time lapse between
a business coming to CLS for recruiting assistance and filling that position or positions a stressful time everyone involved. Palmer adds frankly, “When they come to us, they are already desperate. That is the hard part.”
who know ag and can relate to both the customer’s needs and the needs of potential recruits for ag companies. Palmer says, “We base our entire scenario on having someone here that people can relate to.”
CLS Consulting takes pride in interviewing every applicant personally. To this end, they have partnered with Doug Hilsabeck, fellow AMC member and owner of Renn Mill Center Inc. Sixteen years ago,
When looking back at business growth since the pivot from cattle exporting to workforce recruitment, CLS anticipates at least doubling in the next two years driven by the referrals their good reputation brings to the company.
“When you travel the world, Canada has a great image. I think it is important that we are representing our country when we travel and do business.” Hilsabeck reached out to CLS for help with recruitment. A year later, CLS turned to him for help with interviewing and trade testing. Hilsabeck travels to the Philippines to test and select “people that I wouldn’t think twice about putting into my factory.” It is not just Hilsabeck that offers the company a direct link to agriculture. CLS prides itself on having employees
Get the skilled agricultural workers you need.
When asked what ‘Made in Canada’ means to CLS in terms of the company and business, Palmer replied, “'Made in Canada' is important. Value-added is the key to that statement. If we can add value then all companies will do better. It is basically a lot of pride in Canada. Especially out west, the value-add is the pride and it is getting stronger. That has value in exports. When you travel the world, Canada has a great image. I think it is important that we are representing our country when we travel and do business.”
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We make it easy. C CLS Consulting Ltd. L Canadian Immigration Service Provider S 5720 44 Street | Lloydminster, Alberta | T9V 0B6 1.780.808.2815 | 1.780.808.2816
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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."
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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.”
“'Made in Canada' has helped our business in terms of export as other countries look to Canada for superior workmanship and high standards.” 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.”
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.
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MacDon Industries Ltd. 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 Marcrest Manufacturing Inc. has been located just outside of Listowel, Ontario @AMCshortlinecda
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
“We listen to what they need in terms of design and dimensions, and we deliver. Our most important innovation is our robust customer service.” 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.”
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
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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.” 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. 36
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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.”
“AMC is a brilliant way to keep advancing in the industry and learning from others while also networking.” 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
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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.
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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
“Game-changing designs and equipment have been at the forefront of the company’s growth.” 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.”
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SUPPORTING SPONSORS
Supporting Sponsors
‘Made in Canada’ Tour
What Does ‘Made in Canada’ Mean to You? We asked our ‘Made in Canada’ Tour supporting sponsors two questions each to elaborate on the importance of Canadian manufacturing. This is a sampling of what they said:
Axalta Coating Systems Canada
The CTD Group
Robert Ablamowicz
Cor Lodder
Frank Capasso
Canada Group LeaderIndustrial AMC Board of Directors, Associate Committee Chair
Director
Executive Vice President
AMC Board of Directors, Vice Chair
AMC Board of Directors, Chair
What does ‘Made in Canada’ mean to you?
What does ‘Made in Canada’ mean to you?
What does ‘Made in Canada’ mean to you?
"It means products which are manufactured in Canada by Canadians."
"‘Made in Canada’ is part of our proud identity in local and world markets. It is our legacy, our heritage and our future."
“We want to always be engaging with members, explaining benefits and hearing from them. That has been so much harder to do over the course of the pandemic. Now we have had that chance with this ‘Made in Canada’ Tour.”
Why is ‘Made in Canada’ important to your customers/business? "‘Made in Canada’ is important because the manufacturing sector is an essential component of the Canadian economy. Supporting manufactured goods producers in this country helps to keep much needed, higher paying jobs in Canada. Many of the products that are produced here are exported and this helps keep our trade balance in check."
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Why is ‘Made in Canada’ important to your customers/business? "Through this ‘Made in Canada’ legacy, our customers have grown to respect, appreciate, and show loyalty to the quality of product, the exceptional customer service, and the leading-edge innovation that Canadian companies bring to the products and to the marketplace. There’s so much to be thankful for in Canada."
Why is ‘Made in Canada’ important to your customers/business? “We care about and get to explain benefits of what being a member is. We are able to listen to what the members are saying, what’s going on with them, what some of the unique challenges are and what direction we need to help them with.” “The ‘Made in Canada’ Tour has helped us to be able to cement relationships with our members. We get to ask again what everyone else needs and how can we support that.” www.a-m-c.ca
Highline Manufacturing Bob Cochran General Manager
expect a very high level of service and support with the production facility in their backyard. For our international customers, they can appreciate the challenging conditions Canadian farmers face and recognize that if the machines work effectively here, they can certainly bring value in their markets as well."
AMC Board of Directors
What does ‘Made in Canada’ mean to you? "‘Made in Canada’ means the product is built tough and with the creativity and innovative problem solving that Canadian farm equipment manufacturers are known for."
Why is ‘Made in Canada’ important to your customers/business? "For our domestic customers, they know the product has been designed and tested for their conditions by a team that knows what farmers in this market require. They can also
Daemar_AMC-IS-Fall2018-Outlines_Ad-01.indd 1
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‘Made in Canada’ in our designs and if we can’t do that, we add a small maple leaf somewhere.”
Why is ‘Made in Canada’ important to your customers/business? "When you stop and think about it, it’s impressive that the U.S. military for instance relies on a Canadian company like us. That is a source of pride. With all the 'Buy American' initiatives out there, this is truly ‘Made in Canada’. We supply railways and the military."
AMC Cultivates
Lethbridge Iron Works Mark Mundell
Drive Opportunities for Growth
AMC Collaborates
National Catalyst for Thought Leadership
Director of Sales
What does ‘Made in Canada’ mean to you? “'Made in Canada' is a source of pride for us at Lethbridge Iron Works, as it should be for every Canadian. We put
Don’t forget to renew your AMC membership today! Contact Cherrille to get your renewal underway! cherrille@a-m-c.ca | 204-666-3518
2018-10-31 10:52:09 AM
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AMC 2021 GOLF TOURNAMENTS
It’s all in the long game: AMC golf tournaments were worth the wait!
After being unable to get together in person for so long, AMC ended the summer with two great golf tournaments which brought members together for a day of golf, networking, socializing and great food in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Both tournaments were shotgun-start Texas Scrambles. What better way to make a fun day for golfers of all talents while maximizing networking and socializing? Take a look at the highlights for the tournaments below.
Thank you to all of our wonderful sponsors and participants who made the tournaments a great success! We hope to bring AMC Golf Tournaments to more provinces in 2022. Watch your inbox for AMC Connection updates about registering for your province’s AMC Golf Tournament next spring.
AMC Collaborates
National Catalyst for Thought Leadership
Manitoba The AMC Manitoba Golf Tournament was held at Scotswood Links in Elm Creek, Manitoba on Thursday, September 16, 2021. While the weather was more late fall dreary than late summer sunshine, the dreary skies did not put a damper on the day at all.
Thank you to all our Manitoba tournament sponsors!
Cherille Price
Sean Ralph (Walterscheid) and Kim Burton (AIC Supply)
Dinner Sponsor: Carman Dufferin Economic Development Hole Sponsors: Axalta Coating Systems, Diemo Machine, Walinga, MacDon, Walterscheid, and Wildwood Transport Prize Sponsors: HSBC, Hi-Tech Seals, MacDon and Northfield Industries.
Brett Geoffrey (HSBC), Doug Roberts (Berendsen Fluid Power), Mark Hildebrand (Monarch), Ray Beukema (Walinga)
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Chuck Pelton (MacDon)
Kevin Dyck (Versatile), Jake Peters (The CTD Group), Frank Capasso (The CTD Group), Sean Hughes (Versatile)
www.a-m-c.ca
Saskatchewan On Wednesday, September 29, 2021, the AMC Saskatchewan Golf tournament was held at Joanne Goulet Golf Course in Regina, Saskatchewan. The weather cooperated beautifully for this tournament with sunshine and beautiful late summer temperatures. The smiles and sunglasses in the photos below certainly tell the tale!
Without our sponsors, AMC events cannot happen. We are truly appreciative of all our sponsors. Thank you! Dinner Sponsor: Axalta Coating Systems Hole Sponsors: Walinga, The CTD Group, MacDon, Percy H. Davis and BFL Canada Insurance Hole-In-One Sponsor: Aon Prize Sponsors: Hi-Tech Seals and Highline Manufacturing.
Rob Hutcheon (BDC), Cor Lodder (Walinga Inc.), Bill Baker (Agtron), Mark Feader (BFL Canada Insurance)
Greg Cruson (Dutch Industries) “re-fueling”
Barry Cyca, Chris Turgeon, Ian Giles, Dwayne Chychurn (McKay Industries)
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Bill Baker (Agtron) and Cor Lodder (Walinga) at the head of the queue to start the tournament
Jeff Oman (Axalta Coating Systems), Doug Termeer (Walinga Inc.), Quinn Magnuson (BDC), Cagney Brucker (Aon)
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Are you changing the way business is done in your company or industry?
Siemens Transportation Group Inc.
Re!magining Property
Innovate: make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products Siemens Transportation Group is no stranger to innovation. While 60 years of transportation industry experience and seven companies provide a unique value proposition, Siemens understands that change drives growth. But how does a company that has grown and changed so much find innovation in its services? The latest business innovation carried out by Siemens is the developing and subleasing of land in key markets across Canada. Currently the company is focused on the development and leasing nearly 20 separate lease plots in Regina. The area will be developed into an industrial business hub called “Pasqua Business Park.” The Park is estimated to be completed by spring of 2022. Siemens continues to expand its services provision and find new and exciting ways to provide value to its customers.
SPOTLIGHT
Power-Link
Cancade CBI Ltd.
Re!magining Simplicity
Re!magining Workforce
Power-Link, one of Canada’s leading wholesalers of Power Transmission equipment, is a family business that has operated in Montreal since 1988, providing effective manufacturing alternatives to OEMs all over North America. As the manufacturing and business worlds have become more complicated Power-Link has made the conscious decision to keep things simple.
Cancade CBI Ltd., has operated in Brandon, Manitoba for more than 95 years. From their three locations, the multi-dimensional manufacturing company offers advanced welding and component development in addition to their award-winning line up of trucks, trailers and agricultural equipment. The agricultural arm of the company produces long lasting, superior-engineered aluminum grain boxes, steel grain boxes, aluminum dump trailers, steel dump trailers, steel pup trailers, and truck mounted bale decks, bale buggies, bale pups, and hopper bin moving trailers.
In an era of just-in-time, Power-Link has chosen to continue to build long-standing relationships with their overseas suppliers and to maintain warehouse capabilities to best serve their clients all over North America with minimal supply chain issues. The goal is to establish and strengthen long-term customer relationships by providing unparalleled overseas sourcing experience to help North American OEMs reduce costs on all their power transmission and custom engineered components to remain competitive in today’s global market. The company’s knowledgeable sales team, unmatched quality assurance systems, international logistics, and warehouse capabilities combine to bring certainty to an uncertain world. This certainty and stability are reinforced by Power-Link’s internal culture. The familylike environment keeps the 30 employees close-knit and supportive of each other, leading to very low turnover within the workforce. Low turnover means better consistency in all aspects of the business, which leads to better, more stream-lined manufacturing by their customers. All of that leads to more well-paying jobs available to the next generations of Canadian manufacturers and OEM suppliers.
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Additionally, the company is also known for its range of gravel products and commercial products including: steel and aluminum gravel boxes, steel and aluminum dumps, roll-off chassis step deck trailers and more. Cancade CBI Ltd. prides itself on its stable workforce and the benefits that stability holds for productivity and employees and their families. Even a company with a good, stable workforce can find itself in need of new hires to fill in gaps created by retirements and growth within the company. In these times of skilled-labour shortages the company has re!magined their hiring process to find a direct line to well-trained, eager hires who fit into their reliable team of skilled labourers. Cancade CBI Ltd. decided to try partnering with a local college. They took on co-op students to give them real-world work experience and the college had guaranteed placements for their students. The partnership worked out so well that Cancade CBI Ltd. was eager to hire three of their co-op student welders on
www.a-m-c.ca
a permanent basis. What started out on a ‘trial basis’ ended up a win for both. Cancade gained new employees that had already gone through initial training and been evaluated as good fits for the company. The college and the students also scored a big win; the college knew their students were well-trained and suited to manufacturing positions and the students themselves gained good local positions with a stable company. Three of the co-op students that Cancade invited to join them permanently are women which is very rare in one business and a source of pride. Bolstering that pride even further is that Cancade’s lead welder is a woman and has attained her Red Seal qualification!
Showcase your Re!magination... The AMC Re!magination Spotlight is an opportunity for AMC members to showcase how they are reimagining business! To qualify, your company should be reimagining business in one of the following categories: Business Models: Examples could include shifting gears to adapt to changing business supply demands, expansions, or new acquisition strategies. Workforce: Examples could include a virtual workforce, an outsourced workforce, or an automated workforce. Products: Examples could include new product development, innovation, and new-to-market ideas. Services: Examples could include adapting offerings to a changing environment or reinventing your delivery of services to meet customer needs. Technology: Examples could include the development of new software, new technological equipment, or automation. Distribution: Examples could include new sales tactics, new supplier channels, or new network opportunities. Other: Examples could include reimaginations that do not fit into one of the above categories.
Submissions are easy Just send us a 150-word summary telling us a little bit about your re!magination, the category it qualifies for, and the impact it has on your business or the industry. Submissions are free and you can submit more than once.
AMC Cultivates
Drive Opportunities for Growth
Submit your entry This is a recurring section in Implement Success, so submit now to have your company featured in an upcoming edition! Submissions can be sent to jmorley@31stline.com, with the subject line AMC Re!magination Spotlight Submission.
@AMCshortlinecda
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New Member SPOTLIGHT Please join us in welcoming our newest members! top talent with top Manitoba companies. Pinnacle delivers on this mission through five distinct divisions: Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is helping to shape the next generation of inventors, entrepreneurs and pioneers through action-based learning, solution-focused research and industry partnerships. We equip students with essential skills for career success in industry. Ninety one per cent of our grads get hired and 97 per cent recommend a SAIT education. Whether looking to upskill or change careers, we enable lifetime learning through relevant, customized education.
• Pinnacle Executive & Professional Search • Pinnacle Office & Administration Staffing • Pinnacle Industrial Staffing • Pinnacle Technology Recruitment • Accountants Now Great companies are built with great people who make a difference. Pinnacle’s passion is finding those game changers who make that difference.
pinnacle.jobs
We enhance the global competitiveness of our students and region. With more than 11,000 industry partners, we blur the lines between industry and SAIT to strengthen the economy.
sait.ca
Pinnacle is Manitoba’s largest locally owned and operated staffing and recruitment firm. Founded in 2002, Pinnacle has become Winnipeg’s leading recruitment firm as a direct result of industry-specialized recruiters focused on one goal: connecting 44
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In 1936 three brothers, Jacob, Cornelius and Dick Klassen, created Klassen Bros., a manufacturing company located on Edison & Rothesay in Winnipeg, producing metal washers from their own handcrafted punch presses. Since then, Klassen Bros. has emerged into Klassen Metal Stamping and is now a leading provider of metal stampings, including custom washers, custom stampings, and industry standard washers, always focusing on the quality of our products. It has been our dedication to quality that has made us stand out as a leading washer manufacturer for more than 82 years.
Furthermore, our convenient location near the centre of North America ensures our customers across the continent expeditious and cost-effective shipping.
klassens.ca
C CLS Consulting Ltd. L Canadian Immigration Service Provider S CLS Consulting Ltd. is a proud Canadian company located in the growing border city of Lloydminster, Alberta/ Saskatchewan, specializing in both immigration consulting and foreign recruitment services for Canada. CLS carefully evaluates the needs of each employer and finds applicants who will fit not only the skill requirements but also the community environment. Although many employers trust CLS to test and select their future employees, they also encourage hiring managers to personally meet and make job offers to any of their numerous pre-screened applicants. CLS is one of only a few recruitment companies in Canada that actually interviews each overseas applicant thoroughly before recommending them to employers.
immigrationcanada.clsconsultingltd.com
Carman’s Economic Development activities seek to improve the economic well-being and quality of life for residents and businesses www.a-m-c.ca
by creating and retaining jobs, and supporting and growing incomes and the tax base.
itself in delivering solid design solutions that can withstand today’s demanding conditions.
Tyler King, the Director of Economic Development, is very willing to help your business in whatever capacity he can. The local businesses are what keep the Town and the Municipality active and thriving.
VentCor ensures that all projects are installed on budget, on time, every time at a competitive price!
ventcor.com
carmanmanitoba.ca
VentCor’s expertise is in designing, building and installing industrial paint finishing equipment and systems. VentCor designs and installs washers, ovens, paint spray booths and air make-up units for the paint/ powder finishing industry. Their finishing systems provide superior quality finishes for metal furniture, automotive components and other metal and plastic parts. VentCor gives every project the highest level of service and follow-up support from start to finish - from conceptual drawings to the customer’s shop floor. Customers can count on VentCor’s turnkey system. VentCor’s strength is in their knowledge and willingness to respond to the market’s changing needs. Your paint equipment is a significant investment. The company prides
Since 1983, the Annadale Finishing Systems team has been providing quality process and equipment solutions pertaining to the cleaning, application and curing of powder and fluid coatings and the transfer, metering and mixing of fluids for North American manufacturing industries. Annadale provides manufacturing and processing industries with innovative, reliable and cost-effective solutions for your powder and fluid coatings application and fluid handling needs. With decades of experience, they are able to provide improved finish quality, reduced operating costs, increased productivity, enhanced application efficiencies and an effective return on investment. Whether you require a custom engineered turnkey system, a finishing line component, or an upgrade or retrofit to existing equipment, Annadale Finishing Systems would appreciate the opportunity to assist you.
annadale.com
HarvestFaster.ca
@AMCshortlinecda
eSkape Drafting specializes in using SolidWorks to provide 3D modeling and Mechanical Drafting services. These services include 3D prototyping and design, manufacturing drawings, exploded assemblies, bills of materials, reverse engineering, weldment fixturing, animated videos, and photorealistic renderings. With more than 20 years of experience in the agricultural and custom manufacturing business, eSkape Drafting can handle all your drafting needs.
eskapedrafting.com
Thermex offers the widest range of ferrous metal heat treating processes available in Western Canada. Based out of Edmonton, Alberta, Thermex strives to provide the best heattreating solutions. Combining experience with value added services such as an in-house metallurgical lab, Thermex has the knowledge, resources and expertise to develop suitable processes for custom heat-treating needs. Operating a range of equipment types gives Thermex the flexibility to process a wide variety of types, sizes, and shapes of parts for customers in oil & gas, mining, agriculture, and forestry.
thermexmetal.com
AMC Cultivates
Drive Opportunities for Growth
306.296.2297
Sales@HoneyBee.ca
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Index to advertisers 31st Line Strategic Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Encore Metals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Agritechnica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Farm Credit Canada (FCC). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Alberta Industrial Heat Treating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Government of Saskatchewan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Apollo-Clad Laser Cladding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Honey Bee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Axalta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover
Northern Plastics Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
BKT Tires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Omega Drives Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover
CLS Consulting Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
RAM Industries Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Daemar Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Siemens Transportation Group Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Degelman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
The CTD Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Agri Supply (Dick Jones & Associates). . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America, Inc . . . . . . . . . 25
Eldale Machine & Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Have you renewed your company’s membership yet?
Renew Now
to take advantage of the benefits of belonging!
Contact Cherrille to get your renewal underway today! cherrille@a-m-c.ca | 204-666-3518 46
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Ways to Advertise with AMC
Implement Success Member Directory Website New Site! New Options! Newsletter Products & Services Guide
BOOK YOUR AD TODAY! Contact Jade Vincentini jvincentini@31stline.com | 519 320 4508
Choose Saskatchewan for your agtech company
We are a full-service marketing company with expertise in technology & ag Meet Jade Vincentini
Saskatchewan provides a welcoming ecosystem for agtech companies. We have a strong R&D infrastructure, supportive grant and incentive programs, and expert producers ready to work with you to help you test and commercialize new products. Home to leading-edge innovation such as autonomous farm equipment and precision-spraying technology, the province is the best place for agtech companies
31st Line’s New Business Development Manager
Reach out to learn how 31st Line can help your business!
jvincentini@31stline.com | 519 320 4508
to succeed! Contact us to learn more at investsask@gov.sk.ca.
saskatchewan.ca/invest
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Axalta has built a legacy of coatings expertise over the past 150 years
Axalta powder coatings offer superb technology with benefits for many industrial applications. These products have earned a reputation for corrosion resistance and durability due to superior edge coverage, thick film build, and primerless application. Containing virtually no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or targeted hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), powder coatings are designed to respond to environmental demands while meeting stringent customer requirements.
For more information, please visit us at: axalta.us/powder 800.247.3886 weborders.powder@axalta.com
Alesta®
» Wide variety of colours » Meets or exceeds AAMA 2603 and 2604 standards » Excellent weatherability, elasticity, impact and abrasion resistance » Ideal for hand railings, fencing, and aluminum extrusions
Highlights
» Can be applied on aluminum or steel substrates » Uniform colour between batches » High weather resistance and colour retention » Environmentally responsible » Available globally
