Grainmaster Manufacturing

“Your Key to Better Products”

From left to right: Kelvin Mitchler, Tony Usipiuk, Keith Sandberg, Jody Graham, Rob Halischuk, Brandyn Thomas, Darlene Lewington, Guy Flett, Scott Wasylyk, Ray Duerksen, Kyle Montgomery, Josh Doerksen, Russ Wasylyk, Reynaldo Caringal, Tom Wasylyk

50 Great Years!

Innovation drives 50 successful years for Grainmaster Manufacturing Ltd.

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rom wood to steel, from aluminum to specialty truck bodies, Winnipeg’s Grainmaster Manufacturing Ltd. has grown through innovation and providing what the marketplace needs in a diverse range of truck bodies for light and heavy trucks.

In fact, it could be said that the family-founded and operated company has developed a healthy new spin on the old saw: “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.”

For Grainmaster over the years, that innovative spirit has resulted in increasingly better truck bodies made specifically for a wide variety of sectors and users: from refrigerated van bodies that carry dairy products to custom-made bodies that carry everything from soil and landscaper needs to livestock.

A diversified product line today includes truck bodies for numerous uses. This includes grain bodies, dry and refrigerated van (enclosed) bodies, contractor bodies, lumber bodies, custom-designed truck bodies, and stake bodies (flatbed surface with slatted and removable sides) to name a few of its most popular products. But the manufacturer is also a distributor

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“Your Key to Better Products”

for a variety of products that clients might use in tandem with its manufactured truck bodies: tailgate loaders, Hiab Cranes, Moffett Forklifts and a variety of other multi-lift systems.

In fact, President and General Manager Scott Wasylyk, one of three members of the Wasylyk family who run the company today, credits the truck-mounted Hiab Cranes with being one of the company’s great strengths.

“Because we are the exclusive Hiab Cranes dealer in Manitoba and the only company in Canada that both makes truck bodies and distributes Hiab cranes, we are unique because end users can buy both their assembled truck body and their truck-mounted crane here,” says Wasylyk.

“Why that is important is that we can sit down with an end user or truck dealer and we can help them spec out a completed unit where each component (the truck chassis, the body, the crane, etc.) complement each other to arrive at a total working package. I don’t believe there is one business in Canada that can put that together out of one shop and do it right – match the crane to the box and determine the right weight distribution. It gets a little technical.”

The unique marriage of products is a relationship that the company works hard to protect. While the opportunity undoubtedly exists for Grainmaster to buy its own trucks and equip them with the truck bodies it manufactures, it’s a direction the family company won’t take, primarily out of respect for its customers, explains the president.

“We have never gone around buying trucks and setting them up; our market is to the end users,” says Wasylyk.

“I don’t want to insult our customers, the vast majority of whom are truck dealers, by competing in their marketplace.

We have never done that, where some of our competitors might have. We would never buy trucks and compete with the truck owners who are buying our truck bodies,” he adds.

“That, I think, is a key thing. We’re a fully-equipped manufacturer and dealer who respects our customers.”

Another key to the company’s success is clearly its ability to create better and better truck bodies both in design and materials. Beginning with making truck bodies out of steel in order to replace cumbersome wood, it has moved over the years from steel to aluminum, designing and testing its own products along the way.

The five decades of history also saw the company expand its facilities to where it now operates a 55,000-square-foot plant and office space at 1600 Springfield Rd. at the city’s east end.

Although the years have not been without some challenges, the next 50 are looking great.

“If you see a truck running around, and you’re not sure who manufactured it, odds are good it came from here,” says Vice-President and Manager Van Body Division Director Russ Wasylyk, Scott’s brother.

Early years Grainmaster Manufacturing Ltd. was founded in 1962 by Harry Wasylyk Sr. and Harry Wasylyk Jr. The company focused on Manitoba’s strong agriculture sector, making steel grain bodies for trucks. “Up to that time, most of the grain bodies were made of wood, which was much more cumbersome and had other problems like being subject to rot,” says President Scott Wasylyk, son of Harry Wasylyk Jr. “Grandpa had a farm background, so that’s how they ended up thinking this farm equipment was a good idea,” comments the president. “Their first product was a steel grain box. Going from wood to steel was somewhat innovative in its day,” sums up the president. That innovative spirit was the beginning of a do-it-better philosophy that still drives the company today as it looks to fill end-user needs with better and better products.

D.O.T. Standards – Installation Department

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The Grainmaster Timeline

1962

1964

Grainmaster Manufacturing Ltd. began in a rented building on Tweed Avenue, in Winnipeg.

Steel grain bodies were the only product line.

Leased more space at the existing location to accommodate manufacturing underbody hydraulic hoists to complement the grain bodies.

1969 U.S. Distribution outlet created in South Dakota, to grow the export sales.

1970

1972

Aluminum Van Bodies, Lumber Bodies, Stake Style Bodies ready to go to market at this juncture.

Contractor Bodies, Landscape Bodies, Custom Design Bodies added to an ever growing product line.

Product line grows After manufacturing grain silage bodies, Grainmaster followed up by making stake bodies, aluminum van bodies (both refrigerated and non-refrigerated) and numerous other products such as multi-purpose bodies, contractor bodies and bodies that are custom-made for specific clients.

Stake bodies generally have stakes at the sides which hold slatted sides. The stake bodies are suited to carrying a variety of cargo such as dry goods which are palletized. Grain bodies are enclosed at the sides and open at the top, while custommade bodies have been designed and developed to meet the specific needs of companies such as contractors, landscapers and nurseries.

Agriculture still accounts for about 33 per cent of the market for Grainmaster, while van bodies represent about 20 per cent of the company’s market.

Innovation is the backbone of the company. When a customer comes with a request for a specialized truck body, Grainmaster has been able to utilize its experience with current products in order to create the new product. It simply adapts an existing design to meet the needs of clients and tests the new products themselves.

Early on in the business, it became clear that the truck bodies also needed under-body hoists to move and empty the contents of the bodies, so Grainmaster began to make the hoists to complement the products it makes, resulting in the possibility for an ideal match between the truck body and the hoist. This ability to seamlessly pair the products is a great

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“Your Key to Better Products”

strength for the company, making Grainmaster unique in the products and services it can supply, says the president.

“You won’t find any company in western Canada that can do the same,” says Scott Wasylyk. The company manufactures a variety of sizes in under-body hoists, which includes a large hoist capable of lifting and exchanging bodies on trucks.

In practical application, that could allow an operator to load several grain bodies full of grain onto a truck by exchanging empty truck bodies for full ones.

Through the years, the manufacturer-dealership began to represent a variety of manufacturers in order to provide quality accessories to their customers. The product lines for light and heavy trucks include tarp systems, tail gate loaders, and tool boxes among others. All are top companies in their own right.

Grainmaster will sell individual units or provide truck bodies for corporate fleet managers. “We cater to the small owner right up to the large fleets or large truck dealers with bodies that are 10-feet long to 30-feet long,” says Russ Wasylyk.

Whatever the need, the company is always focused on creating the very best quality product.

“We take our slogan Your Key to Better Products seriously,” says Scott Wasylyk. “At Grainmaster, we are committed to our customers. We believe that product quality and customer service are the cornerstones of a lasting partnership, and we have built our reputation upon them. Our experience and technological abilities allow us to build each truck body to the very highest standards.” ❖

1980

1975 Property and plant created at the Company’s present location on Springfield Road, Winnipeg.

Major expansion of Springfield Road facility, adding service and sales department, stand alone building, thus freeing up more manufacturing space in original factory.

2007 2001

1993 Sales and service facility expanded to double its original size.

Grainmaster acquires dealership agreement to service and sell Hiab Cranes, Moffett Forklifts and Multilift Hoists.

Complete plant overhaul. All equipment, presses, paint booths, forklifts, cranes, etc. replaced with new, more efficient, safer state of the art equipment.

2012 Grainmaster looks forward to another successful 50 years.

State of the Art CNC Metal Forming

Meeting the challenges

‘ ‘T

he farm market being what it is, it is good for a year or two, then not good for a year or two,” says the president, who explains that the company has weathered at least three recessionary spells in the ag sector in Manitoba over the last 50 years.

“We wanted to diversify because of that. You can’t ignore the farm market, but you can’t depend upon it either.”

“Grain companies were closing down grain elevators across the Prairies in the 1980s,” says Russ Wasylyk. “They went to what they called super terminals, and they would shut down five or ten others around. Then, farmers went to larger trucks or hired semis to haul their grains. I think the agriculture market share is the same today, but there’s less of a market, because there’s fewer farmers,” comments the vice-president.

At the same time, large corporate farms have consolidated many of Canada’s family farms.

Grainmaster grew significantly in the 1970s when it increased the type and number of truck bodies it made. “That was a great decade for expansion,” comments the president.

The next major change came in 2001, when the company became a dealer for Hiab cranes. The president explains that winning the right to be a dealer for the Hiab line of products was not an easy process, given that the company had to convince Hiab that Grainmaster would not just use the cranes to just sell Grainmaster truck bodies. Hiab wanted a dealer who would also promote the Hiab cranes independently.

“They felt that if I became a dealer, I would try to enhance my own business selling truck bodies not the cranes. We had

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his decades of hard work in developing and growing the U.S. market share for Grainmaster products.

Expansion

Harvest King grain body with hoist and tarp – agricultural use

some problems at the beginning trying to get the line, but they finally came through, and it’s been a great relationship ever since,” says Scott Wasylyk, citing that partnership as a primary reason why Grainmaster has refused to pursue any truck parts manufacturing over the years.

Tom Wasylyk, the company’s Hiab sales and service department manager and cousin to Scott and Russ, said that Grainmaster has had excellent experience with brands that are owned by Finland-based Cargotech Corporation. This includes the Hiab cranes, the Moffett forklifts and the Multilift Hooklift.

“The Hiab cranes are the number one crane in all the world, and the other Cargotech products rank highly too and Grainmaster is the exclusive dealer in Manitoba for all three of the Cargotech brands,” he comments. Hiab offers tens of different types of cranes to meet the needs of users in diverse industries around the world.

Providing top notch service to customers is also a major priority to Grainmaster. “We back up everything that we sell from flat decks to tailgate loaders, whether it is a truck body or a product that we distribute,” says Tom Wasylyk. “All of our products are top notch and low maintenance, but when some servicing is needed, we are ready to provide that service.”

He understands that down time can cost customers a lot of money, so skilled Grainmaster staff will get the equipment back on the job quickly.

For Grainmaster, the manufactured products and the dealership agreements place the company in an ideal position to service its clients. “We could go to the customers and say you can get everything here,” says the president. “We became a one-stop shop.”

“We can pretty well make and provide whatever clients need in their truck bodies,” adds the vice-president.

Customers responded, and Grainmaster set up a dealership network from coast to coast in Canada and in the northern United States, which is still active today, selling truck bodies for a wide range of uses from agriculture to food to furniture.

The company credits Keith Grabow, director of U.S. Sales, for

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“Your Key to Better Products”

In 1973, because of increased product sales, Grainmaster needed more production space, so the company added a second location at 1600 Springfield Rd. – then subsequently closed its first plant on Tweed Avenue in Winnipeg. It was also the time when the current president joined the family business. He was joined by the youngest son, Russ Wasylyk, in the early 1980s.

Today, the president, vice-president and the Hiab sales manager and Grainmaster’s service manager are joined by Rob Halischuk, the production manager, and Darlene Lewington, office manager, in the front office. The management team heads up “the greatest and most loyal employees” a company could ever have, says the president.

The Springfield plant underwent expansion for the first time in 1975, then again in 1977 and once again in 1979. In 1981, Grainmaster put up a second building on its eight-acre property, bringing the square footage of the combined premises to 55,000 square feet. Over a period of about five years, Grainmaster went on a $1-million-plus spending spree, adding brand new equipment to streamline and modernize its facilities.

Staff loyalty It stands to reason that it takes knowledgeable and skilled employees to build quality products, and Grainmaster is proud to report that the average length of employment for its staff is 17 years. “We’ve had some employees here for nearly 30 years,” says Scott Wasylyk. That continuity and work ethic equates to quality work, according to many experts, who cite loyalty as the factor that distinguishes outstanding companies.

Employees who enjoy some level of autonomy are in their element at Grainmaster, because the company encourages workers to make decisions whenever it is reasonable for them to do so. “Nine times out of ten they make the right decisions,” says the president, speaking to the company’s culture. Then, when capable employees want to move into a new vacant position, they are often able to do so. Grainmaster has a track record of promoting from within.

Furthermore, the president welcomes approaches from people looking for work, because Grainmaster is always looking for capable people who will fit well with the family-run company. “If the work ethic is there, then the training is easy.

If a fellow wants to upgrade his welding skills, we’ll send him to school.”

Just as important to Grainmaster’s success is its loyal customer base, according to the president. “We have many valued relationships that we don’t take for granted. Each and every supplier and buyer helps to make the company what it is, and our sincerest thanks goes out to each of them.”

At this important juncture in the company’s history, ask the president what lies ahead, and he is quick to respond that he foresees “more growth.” It only makes sense, given a rich past, a modern and well-equipped plant and a knowledgeable and loyal workforce. ❖

Testimonials “Grainmaster Manufacturing, and specifically the Wasylyk brothers, have been both a supplier and a customer of my company for about 30 years. We’re a multi-generation family business as well, so we really appreciate the factors that have made Grainmaster so successful in their industry: integrity, honesty, consistency, and creativity. Whether you’re a customer or a supplier to Grainmaster, those are the traits that you see not only in their leadership, but also their staff. For example, when we’re dealing with a really large corporation as a supplier, decision-making and responsibility is usually pushed off to a nameless, faceless entity, far from our community. That doesn’t leave us with a lot of confidence if there are any problems or issues. On the other hand, when we buy truck boxes, tailgates, service or accessories from Grainmaster, there’s always a familiar voice, with the same team of guys that we’ve known for decades, and a commitment to customer service and to our business community.

That’s important to me and my staff and that’s why we like working with Grainmaster.”

Grant Cockshott President Welders Supplies Limited Winnipeg

“As a salesman and later as truck manager at Parkside Ford, I and our company have dealt with Grainmaster for over 38 years. The level of product quality, variety, and personalized service they provide are rarely found in today’s business world. This is Truly an Excellent ongoing relationship.”

Terry Schille Medium Truck Manager Parkside Ford Winnipeg

“No company could be successful without the vision, talents and hard work of the founders. The current managers and Wasylyk family members owe a great debt of gratitude to the founders Harry Wasylyk Jr. and Sr. for allowing us the opportunity to succeed. We share your pride in Grainmaster and all we have built in this important year.”

Scott, Russ, Tom Wasylyk Grainmaster Manufacturing Ltd. Winnipeg

Why Grainmaster?

TOP QUALITY Grainmaster truck bodies, made from high-quality, corrosion-resistant aluminum, are both strong and sleek. The riveted panels and roof, bolted subassembly and exact mating of extrusions mean the truck body will retain its strength and integrity.

MODULAR DESIGN Grainmaster’s modular design offers maximum flexibility to meet your specific needs. It also makes repair and replacement of individual parts or sub-assemblies quick, easy and economical.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT Grainmaster has been designing products for the transportation industry for decades. Customers benefit from the latest developments in transportation and in-depth technical assistance.

www.grainmaster.mb.ca Toll Free: 1-888-562-3470

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“Your Key to Better Products” • Quality work by experienced staff

Van Bodies Grain Bodies Contractor Bodies CRANES

We ship anywhere!

• Custom truck bodies for specific industries • Innovative designs • Modern state-of-the-art plant

We Know Custom Truck Bodies Custom body with hoist & tarp for a roofing company

Aluminum van body for a moving company

Harvest King grain body with hoist and tarp – agricultural use

Standard stake body with a tailgate loader

Toll Free: 1-888-562-3470

www.grainmaster.mb.ca

1600 Springfield Rd. Winnipeg, MB R2C 2Z2 Mailing Address: Box 56, Group 525 R.R. 5, Winnipeg, MB R2C 2Z2