Agriculture businesses featured heavily when the federal government announced more $21 million in investment to nine Manitoba businesses Aug. 28.
The announcement was made by Eleanor Olszewski, Canada’s minister of emergency management and community resilience, whose mandate includes Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan). The federal government said the funds will help companies expand, improve productivity and increase competition on the global stage, as well as creating about 285 new jobs.
WHY IT MATTERS: This year has seen a string of provincial and federal government announcements looking to boost local manufacturing in the wake of trade tensions.
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PhiBer Manufacturing, based in Crystal City, will receive $4.1 million to expand manufacturing capacity to scale up production. The company cut the ribbon on a 60,000-square-foot facility expansion earlier this year.
PhiBer has earned industry awards for its innovation. It’s Dash sprayer tender trailer takes a traditional sprayer and increases its capacity by 25 or 30 per cent though quicker filling. Earlier this year, the company won an innovation award at Saskatchewan’s Ag in Motion farm show for it’s Dash carrier, featuring landing, charging and refill capacity for drones. The company has noted that demand for their Dash trailers s rapidly growing.
In a separate release, PhiBer CEO Derek Friesen said that “The funding we received from PrairiesCan has enabled us to accelerate PhiBer’s growth in many ways. We shortened our timeline on the acquisition of advanced manufacturing equipment, brought more production in-house and expanded our ability to support Canadian farmers—all while creating new revenue streams and jobs in our community.”
The company expects to hire more than 80 people over the next three years, PhiBer added, and its facility expansion will include advanced technology and sustainable infrastructure, including Canada’s largest roto-moulding equipment for the production of plastic tanks, 3D printing tools and parts and recycling systems the company said will be designed by in-house engineers and Manitoba contractors.
The company also pointed to its business strategy, marketing equipment directly to farmers, which keep prices lower. The company also has an AI-assisted website that enables farmers to configure a Dash tender trailer with a set up to meet their needs, it notes.
Prairie Fava Ltd., based in Glenboro, will receive $1.5 million to optimize processing and expand their grower network. The company has said it wants to work closely with their growers. They already partner with Protein Industries Canada, food companies and researchers.
Their goals include research and development of ready faba-based ingredients. The company has already developed a protein-based snack and has created fava flours that meet the growing demand for plant-based proteins.
Manitoba Organics, based in Portage la Prairie, is also slated for about $278,400. The non-profit — which counts organic associations, farmers, academics, processors, buyers and retailers on its membership roster — will create a digital marketplace to grow the organic grain industry in Manitoba. The idea is to connect producers and buyers, which the organization hopes will bolster trade opportunities and insights.
Arrowquip (formerly Northquip Inc. and known for its cattle chutes and handling equipment) is based in Woodlands and will receive more than $3.3 million to commercialize a line of zero-turn mowers by investing in advanced manufacturing equipment market development, including equipment demonstrations.
Winkler’s Schnell Industries Inc. will get almost $423,700 to design, build and market a fully electric transloader, which will facilitate the loading, unloading and transferring of granular materials. Schnell Industries is already known for its standard transloaders, which can transfer granular loads from truck to rail, rail to truck or truck to truck. The company also makes planter hitches and turf equipment.
UKKÖ Robotics Inc, based in Notre Dame de Lourdes, will expand deeper into automated agricultural equipment and carbon soil sensor technologies. The company will receive nearly $529,300 in federal support. UKKÖ is known for its automated barns, smart farm equipment and custom products. They also sell automatic chicken waterers, solar powered gate openers and portable pressurized water trailers, among other products.
Decor Cabinets Ltd. of Morden, ICON Technologies Ltd of Winkler and Security Glass Ltd. of Winnipeg, also received investments.
