2021 is shaping up to be the best year on record for Elmer's Manufacturing.

Production at the Altona-based agriculture equipment manufacturer is up 20 per cent over 2018 with plans to ramp it up another 40 per cent by September, according to President and CEO, Mike Friesen.

"We're reaching record sales," said Friesen, adding most of their production has been sold out for the remainder of the year. "We've got about ten or fifteen percent, which is very unusual for us at this point in time...the demand has been extremely high. Farmers are eager to get their equipment for a good cropping year in 2021."

While a strong agriculture economy is driving up demand for ag products, particularly those produced by Elmer's, Friesen is quick to note the company's recent success didn't come overnight.

"It's been working over these past two years of rebuilding and building up processes, and a lot of them have come to fruition in combination with some strong marketing programs that we've been running," he explained.

As well, Elmer's Manufacturing has expanded its dealer network to include GVE and Enns Bros. The company also started holding annual demonstration programs in the U.S. in 2019, and those efforts are starting to pay off with the addition of more American dealers, specifically in Nebraska and Kansas, into its network as well. The number of orders coming from Australia have also doubled this year, following a few drought years in the country.

"They had a good year this past year, moisture and crop-wise, so when they benefit from those two things then they can bounce back quite a bit," said Friesen.

Helping to meet this boost in demand is the company's new 34,000 square foot shop, designed to quadruple the output capacity of its previous facility.

Read more: Expansion Paving The Way For Future Growth At Elmer's Mfg.

"We've been busting at the seams to try to keep our production running," said Friesen, adding some night shift and overtime hours have been added in order to keep up.

While COVID-19 has provided for some supply challenges, including impacting over-ocean container traffic, Friesen says crews are running as fast as they can to complete orders.

Currently operating with over 100 full-time employees, the company is looking to hire about 20 additional staff by the end of the year.

With a long term growth strategy in play for the company, Friesen says he can only imagine those timelines will be accelerated if this kind of demand continues.