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Hagie’s Open House shows quality

By Staff | Aug 17, 2009

Linda and Daryle Marker from Woolstock are dwarfed with their son Teryl next to the Vammas snowplow constructed by Hagie Manufacturing. The snowplow is designed to scoop, brush and blow all the snow and ice off of an airport runway in one sweep.

CLARION – Hagie Manufacturing Company has created sprayers and detasslers since the 1940s.

Despite the economic downturn, Hagie is still constructing quality products and its work force grew in 2007 and 2008.

“Our backlog has shortened, but we’re still building at the same rate as last year,” Alan Hagie, director of business development, said.

As a way to say thank you to all of those at the company who’ve kept production levels high, the employees and customers, Hagie Manufacturing hosted an open house complete with facility tours and sprayer rides.

“Every two years, we invite our customers, vendors, employees and their families out to the facility,” Hagie said. “It’s just a way for people to see the operation from the inside.”

Hundreds of people accepted the invitation. Hagie Manufacturing was swarming with members of the community interested in the company’s inner-workings.

Tour guides led people through the 75,000 square foot facility where teams of employees create Hagie’s well-known products from receiving, to welding, to fabrication to sub and final assembly.

“In the fabrication department, lazers cut plate steel,” Dave Fuls said. “It’s a very accurate machine.”

Even with an accurate machine, the employees are well-aware of what they are doing. Fuls said the department – just the fabrication department – added up their years of experience and found that they had 234 years of metal working experience combined.

It’s this kind of dedication to a trade that has enabled Hagie Manufacturing to last. Their astute attention to detail doesn’t hurt either.

The business requires such a high level of quality that any department can send back any piece they feel isn’t up to par.

“We won’t accept anything with defects because of our quality standard,” Fuls said.