St. Brieux-based agriculture equipment manufacturer Bourgault Industries has a new owner.
Linamar Corporation announced a deal to purchase Bourgault for $640 million on Dec. 20. The acquisition includes Bourgault’s Highline Manufacturing Division, which produces hay handling and livestock feeding equipment, as well as roto-moulding producer Free Form Plastics.
“Linamar has a proven track record for not only successfully integrating acquired companies, but also for their manufacturing expertise and business execution overall,” Bourgault president Gerry Bourgault said in a press release. “I am confident Linamar will take the Bourgault brand to new heights in its next chapter, while also allowing Bourgault to maintain and build upon its deep-rooted connections to its stakeholders in Saskatchewan and around the world.”
Gerry is the son of Frank Bourgault, the original owner and operator of Bourgault Industries. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024.
“Bourgault was started by my father and has a rich history in agriculture,” Gerry said in a press release. “The Bourgault family is incredibly proud of the legacy we have created both here in St. Brieux, Saskatchewan, but also around the world. We are excited to have our team of over 900 people in Saskatchewan, and over 1,000 worldwide, join the Linamar family.”
Linamar’s existing agricultural brands include harvesting specialist MacDon, and tillage and crop nutrition company Salford. The Bourgault purchase is Linamar’s third major acquisition of 2023.
Linamar president and Chief Operating Officer Jim Jarrell said they made the purchase to help grow and diversify their company, creating a larger potential market with more options to increase revenue.
“Bourgault strengthens our short-line agriculture platform with strong brand recognition, a portfolio of advanced seeding technologies and an operational footprint that will enable us to better serve the core Western Canadian and US Midwest farm base,” Jarrell said in a press release.
Linamar executive chair and CEO Linda Hasenfratz said Bourgault was a good complement to their existing business. She said it gives them a full lineup of products that address all crop production cycles.
“Bourgault is another Canadian manufacturing success story that draws many similarities to Linamar’s history of entrepreneurism and technical innovation,” she said in a press release. “The Bourgault name is synonymous with broad acre agricultural seeding innovation and offers a tremendous opportunity for Linamar to further diversify and grow our agriculture platform, as well as our Industrial segment overall.”
