Can you give an update on B&D Manufacturing in 2024?

2024 has been a record year, with demand for our in-house OEM products growing in Ontario and our exports to other provinces, the US and Latin America. We have seen growth across our product line, from our original portable line-boring machine, which has been in production for 45 years, to our EJ200 Evolution Jack and our Multi-Handler. Sales are increasing year-on-year due to growing safety concerns in mining. There is a movement away from a single-cylinder jack toward our remote-control option because of safety and efficiency. Truck sales are increasing as the mining industry accelerates production, particularly in open-pit mines. 

Where have you spent the federal funding that you recently received?

We applied for the funding almost two years ago to upgrade manufacturing equipment. In manufacturing, there are only two ways to increase capacity: add a second shift and invest in technology. Both of these we have undertaken at B&D Manufacturing this year. We started a second shift this year and invested in robotic welding, a new shear, and a new brake. We updated our welding machines to modernize them, allowing us to improve our aluminum welding, which makes up a large part of our manufacturing. One of our largest projects was introducing a second Toshiba CNC Horizontal boring machine, one of the largest in Sudbury, along with a five-axis CNC machine to increase our capacity and production speed. 

What challenges have you faced recently, and how have you overcome them?

We have been very lucky in attracting and retaining labor because we try to offer as much flexibility to our employees as possible. It has been difficult in certain areas of our company with real-world experience, for example, in our CAD department. Over the past year, we have hired approximately 12 new employees to try and address the increased demand we have seen. 

We try to send multiple people from different divisions of B&D Manufacturing to various trade shows to address our different clients and potential issues simultaneously. B&D Manufacturing has not yet embraced AI, but we are involved in Cobotic welding cells, deciding to build out our wheel chock line and realizing dramatic gains in efficiency by doing so. 

What type of R&D is B&D Manufacturing focused on moving forward?

All our OEM equipment runs very efficiently with diesel engines, but we do have clients curious as to what we can offer in the battery-operated space, something that our team has been working on for roughly six months. The option was available on our multi-handler, and we are in the process of upgrading it to a more current battery technology. We are also looking at manufacturing some lighter products. A new focus for B&D Manufacturing in 2024 was the construction industry, and so now we are looking to make lighter equipment to service that industry.  We hope that this will complement our reputation for building long-lasting, robust equipment. 

Which markets are most exciting for B&D Manufacturing in the coming years?

For the last couple of years, we have had a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) dealer and also have relationships with companies in South Africa. Looking to the future, the best opportunity for B&D Manufacturing is Australia, as it has more open-pit haul trucks than any other country. We hope to get our equipment on the ground there very soon to service the growing market. Recently, we have worked with a European sales agent and have been selling in Mongolia. B&D Manufacturing is just as focused on the Ontario market as ever but is always open to opportunities to expand globally. 

Is there a final message you have for our audience?

The future of B&D Manufacturing is bright, and I only foresee growth in our future. We need to ensure this growth is well-managed to ensure stability going forward. Our facility has expanded with another 4,000 ft2 of outdoor storage space, and we constructed a heavy-duty dome on containers to solve warehouse storage issues. Our future growth will be based on having inventory available for immediate sale and shipping, cutting our lead times for products such as our align-boring machines. We will always be looking out for further government grants and adding more machine-shop equipment in the next two to three years.