Our Brand Story: Celebrating Fifty Years of Success Under Generational Leadership
For more than fifty years, Mainland Machinery has excelled in delivering effective industrial solutions for valued customers across Western Canada. The company, based in Abbotsford, B.C., has provided steel fabricated products, engineered solutions, and onsite maintenance and installation services across multiple sectors since 1968.
Mainland benefits from at least two generations of expertise in industrial services. Paul Hiebert has been the President of the company since he took over from his father, Henry Hiebert, in 1996. Yet father and son are both actively involved in the family business.
“My dad still works here—at 83 years old,” Hiebert said with a smile, “and he still has the same passion for delivering the best solutions to our customers at the best value.”
According to Paul, Henry’s legacy at Mainland is all about immediate solutions for their customers. “He’s a very practical man on the job, incredibly skilled, efficient, and creative,” said Paul of Henry. “He’s also very relationship-oriented and ethical, full of integrity, never greedy, no short-cuts, always thorough, no quick fixes.”
Henry began working as a millwright for Mainland in 1971, joining the founder, Peter Friesen, who had just started the company three years earlier, in 1968. Within a year of his arrival, Henry bought into the company to become a partner, selling a car and getting a small grant from the government to make the initial investment.
According to Henry, Mainland got its start in industrial agricultural by doing quality work for local feed mills like Ritchie-Smith, a company that is still thriving today in Abbotsford, B.C. “We’ve been working at their mill since the early 70s,” said Henry, “and they just kept having us back year after year, decade after decade.”
Mainland has been a part of every major addition and renovation at Ritchie Smith. “That’s what kind of company we are,” said Henry, “and what kind of relationship we have with our customers.”
In 1996, Henry bought out his business partner, Friesen, to become the sole owner of Mainland. Together with his two sons, Paul and Dave, Hiebert continued to build the company on strong relational equity, faithfully serving multiple customers over multiple decades.
“I remember working at Otter Co-op in the early 70s,” Henry recalled, “and we’re still there today. Lhoist is another company that we’ve been dealing with since 1980 at their limestone plant in Langley, B.C. We’ve got a crew there today. And companies like West Coast Reduction started with us at the same time. They’ve been buying from us for over forty years, and now we’ve got a new $2.5 million contract with them upcoming.”
The relational stability of Mainland under Henry’s leadership has been augmented and strengthened by the business acumen of Paul, who got involved in the management of the company after studying business and gaining some crucial international experience.
In that way, the generational leadership of Mainland was special, bringing together Henry’s unparalleled on-the-job excellence and Paul’s business intelligence, strategic direction, and state-of-the-art manufacturing processes. And a third generation is already engaged too—one of Paul’s sons is currently working on the shop floor.
“That’s the strength and stability of a family business,” said Paul, “but our company’s success has also depended on a wider team of quality personnel. I’m really proud of the team we’ve built here. Over the years, Mainland has attracted good people.”
As an example, Henry tells the story of Ed Martens, whose brother, Helmut, was a shop foreman. “Ed showed up at our door one day looking for a job,” recalled Henry, “and he worked for us for the next nineteen years.”
According to Henry, Ed was as reliable and diligent as ever. “I could give Ed any task,” said Henry, “and he would do it exactly like I would have done it. Workers like that are not easy to find, but he found us.”
In the same way, the work seemed to find Mainland as well. Henry recalled the days before the company had a sales team, and he admitted that the hardest times were when business was slow. “But somehow,” he said simply, “God provided the work.”
As a man of faith, Henry was quick to deflect any credit for the company’s achievements.
“It’s only because of God’s mercy that Mainland has experienced any success. Sure, we worked hard, and God honored that. But according to the Psalms, unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.”
For Paul, another one of the company’s greatest assets has been their flexibility. “I’m really proud of how adaptable our company has been. Over the years, we’ve been able to adjust to the needs of the marketplace and creatively align our products and services to the changing needs of our customers.”
Embracing New Opportunities in Niche Markets
According to Paul, that’s what provoked a strategic shift for Mainland and the birth of new division of the company. “We looked at the bulk handling industry in Western Canada, and we saw a critical gap in the local supply of parts and equipment.”
In response to this new opportunity, Mainland has now evolved into two companies: Mainland Industrial Services and Helical Works Company Ltd. The two new entities were created to meet two distinct needs in the industrial marketplace: services and products. Whereas the Industrial Services division focused primarily on providing the same onsite maintenance and installation services for which Mainland had become well known and respected, Helical Works Co found a niche market and focused on providing parts and equipment for customers in bulk and material handling.
Under Mainland’s stellar foundation of integrity and quality, Helical Works is building toward another fifty years of success in the Western Canadian industrial marketplace, serving bulk and material handling in ports and terminals, mining and minerals, oil and gas, as well as industrial agriculture.
Since its launch, Helical Works has continued to rely on generational leadership and maintained a reputation for high quality products and customizable solutions. However, as Helical Works comes into its own, they will be adding a new line of conveyor products to provide their customers with the same quality but easier access and quicker service.
“This will be industrial consumable purchasing at its best,” said Paul, who serves as the General Manager of Helical Works.
“Our helical customers in Western Canada have been looking for a local supplier for the products they need in a quality they trust. We’re ready to be that company—with superior products that are ready to go.”
In 2019, the company purchased a flight press and began to manufacture a full range of flight types. According to Production Manager, Nathan Gole, this acquisition created a new opportunity for the company. “We specialize in large, single-piece flights, but we have the capability to produce a wide variety of types in multiple categories,” said Gole, “which allows us not only to ensure the highest standards in quality control but also to keep pace with the varying needs of our customers across Western Canada.”
“We’re ready for a surge in demand,” said Gole. “I’m very optimistic about the direction of Helical Works. Our customers are already benefitting from our commitment to responsiveness and shorter lead times.”
According to Brian Dyck, Sales Representative, the company’s regional focus is also about making the buying experience easier for their customers:
“We are local to Western Canada, we will manufacture here, we will stock our parts here, and we will deliver here. If customers in Western Canada are looking for bulk handling parts and equipment, Helical Works will be their local supplier.”
Today, Helical Works is focused on supplying three main components to the marketplace: helical flights, replacement augers, and screw conveyors. In the future, they will complement their product lines with additional components.
And the story continues… so stay tuned for what is next from Helical Works Co.
To learn more about Helical Works Co, go to their website: helicalworksco.com
Helical Works Co
2255 Townline Road
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Canada, V2T 6H1
Phone: 1-833-296-2234
Fax: info@helicalworksco.com
