Unverferth Manufacturing Co., Inc., Kalida, Ohio, has purchased Orthman Manufacturing’s agricultural product lineup and the two manufacturing locations based in Lexington, Nebraska, effective Feb. 1. Manufacturing personnel and various support people will be offered employment with the new ownership.
Unverferth Manufacturing saw a natural fit with the culture, the people and the innovative, products at Orthman Manufacturing. Major equipment and facility investments have been made at the Lexington locations over the past several years that present great opportunities for increased production. Orthman, started in 1965 by Henry Orthman with hitch conversion kits, today builds and distributes various agricultural tools and implements used by producers in the United States and in more than 14 countries.
John McCoy, Orthman preceding owner and company president, stated “I have the utmost confidence that Unverferth Manufacturing will continue growing the Orthman name and most importantly take care of the respective employees. The culture and innovative drive at Orthman is very similar to that of Unverferth Manufacturing”.
McCoy retains ownership of the Orthman Conveying Systems business.
Larry Unverferth, company president, remarked “Orthman’s founder, Henry Orthman, was much like my father in that they both began with small ideas and grew those ideas into world-class companies to help farmers become more efficient. Unverferth Manufacturing is looking forward to expanding upon the current workforce by building on the brand’s presence in the farming community and expanding product offerings in the months and years ahead”.
Unverferth Manufacturing operates three additional manufacturing facilities including the corporate headquarters in Kalida, Ohio, a Delphos, Ohio location, and one in Shell Rock, Iowa. The company also has eight sales and service branch facilities strategically located across North America.
Unverferth is a manufacture and marketer of tillage, seed, hay- and grain-handling equipment along with pull-type sprayers, fertilizer applicators and agricultural dual, triple and specialty wheel products. A sales price was not disclosed.
