Driving through North Dakota along I-94 or I-29, it’s easy to spot the hubs of business activity as you pass through Bismarck, Jamestown and Fargo, then up through Hillsboro to Grand Forks. However, if you venture off the beaten path, you’ll find not only thriving farms but also innovative manufacturers dotting the prairie. Sheyenne Tooling & Manufacturing, located in Cooperstown, North Dakota, is a shining example of a small-town North Dakota company that is creating one-of-a-kind, world-class products.
Although new to the North Dakota Trade Office, Sheyenne Tooling & Mfg. has been a recognized name in the region since it was founded in December 1977 by Curtis Stokkeland, Neil Fisher and Raymond Walker on a farmstead near Cooperstown. The family-owned business began with the goal of becoming a highly-regarded tool and die manufacturer, with aspirations of growing into a manufacturing facility to build and market products of their own – a dream that has become reality for Sheyenne Tooling & Mfg.
Today the business has established a reputation as a precision component manufacturer for some of the biggest names in agriculture including Bobcat, John Deere and Case New Holland. The company now occupies a larger facility in Cooperstown and is led by General Manager James Broten. In addition to components, Sheyenne Tooling & Mfg. also manufactures its own lines of agricultural equipment – with a variety that can tackle nearly any job on the farm – including grain augers, sunflower harvest headers, snow blowers, rotary ditchers and skid steer attachments.
A Variety of Products
Regardless of what type of farm you operate or crops you grow, Sheyenne Tooling & Mfg. likely manufactures a solution for your operation. Today, top selling products include The Sunmaster Harvest Header and the Sheyenne/Westco Grain Augers as well as the Black Max Snow Blowers, the Cyclone Ditchers and the full line of Sheyenne Tooling & Mfg. skid steer attachments.
In 2005, Sheyenne Tooling & Mfg. began manufacturing the Sunmaster Sunflower Header as a solution to minimizing losses and shattering sunflowers that are lodged, broken over or excessively dry. Today, the Sunmaster Sunflower Header is one of the most-successful row crop headers in the world. The header can pick up crop off the ground yet still cut high enough to leave a taller stubble that is so desired by many growers. It is also excellent for picking up any downed corn crop minimizing ear loss.
In 2010, Sheyenne Tooling & Mfg. expanded their line again and began manufacturing the Cyclone Ditcher and the Black Max Compact Tractor Snowblower.
Today, the full list of Sheyenne Tooling & Mfg. products is remarkable. This list includes:
Agricultural Products:
- Portable Grain Augers
- Conveyors
- Sunmaster Header
- Double Quick Tach Grapple
- Balespear
- Tele-Fork
- Multi-Hitch
- Tractor Snowblowers
- Cyclone Ditchers
Skid Steer Attachments:
- Tele-Boom
- Tele-Saw
- Tele-Fork
- Double-Quick Tach Grapple
- Balespear
- Fold-Down Pallet Fork
- Hydramax Snowblower
- Skid Steer Snowblowers
- Bi-Directional Box Blade
- Universal Harness
Sheyenne Tooling & Mfg. also parent to the subsidiary PLG Inc., which was created to manufacture heavy truck and trailer equipment. PLG Inc.’s main product line includes End Dump and Hopper Trailers.
International Hub in Cooperstown
According to Sheyenne Tooling & Mfg.’s sales and marketing manager, Al Goehring, Sheyenne Tooling & Mfg. has had sales inquiries from around the world, although currently their major international footprint is in Canada and Australia. As the company digs deeper into international exporting, they have turned to NDTO for some guidance.
“The NDTO has been very helpful in providing information on the ‘How To’s and How Not To’s’ of international marketing, and providing venues to meet potential customers. The special informational seminars have been very informative for someone getting started in international marketing,” said Goehring.
Goehring says Sheyenne Tooling & Mfg. is working on increasing the export portion of their business and involvement in global sales will help even out fluctuations in the domestic market.
At the heart of Sheyenne Tooling & Mfg. is the small-town North Dakota style that creates successful business partnerships around the world. According to Sheyenne Tooling & Mfg., the dedication to relationships and commitment of employees to produce components that far exceed quality specifications are the keys to their success.
For more information about Sheyenne Tooling & Manufacturing, visit their website at www.sheyennemfg.com.