Iowa manufacturer shows off its commitment to lean manufacturing, renewable energy

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley recently visited Hy-Capacity, a family-owned manufacturer headquartered in Humboldt, Iowa. Hy-Capacity, a remanufacturer of tractor components headquartered in Humboldt, recently broke ground on a 30,000-square-foot expansion of its manufacturing facility. The company has implemented a lean manufacturing philosophy to maximize efficiency and reduce waste.

“I wasn’t able to get to (Hy-Capacity) for your announcement of your expansion,” said Senator Chuck Grassley during his visit with employees. “Whether I visit you in your factory or you come to a town meeting sometime, I am one-half the process for representative government and you are the other half. That’s why these visits are very important.”

“When Senator Grassley asked us if the economy had negatively affected our company, our response was that we’re fortunate to be countercyclical. When the economy is down, people tend to fix tractors. That’s what we do best,” said Steve Olson, president of Hy-Capacity. “We’re here to share our optimism about our future with Senator Grassley – especially our lean manufacturing and green efforts.”

The facility expansion is a $2 million investment in Humboldt and will create an estimated 20 new jobs by project completion. The building addition is being designed with the latest environmental stewardship best practices in mind, including integrated geothermal and wind power systems to improve the facility’s energy efficiency.

In 2009, Hy-Capacity received the Renew Rural Iowa Leader Award and was named Recycling Facility of the Year by the Iowa Recycling Association. The company was also recognized by the National Manufacturing Extension Partnership for Excellence in Sustainability and has received the Iowa Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award.

About Hy-Capacity
Hy-Capacity Inc. is a family-owned corporation specializing in the manufacturing and remanufacturing of tractor components, including agricultural clutches, water pumps and torque amplifiers. The company has a long history of environmental stewardship, including the formation of the Hy-Capacity Green Team, a group of employees responsible for identifying opportunities for recycling and other initiatives to make the company a Zero-Landfill facility. Hy-Capacity is headquartered in Humboldt, Iowa, with a manufacturing plant in Dayton, Iowa. There are currently 20 regional warehouses and 35 distributors and salespeople servicing the United States, Canada and Mexico.