The owners of auger maker Sakundiak Equipment have bought a manufacturer of hydraulic auger movers in a bid to offer a “more complete grain movement package.”
WGI Westman Group, the Winnipeg-based owner of Sakundiak and bin makers Behlen and Meridian, among other manufacturers, announced Thursday it has bought Hawes Agro of Saskatoon for an undisclosed sum.
Hawes’ hydraulic auger movers will be “bundled” for sale with Regina-based Sakundiak’s augers, WGI said.
“Their product line, location and employee team significantly strengthen our position as a leader in the agricultural storage and handling market,” WGI CEO Paul Cunningham said of Hawes in the company’s release.
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Hawes, founded in 2001, also makes after-market electric clutches and reversible gearboxes for use with grain handling equipment, and soon plans to launch its own brand of bin sweep.
The products in the company’s line of auger movers cover most makes of conventional augers from seven to 13 inches in diameter. Hawes also makes a mover to handle “some” brands of tube conveyors.
Hawes also comes to the table with a network of about 150 dealers it’s built up for sales of its products in Canada, the U.S., Australia and Africa.
Sakundiak, which started as a family-owned business in Regina in the 1960s, was sold to WGI in 2009, four years after the death of the company’s founder, Peter Sakundiak.
The company which now makes belt-drive and mechanical-drive augers and distributes in Canada, the U.S. and worldwide, recently moved to launch its own line of grain bins.
