Pipestone Flyer
Supreme International Limited was the first company in North America to design, test and manufacture vertical feed processors. Supreme established a manufacturing plant in Wetaskiwin, Alberta and sixty years later, in spite of some very aggressive competition, continue to be the leader in the manufacturing and marketing of vertical feed processors Kevin Graham, Vice President, Supremes statement, “We want to do it right, not fast,” pretty much sums up the culture of the organization.
Supreme, with company headquarters and a manufacturing plant in Wetaskiwin, Alberta has established itself a "World Class" organization that builds and distributes the feed processors to customers in the Middle East, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Russia, Mexico, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Hungary and all across the USA and Canada. Eighty percent of the processors are sold in the United States, 11 percent in Canada and 9 percent to the rest of the world.
Supreme headquarters to remain in Wetaskiwin
In May of 2008, Supreme purchased a 9,000 square foot assembly facility located in Dodge City, KS, USA. This expansion was in response to the increased demand for better quality and larger equipment for feeding cattle in both dairy farms and feedlots. In spite of this large expansion in the States, Jeannette Guertin, President of Supreme is adamant that the company’s headquarters and plant will remain in Wetaskiwin. “We are staying in Wetaskiwin as the head office, yes. Yes, absolutely. Wetaskiwin has treated us well. It’s a good community to be in and we have a lot of people living here, working here. Yes we’re staying in Wetaskiwin. I think in terms of the theme of this day being 60 years, we embrace the history that we’ve been given and the foundation that was laid and don’t take it for granted. And, the overwhelming opportunity we have in the future moving forward.”
After 60 years of operation, Supreme has become the benchmark for quality throughout the world and the name Supreme has become synonymous with the words performance and reliability. Upon entering the manufacturing area of the plant, it appeared to be unusually clean and tidy for a steel manufacturing plant. Perhaps in preparation for the 60th anniversary celebration? Not so, says Guertin. “When someone says it’s very clean you should be able to walk into this shop any day of the week and see this, (the floors were clean, the equipment maintained and parts categorically stored – everything). We are going through a transition right now because we are moving equipment but the expectation is that it’s (always) clean, it’s organized and everything has a place. Whether it’s a fork or a ladder we don’t want you to lean it on a fence.” Guertin does a personal tour of the plant every day.
Supreme has approximately 85 employees in Wetaskiwin split between administration and manufacturing. They produce 2 - 3 processors daily with 32 in progress at any one time. There are two lines of processors; the original Supreme International line that has models with a capacity of up to 1877 cu. ft. and requires a 250 hp tractor to operate it. They have also introduced the newer and lighter Seque line for the smaller livestock producers that have a processor as small as 278 cu. ft. and only require a 50 hp tractor to operate it. There are many other models in-between to suit the processing needs of all size of operations.
The processor has become a versatile piece of equipment. In a mere seven minutes it will accurately process all types of roughage into uniform lengths of 1” to 6” and blend that feed and feed additives into a single, uniform ration without grinding or damaging the feed. It allows the operator to discharge the ration in even, measured amounts specific to each operation and type of livestock.
As the processor manufacturing industry becomes increasingly crowded, Supreme prides itself on being recognized as a leader. “It is because of this that we have created our performance guarantee. We are the first and only company to have a One-Year Money Back Performance Guarantee. We back our product with this performance guarantee and we will continue to research and to develop nothing but the best possible feed processors. We stay with the truth and make no exaggerated statements. We understand that it can be difficult for a potential purchaser to find the truth and to be sure a manufacturer is accurate in their written or verbal statements. Supreme International has decided to put our money where our mouth is.”
Supreme also continues to stay on the cutting edge of technology within their production process. “We have state of the art equipment to ensure that we can produce with optimization of efficiency not compromising quality.” Supreme is also very conscious of the need to stay connected to their front line dealers and customers. Although the processors are feature simple, with minimal moving parts and premium quality components, as with all equipment, they can break down. As explained by Graham, “If a processor breaks down we have to be there to fix it, now. It’s not like a car that can wait to be repaired. The livestock need to be fed.” Supreme has trained technicians throughout the world where their equipment is sold and operated.
Congratulations Supreme on the 60th anniversary of leading the processor industry.