Manitoba’s Research & Development Hub Still Open For Business

PAMI’s Portage la Prairie testing facility gets new lease on life—a major win for the province’s manufacturing industries.   Portage la Prairie, MB – Manitoba’s agricultural, mining and transportation manufacturers will continue to have access to a key research and development hub after PAMI recently decided to keep its facility in Portage la Prairie open. “Staying open is something we’re very happy about because the facility in Portage la Prairie is unique to Western Canada,” says Lorne Grieger, Director of Technical Sales for the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI).

Offering product development, testing and design services, PAMI’s Portage la Prairie facility was set to close as a result of a steep decline in its use during the pandemic.  “After making the difficult decision to close our Manitoba facility in early summer of 2022, we quickly realized the facility’s importance to Manitoba industry, as many opportunities emerged that we could no longer accommodate.” says Paul Buczkowski, PAMI’s President and CEO.  “After another look at the numbers, services we provide, and assets, we felt it was deserving of another chance.” Consequently, this November, PAMI’s board of directors unanimously voted to keep the facility in Portage open, which offers state-of-the-art, unique R&D testing equipment for small and medium-sized manufacturers in the agriculture, mining and transportation industries. “PAMI’s Portage facility offers specialized product testing that companies are unable to do on their own,” says Lorne Grieger, Director of Technical Sales. Without access to PAMI’s Manitoba site, manufacturers would have to go out-of-province, incurring substantial costs.  Greiger notes companies like NFI Group, which includes the transit bus builder New Flyer, would have to develop their own facilities, or seek these services in Detroit or Ontario, competing with large automakers for R&D services.  “We provide testing services locally to help companies innovate, do R&D work and keep them competitive,” he says. Established in 1975, PAMI is a not-for-profit enterprise, with its headquarters in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. The organization has long helped Prairie farmers and farm equipment manufacturers develop new products. Over time, service offerings have evolved and expanded to the transport and mining industries as well. PAMI opened its Portage la Prairie branch in 1975 to serve Manitoba industries, helping them develop innovative equipment that has included a mobile biomass densification system, capable of turning agricultural residues into a renewable energy source. The facility is particularly a boon for small manufacturers who must develop new, increasingly complicated equipment with little margin for failure once these products reach the market. “It’s low-volume, compared to automotive manufactures, and high-value manufacturing, so they really need to make sure that when they release a product, it will be successful,” Greiger says. Local companies had widely leveraged the expertise and services at the Portage facility, but during COVID, many of the manufacturers cut R&D budgets, focused on keeping manufacturing capabilities going amid supply chain and labour challenges. “There is some really good work coming down the pipeline, and we’re really excited about it,” Grieger says, noting electrification is front and centre for many companies’ product development. No matter the need, news that PAMI’s Portage facility will continue operating is a major win for the province’s transportation and agricultural industries. “Manitoba is a market leader in these areas, which has to be maintained with continuous product development,” Grieger says. “Given the cost that goes into R&D for these companies, PAMI offers a great return on investment for Manitoba and all of Western Canada.” QUICK FACTS:

• PAMI’s Portage la Prairie, Manitoba facility will remain open for business following a recent announcement that the location would need to be closed due to reduced workload.
• The announcement is a major win for the province’s manufacturing industries as the location provides unique accelerated fatigue testing capabilities.
• PAMI provides product development, testing, and design services to the agriculture, mining and transportation industries.
• PAMI has studied, designed, built, and tested machines, machine components and processes since 1975. With locations in Humboldt, Saskatchewan and Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.