MAINLAND MACHINERY
Case History
FINDING THEIR FOCUS
“As a company, we bounced around a little in our past,” said Paul Hiebert, President of Mainland Machinery. “We’ve always been in custom manufacturing for heavy industry and we’ve always done well, but it’s taken some time to figure out what we do best.”
That’s probably normal in the growth of a family business that’s been around for almost fifty years. Paul’s father, Henry, started the company in 1971, and Paul’s brother, Dave, is Vice President and Production Manager. As you can imagine, with almost five decades of experience in custom manufacturing, Mainland has seen a lot of change in their history.
“A lot has changed in terms of technology and industry, for sure,” said Paul, “but we’re still the same people with the same values as when we started. That’s the strength of a family business.”
The challenge for Mainland has been to find their focus within custom manufacturing. A few years ago, Paul decided to start with marketing and sales. “We definitely needed help,” said Paul. “That’s when I first met Gerry Wiebe.”
UTILIZING WIEBE’S INTEGRATED APPROACH
Gerry’s experience in industrial operations and management convinced Paul to enlist Wiebe Industrial’s help at Mainland. “Gerry is credible. He just gets industrial marketing. It was pretty clear from the beginning that he fit with our culture. His style worked with our style.”
Mainland had already taking some steps forward with another marketing agency, in terms of a website upgrade and some market research. But Wiebe’s contribution, Paul explained, was more thorough: “Gerry became a part of our team and quickly figured out how to get everyone on the same page, not just in marketing and sales, but in operations and management as well.”
“Wiebe’s integrated approach has been critical for Mainland’s growth. Gerry really has affected our whole company,” Paul said. “The more he exposed us to the principles of marketing and sales, the richer we became as a company.”
Mainland already had the systems in place to manufacture quality products and to deliver superior services. The role of Wiebe Industrial was to help the company understand that the same systems could be applied to marketing and sales. “We pay close attention to the details in design and production, and then we carefully monitor progress in project management,” Paul explained, “but Gerry helped us become more aware of those same principles in marketing and sales.”
SEEING RESULTS
With Wiebe Industrial on board, Mainland is seeing good results, especially in promoting some of their more unique products. Paul explained, “Gerry has been integral in forging our strategy around products like our specialized screw conveyors. We’re getting great visibility in the markets on that specific product. Gerry made it very easy for us to monitor the leads and we’re seeing an increase in sales. But, of course, we always want to see more deals closing.”
It’s clear that Paul isn’t fully satisfied yet. “Change happens slowly in this industry,” he stated simply. “Our sales cycles usually take months and often years for some of our bigger products and services. We’re definitely on a path of continuous improvement, but we’re not quite where we want to be yet.”
However, the future looks good as both Mainland and Wiebe are committed to both excellence and perseverance. “We just need to keep moving forward,” said Paul, “and we need people like Gerry to help us do that.”
MAINLAND MACHINERY
Case History
FINDING THEIR FOCUS
“As a company, we bounced around a little in our past,” said Paul Hiebert, President of Mainland Machinery. “We’ve always been in custom manufacturing for heavy industry and we’ve always done well, but it’s taken some time to figure out what we do best.”
That’s probably normal in the growth of a family business that’s been around for almost fifty years. Paul’s father, Henry, started the company in 1971, and Paul’s brother, Dave, is Vice President and Production Manager. As you can imagine, with almost five decades of experience in custom manufacturing, Mainland has seen a lot of change in their history.
“A lot has changed in terms of technology and industry, for sure,” said Paul, “but we’re still the same people with the same values as when we started. That’s the strength of a family business.”
The challenge for Mainland has been to find their focus within custom manufacturing. A few years ago, Paul decided to start with marketing and sales. “We definitely needed help,” said Paul. “That’s when I first met Gerry Wiebe.”
UTILIZING WIEBE’S INTEGRATED APPROACH
Gerry’s experience in industrial operations and management convinced Paul to enlist Wiebe Industrial’s help at Mainland. “Gerry is credible. He just gets industrial marketing. It was pretty clear from the beginning that he fit with our culture. His style worked with our style.”
Mainland had already taking some steps forward with another marketing agency, in terms of a website upgrade and some market research. But Wiebe’s contribution, Paul explained, was more thorough: “Gerry became a part of our team and quickly figured out how to get everyone on the same page, not just in marketing and sales, but in operations and management as well.”
“Wiebe’s integrated approach has been critical for Mainland’s growth. “Gerry really has affected our whole company,” Paul said. “The more he exposed us to the principles of marketing and sales, the richer we became as a company.”
Mainland already had the systems in place to manufacture quality products and to deliver superior services. The role of Wiebe Industrial was to help the company understand that the same systems could be applied to marketing and sales. “We pay close attention to the details in design and production, and then we carefully monitor progress in project management,” Paul explained, “but Gerry helped us become more aware of those same principles in marketing and sales.”
SEEING RESULTS
With Wiebe Industrial on board, Mainland Machinery is seeing good results, especially in promoting some of their more unique products. Paul explained, “Gerry has been integral in forging our strategy around products like our specialized screw conveyors. We’re getting great visibility in the markets on that specific product. Gerry made it very easy for us to monitor the leads and we’re seeing an increase in sales. But, of course, we always want to see more deals closing.”
It’s clear that Paul isn’t fully satisfied yet. “Change happens slowly in this industry,” he stated simply. “Our sales cycles usually take months and often years for some of our bigger products and services. We’re definitely on a path of continuous improvement, but we’re not quite where we want to be yet.”
However, the future looks good as both Mainland and Wiebe are committed to both excellence and perseverance. “We just need to keep moving forward,” said Paul, “and we need people like Gerry to help us do that.”
