By IAN ROSS
A Mississauga manufacturer expects to begin serialized production of a commercial turf care tractor in North Bay this fall.
Robert Ernst, one of the principles with GP-Turfcare Inc., says the turf and utility tractor is in the last stages of a final prototype and anticipates production will start up sometime in October or November.
The assembly line will occupy a space at Plastitech Products plant on Progress Court.
The plant will initially employ about 25 people in welding positions, for the assembly line and quality control. They will also be looking for workers acquainted with hydraulics and electronics.
The plan is to build 25 units a week, or about five a day, during their initial production stage, but Ernst says after final prototype work is complete, samples must be sent to Europe to present to customers.
Ernst says there is a well-established European consumer market for the 26 and 32.7 horsepower tractors, which will be sold through a distributor network. In North America, GP-Turfcare will be doing some “pioneering work” to establish a market here.
GP-Turfcare will maintain a sales office in Mississauga, but North Bay will be the manufacturing site.
Originally designed in Europe several years ago, the company imported the technology to North America about a year ago.
“The original intention was to produce it in Europe, but costs were quite high to produce it,” says Ernst. “The cost of shipping full containers of
tractors to Europe ends up being cheaper than shipping components over there.”
The tractor has a cutting width of up to 151 centimetres and a speed of 19 kilometres per hour powered by a Caterpillar diesel engine. Production models come with hydraulic-powered drive wheels, lift and dump mechanisms. The tractors will sell for a wholesale price between $15,000 and $20,000 (Cdn).
Ernst says unlike other conventional side discharge tractors, the machine features a unique cutting system with counter rotational cutting blades that direct the collected clippings into a chute, beneath the seat, that empties into a 700-litre collection hopper at the rear of the tractor.
The hopper can be hydraulically lifted as high as seven feet into a trailer, dump truck or compost heap.
The company is targeting the tractor for municipal applications, golf courses, sports fields, or any “management of various estate and turf applications where (clipping) collection is important,” says Ernst.
Last July, FedNor contributed a loan of $220,000 to the company towards the development and marketing of the tractor.
Formerly known as International Business Development Inc. (IBD), GP-Turfcare settled on North Bay since two of the company’s principles in the partnership, brothers Bill and Stan Zeban of Toronto, have family relations in the Powassan-Restoule area.
Ernst has also known Plastitech founder and North Bay businessman Carl Crewson for more than 20 years. He says their North Bay connection with Crewson enables them to begin a “soft ramp-up” rather than invest in bricks and mortar right away.
“We are using his facilities at this time, rather than commit to other facilities,” says Ernst. “When it gets to a serialized production phase we’ll definitely be considering additional premises.”
