What Norstar does

Norstar Industries Ltd. is a privately held Canadian manufacturer of agricultural material handling equipment, founded in 2003 near Rosenort, Manitoba by Ray Waldner and Cam Cornelsen. The company designs and builds a full-line catalog of bin unloads (U-Trough, Tube, U-Trough EX, Platinum Series), bucket elevators (farm and commercial series, plus EZ-Flow™ slow-dump models for seed), drag chain conveyors (En-Masse horizontal and incline), screw conveyors, bin sweeps (ATLAS™ and Express), chain loop and twin line systems, mill accessories, and the U-drain™ floor drainage product. Equipment capacities range from 100 BPH to 60,000 BPH, serving on-farm grain operations (14'–160' bins), commercial grain handling facilities, seed processors, and fertilizer blenders. Proprietary design features include the Self-Cleaning Tail, Winged Boot Pulley, UL Listed Collector Ring, Posi-Trac positive drive, SureGrip wheel, thickened-edge auger flighting, and a fertilizer blending software system achieving 99.97% blend accuracy on a 700 MT sample.

The business operates a sales-led, project-based model with quote-based custom pricing and no published standard rates. Norstar distributes through a dealer and millwright partner network across North America, supported by five regional sales representatives covering Western Canada, North Central US, North Eastern Canada/US, Southern US, and international markets. Revenue is generated through hardware sales and engineering/design services for custom handling systems, with end-to-end support from consultation and site layout through manufacturing and installation. Customer segments span farm/agricultural operations (primary), commercial/industrial facilities (primary), seed processors, and fertilizer handlers, with named case-study customers including Avena Foods and Nutrien Barrhead.

The company is founder-owned and remains under the operational oversight of the original founders (now in President and VP roles of the Norstar Group of Companies, which includes sister entities such as Norstar Manufacturing, U-drain, and Haul All Industries). In April 2020, leadership transitioned to second-generation operators: Ryan Sawatzky as CEO and Curtis Cornelsen as Chief Sales Officer. No external institutional investors or funding rounds are referenced, and the company has not disclosed revenue, headcount, or financial metrics in available materials.

Name

Norstar

Legal name

Norstar Industries Ltd.

Website

https://norstarindustries.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Norstar Industries Ltd. is a privately held Canadian manufacturer founded in 2003 that designs and sells agricultural material handling equipment — bin unloads, bucket elevators, conveyors, and bin sweeps — to farms, commercial grain operations, seed processors, and fertilizer handlers across North America and international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Material Handling Equipment

NAICS

Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111), Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (3332)

SIC

General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk Handling & Conveying for Processing Lines (Augers, Elevators, Conveyors) (AFAAAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Farm Machinery Parts, Service & Maintenance Equipment (Spare Parts, Diagnostics, Workshop Tools) (AFAAAAAH)

Keywords

• Material handling equipment
• Grain handling systems
• Bucket elevators
• Bin sweeps
• Conveyor systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Morris

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Material Handling Equipment Sales: Norstar manufactures and sells grain handling equipment including bin unloads, bucket elevators, drag chain conveyors, screw conveyors, bin sweeps, and mill accessories. Equipment is sold through dealer network and direct sales team.
2. System Design and Engineering Services: Norstar provides consultation, site layout, budget pricing, engineering, and design services for custom handling systems. Works with customers through planning and build process.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Norstar manufactures and sells a full line of agricultural material handling equipment, including bin unloads, bucket elevators, drag chain conveyors, screw conveyors, bin sweeps, chain loop systems, twin line systems, and mill accessories, configured for grain, seed, and fertilizer handling operations. The company complements its equipment with Plan & Design consultation, engineering, custom fabrication, and installation support delivered through regional sales staff, dealers, and millwright partners.

Product overview

Norstar is a full-line manufacturer of premier material handling equipment for the agricultural industry. The product portfolio includes bin unloads (U-Trough, Tube, U-Trough EX, Platinum Series), bucket elevators (farm and commercial series including EZ-Flow™ seed-specific models), drag chain conveyors (En-Masse horizontal and Incline), screw conveyors, bin sweeps (ATLAS™, Express), chain loop systems, twin line systems, and mill accessories. The company also offers proprietary fertilizer handling software for blend control. Products are designed for grain, seed, and fertilizer handling applications across farm and commercial operations, with capacities ranging from 100 BPH to 60,000 BPH.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ATLAS™ Bin Sweeps: Commercial bin sweeps providing up to 20,000 BPH throughput with True Zero-Entry option and advanced traction systems (Tractor Drive and Posi-Trac Positive Drive).
• Express Bin Sweeps
• EZ-Flow™ Bucket Elevators
• U-Trough™
• SureGrip™ Wheel
• U-drain™

Products and services

• U-Trough Bin Unloads

Quantifiable outcome

• Equipment lifespan increased by over 30% with thickened-edge auger flighting
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Norstar Manufacturing (Sister Company)coreOthers · 1 January 2003Related entity under Norstar Group of Companies. Curtis Cornelsen served as Bin Sales Manager for Canada at Norstar Manufacturing before returning to Norstar Industries. Norstar Manufacturing is a sister company within the group.
• U-drainminorOthersU-drain floor drainage system is referenced as a related product line with separate website (u-drain.ca). Products cross-promoted on Norstar website.
• Haul All IndustriesminorOthersRelated brand/company referenced in footer with separate website (haulallindustries.com). Part of Norstar Group of Companies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bühler Group: Global manufacturer of grain processing and material handling equipment (bucket elevators, conveyors, cleaners) for flour mills, feed plants, and port terminals. Direct overlap with Norstar's commercial product lines serving flour mills, ethanol facilities, and feed plants.
• AGCO Corporation: Global agricultural equipment manufacturer (Massey Ferguson, Gleaner, Fendt). Indirect competitor through GSI partnership and broader ag equipment portfolio that includes grain handling at scale.

Direct peers

• GSI (Grain Systems Incorporated): Manufactures grain bins, bucket elevators, conveyors, and bin sweeps for on-farm and commercial grain operations across North America. Closest direct competitor to Norstar's full-line grain handling portfolio.
• Sukup Manufacturing Co. Iowa-based manufacturer of grain bins, bucket elevators, drag conveyors, and bin sweeps. Direct competitor across farm and commercial grain handling segments with similar full-line approach.
• Brock Grain Systems: Manufacturer of grain storage bins, dryers, and material handling equipment (bucket elevators, conveyors). Sister brand to GSI under CTB Inc., directly competing with Norstar's grain handling portfolio.
• Sweet Manufacturing Company: Specialized manufacturer of bucket elevators, conveyors, and bulk material handling equipment. Comparable product overlap with Norstar's conveying and elevating product lines serving grain operations.
• Lambton Conveyor: Canadian manufacturer of grain bin unloads, bucket elevators, drag conveyors, and augers. Direct regional competitor to Norstar with overlapping product portfolio targeting North American grain operations.
• Schlagel Inc. Manufacturer of bulk material handling equipment including en-masse conveyors, bucket elevators, and distributors. Comparable to Norstar's drag chain and elevator product lines for grain and fertilizer applications.

Regional players

• Sioux Steel Company: US-based manufacturer of grain storage bins and material handling equipment. Comparable product range to Norstar's bin unload and sweep offerings, primarily serving the US market.
• Skov A/S: Danish supplier of climate control and material handling solutions for agricultural facilities. Adjacent peer in agricultural equipment with international footprint comparable to Norstar's stated global reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NorstarMFG

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Norstar