VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Representatives from several state agencies toured the Malach USA facility in Valley City on November 21st.
During the presentation, Param Chaddha, president of Malach USA talked about how he and his team restructured the Valley City facility for significant OEM manufacturing opportunities in North Dakota and surrounding states since 2022.
Chaddha said it’s been a struggle recruiting new workers despite their $2 million investment in the Valley City facility featuring a new flat sheet laser and press brakes.
Chaddha said the Valley City facility recruited 2 workers from Florida, 1 from North Carolina, and another from Virginia.
He thanked the Valley City Barnes County Development Corporation for their continued support in helping them receive this grant to enhance their manufacturing mission at Malach USA.
Advanced Manufacturing Business Development Manager David Lehman said even if we retained every college and high school graduate in North Dakota, we wouldn’t have enough people to fill all open positions in the state. He said that’s why there’s an incentive to increase automation in select manufacturing companies across the state.
Other representatives at the presentation included Brian Opp, CEO of the ND Development Fund and Shayden Akason, Deputy Director, Economic Development and Finance (Division within the North Dakota Department of Commerce.)
About AutomateND Grant:
The North Dakota Development Fund received $5,000,000 during the 67th Legislative Assembly Special Session in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for a grant program. Automate ND was developed in response to the workforce shortage in North Dakota which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of February 2024, North Dakota has over 30,000 open jobs and has the lowest unemployment rate in the country. Companies in ND are facing growing customer demand but lack the workforce to enable expansion and increased productivity. Automation can help increase the productivity per employee and allow companies to expand without hiring additional talent. Impacts of automation include increased company profit, higher wages for employees, improved employee satisfaction, and an increase in state GDP.
The Automate ND Grant Program will make grants of up to $500,000 to North Dakota Primary Sector Certified (PSC) businesses (I.e., manufacturing, ag processing, etc). The grant cannot be more than 50% of the machinery, equipment, or software being purchased.
The Department of Commerce offers complimentary grant programs through its Workforce Division.
- Are you facing challenges with workforce and need assistance determining the feasibility of automated equipment, machinery, or technology? The Technical Skills Training Grant is accepting applications for grants to cover the cost of a feasibility study related to automation, including the feasibility study required with this grant application.
- Do you need to upskill your staff to run your new automated equipment, machinery, or technology? The Technical Skills Training Grant is accepting applications for grants to cover the cost of upskilling employees.
- The awarded projects span various industries, including manufacturing, agriculture, and advanced technology, focusing on automating essential processes. Notable recipients include:
- Precision Equipment Manufacturing, LLC (Fargo) – $97,386.79 for robotic welding and tooling equipment. This trailer manufacturer has been fabricating components in North Dakota for 20 years (total project cost: $207,616.87).
- Agri-Cover, Inc. (Jamestown) – $282,924.00 for robot arms and autonomous carts. Agri-Cover manufactures roll-up/hard covers for pickups, truck toppers, and pickup racks (total project cost: $709,783.00).
- Amber Waves, Inc. (Richardton) – $142,382.16 to automate a wash bay. Amber Waves specializes in hopper bottom grain bins (total project cost: $348,814.32).
- Marv Haugen Enterprises, Inc. (Casselton) – $267,862.50 for a robotic welding cell. This company manufactures over 100 types of telehandler, Skid-Steer, and wheel loader attachments (total project cost: $553,095.00).
- Northland Truss Systems, Inc. (Abercrombie) – $483,431.73 for an autonomous linear saw, jigging, and laser system. Northland Truss manufactures wood truss systems (total project cost: $1,016,606.46).
- ComDel Innovation, LLC (Wahpeton) – $500,000.00 for an autonomous mobile robot, automated cleaning equipment, and vision-guided robotics. ComDel is a contract manufacturer specializing in injection molding, metal stamping, and production machining (total project cost: $1,064,894.95).
- The Dairy Dozen (Milner) – $500,000.00 for a milking robot, automated manure collector, and automated feed pusher. This dairy operation is undergoing facility and process improvements (total project cost: $1,119,166.24).
- Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing, Inc. (KMM) (Killdeer/Dickinson) – $159,089.50 for automated parts storage and retrieval units. KMM is a third-generation, family-owned business specializing in aerospace and military-grade cable assemblies (total project cost: $318,179.00).
- YMI Industries, Inc. (Grand Forks) – $71,519.00 for an automatic bender and bar feeder. YMI provides precision machining services to OEM manufacturers and innovators (total project cost: $155,538.00).
- DR Millwork Company (dakBUILT) (Kindred) – $130,655.00 for a high-speed edge bander. This company provides custom woodwork and cabinetry (total project cost: $272,510.00).
- FlexTM, Inc. (Wahpeton) – $129,665.24 for a robotic welder. FlexTM supplies OEMs with complex weld assemblies and CNC machining (total project cost: $314,393.12).
- Integrity Steel Supply, LLC (Mapleton) – $500,000.00 for a robotic welder. Integrity Steel produces structural steel, joist, and deck systems (total project cost: $1,622,450.00).
- Malach USA, LLP (Valley City) – $500,000.00 for a robotic brake press. Malach is a metal and machining shop (total project cost: $1,205,500.00).
- Mid-Mac Marketing, Inc. (MidMach) (Jamestown) – $500,000.00 for three robotic welding cells. MidMach focuses on metal fabrication for the energy and agriculture sectors (total project cost: $1,227,600.00).
- Champ Industries USA, Inc. (Fargo) – $240,514.00 for an automated tool-loading brake press. Champ partners with OEMs and Tier One Suppliers in metal fabrication and assembly (total project cost: $489,288.00).
- Blue Flint Ethanol LLC (Underwood) – $28,500.00 to automate milling, liquefaction, and fermentation stages of ethanol production (total project cost: $175,609.00).
- PS Industries Incorporated (PSI) (Grand Forks) – $190,441.06 for an automated robotic press and CNC tube bender. PSI manufactures safety and fall-protection products for multiple industries, including the military and energy sectors (total project cost: $757,381.00).
- Wood Products, Inc. (dba American Woods) (Grand Forks) – $186,926.33 for automated material handling carts. American Woods manufactures residential furniture (total project cost: $347,036.00).
