ND Business Gems - Sund Mfg.

America has been losing jobs in the manufacturing industry for years. So it's perhaps surprising...  More »

America has been losing jobs in the manufacturing industry for years. So it's perhaps surprising to find a manufacturing plant in a tiny andamp;lt;a href=andamp;quot;http://www.kxnet.com/t/north-dakotaandamp;quot; class=andamp;quot;kxInlineLinkandamp;quot;andamp;gt;North Dakotaandamp;lt;/aandamp;gt; town that continues to succeed - decades after it was established. In the final report of his series on hidden gems in North Dakota business, andamp;lt;a href=andamp;quot;http://www.kxnet.com/t/jim-olsonandamp;quot; class=andamp;quot;kxInlineLinkandamp;quot;andamp;gt;Jim Olsonandamp;lt;/aandamp;gt; takes us to Newburg to learn about Sund Manufacturing. It all began with a solution to a neighbor's problem. (Paul Sund, Sund Mfg. President) andamp;quot;One day a farmer came in and said Fred you have to invent something that will pick up our short, thin barley swaths.andamp;quot; andamp;quot;Fred,andamp;quot; was Fred Sund, and he solved that dilemma by inventing this - the Sund Raking Pickup. A simple concept that grew into a major force in andamp;lt;a href=andamp;quot;http://www.kxnet.com/t/agricultureandamp;quot; class=andamp;quot;kxInlineLinkandamp;quot;andamp;gt;Agandamp;lt;/aandamp;gt;ricultural machinery. And an idea that was the genesis of Sund Manufacturing, a business Fred's grandson Paul now owns. (Paul Sund, Sund Mfg. President) andamp;quot;It's nice, I can open up the curtains and look out back and not feel so closed in here.andamp;quot; Paul Sund can open a curtain in his office to see the manufacturing floor of his operation - a place he spent many years working before becoming president. It's out here on the floor that the metal parts are shaped, altered, added-to, and worked over to create the piece of machinery that is the heart of the company. Still, Sund has diversified - and is now manufacturing andamp;lt;a href=andamp;quot;http://www.kxnet.com/t/oilandamp;quot; class=andamp;quot;kxInlineLinkandamp;quot;andamp;gt;oilandamp;lt;/aandamp;gt; site units for Hess, a company busy in North Dakota's oil fields. (Paul Sund, Sund Mfg. President) andamp;quot;By diversifying, especially with Hess, it sure helps us and helps the little town of Newburg going strong.andamp;quot; And it keeps alive his family's dream of maintaining the company. Drew Sund is in college now but has plans of becoming the fourth generation to operate Sund Manufacturing. (Drew Sund) andamp;quot;I like the small town atmosphere and like the people, a lot of good people around here. I couldn't see myself going anyplace else.andamp;quot; (Paul Sund, Sund Mfg. President) andamp;quot;I just love having the opportunity to have two sons possibly work here with me.andamp;quot; Paul Sund knows he has to keep beating the bushes to find new products to manufacture to keep this business going. (Paul Sund, Sund Mfg. President) andamp;quot;You have to stay proactive and that's what we're doing is going out and letting people know we do have more capacity here and would like to get at full capacity in the next year or two.andamp;quot; Full capacity would be about double the current level of employment. It would mean even more jobs for people from places like Dunseith and andamp;lt;a href=andamp;quot;http://www.kxnet.com/t/bottineau-ndandamp;quot; class=andamp;quot;kxInlineLinkandamp;quot;andamp;gt;Bottineauandamp;lt;/aandamp;gt; and Rugby. And it would mean the family business that began by solving a friend's farming problem can continue to solve the problem of shrinking job opportunities in rural areas. In Newburg, Jim Olson, KX News. Sund Manufacturing currently has about 20 employees.  « Less