The Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-02-28, Page 58i.impion growth "phenomenal"
The ROA ten years at
C h skinp'i an Road
WehirterY have been
*anatic „ Wording to
Conli)any president Bruce.
Sully. .
"It'd . been
pirenoroenal" says Sully,
"We've. = experienced a
1,100 percent growth in the
business."
In
1970• the company
was doing business in 23
countries: and this year
they are into 75,countries.
Unit sales in Goderich
-. have --tripled -in -the-past.--
ten years and the payroll
has doubled.
At the beginning of the
decade, there was a main
plant and the sales
company- on Victoria -
Street. In 1973 Gearco
came into being,as a
result of a requirement in
the early part of the
decade. In 1968 and 1969,
the company started
designing their own
transmissions and
Gearco, an affiliated
company was created
which now produces the
majority of tran-
smissions used in
Champion road graders.
Gearco has grown to the
point where 20 - 25 per-
cent of their business is
non -Champion and they
are looking forward to the
time when 50 percent of
their business will be non -
Champion.
Gearco was atl vertical
integration says Sully. It
is a Viable market
because Canadian
Companies are buying
gears all over the world.
It is possible muses. Sully'
that Gearco will one day
be as big as Champion is
'now and a large percent
of the growth will be in
Goderich..- •
Gearco 1. was built in
the Industrial Park in 1974
and in 1978 Gearco 2 was
located in the former
Textral building in the
park.
Champion was then on
an expanded research
and development
program and in 1978
research and develop-
ment moved from the
main plant to Victoria
Street and a new head
office for the sales
company was built in the
industrial park.
The sales company,
Champion Road
Machinery Sales Ltd.,is a
subsidiary of Champion
Road Machinery which
sells through independent
From this...
distributors throughout
the world. The " sales
company is a distributor
itself in four branches.
The Goderich plant is.
an integrated plant says
Sully, building as much
locally as possible. They
build 80 percent of their
product in house which is
an interesting exercise.
Normally a company
buys the components
from other manufac-
turers and then assem-
bles them. In 1977, a parts
-warehouse- was built at
the industrial park and it
now provides parts for
the plant in South
Carolina as well. '
The plant was built in
mouth Carolina -to service
the American market and
the company has very
dramatically increased
their share of that
market, now controlling
11 percent of the U.S.
market.
"The complexion of the
business is changing."
says Sully.
"Goderich will remain
a very vibrant
manufacturing company
but its role will change."
suggests Sully.
Huge investments have
-been made in plant
machinery. Sully
estimates millions of
dollars have been in-
vested in development of
machinery capacity.
But he is quick to point.
out that the only .thing
which makes things
hdppen is the people
working in the company.
"We have phenomenal
people power in this
company." ' he em-
phasizes.
The company has
succeeded because we
build a good product at a
competitive price and we
.loom after- it -...observes .
Sully.
"But good people make
a super company.1'
Business Air Services
in 1978 grew out of
another company
requirement. Champion
found that by flying
people in from Toronto
-they-Could-a+m-est-a-l-wa-ys _
close a business deal.
Potential customers were
not willing to make the
two hour, drive from
Toronto tsee the plant
operation in Goderich
and yet, company
executives knew they
to this is Champion story
Gould sell the customer if
they got him' to come to
Goderieh, *Then the
. company expanded in the
"United States, many
potential business
customers did not, even
know where Goderich
was. Champion told their
'dealers to bring their
people to Detroit and
Champion chartered a
plane to fly them to
Goderich.
This was a satisfactory
flying arrangement but it
did not create the image
Champion wished to
present. They purchased
a King Air to present
their image of a mini -
airliner and when thy_
opened more territory in
,the western states they
purchased their - first
Learjet.
Once they owned a jet;
people wanted to lease
and the idea of running a
professional air service
was entertained as the
need for such a service
was evident.
Business Air Services
now owns three lear jets,
four tour jets and three
turbo props. They have
purchased a charter
company in Toronto and
are a major operator of
jet airplanes in Canada.
They are the top
distributor of King radios
and purchased the paint
shop at the airport where
they paint small and
medium aircraft from all
over North America.
Last year they . flew
over five million
passenger miles end
Business Air employs 30
'people in Goderich and
10 in Toronto which
includes 13 pilots.
Out of the air service
came the purchase of
Coach House Travel.
Agency which now' has
branches in Exeter and
London. It supplements
the air service4,
'ruin to page 4 2'
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