Each year World Dairy Expo invites companies to display their best and newest products in its trade show. Many of the 750 companies exhibit year after year, while some new ones join the pack each year. This fall Paumco Products will present its wares for the first time to the show’s 65,000 anticipated attendees in the outdoor trade mall. Its products can also be seen at work by the Expo grounds crew throughout the week. The company builds skid loader attachments designed to reduce skid loader working hours by increasing productivity of the machine. The Maple Lake, Minnesota-based company was started by the Pauman family nine years ago to build specialty equipment.
The family also continues to manufacture products and parts under another company name, just as it has for more than 30 years.
“Skid steer manufacturers do not necessarily focus on attachment productivity because it reduces machine hours,” says Chad Pauman, vice president of Paumco Products. “Skid steer and man-hour reduction, equipment operating cost and reducing feed waste are our only goals.”
On smaller dairy operations, the company claims its products can reduce the cost of loading silage and haylage from bags to TMRs or wagons.
“We are especially proud of the new fork bucket for loading haylage and silage from the Ag-Bag. This fork bucket eliminates wheel slippage that increases load hours and causes feed waste,” Pauman says, adding it will pay for itself within a year under normal circumstances.
For large operations, Paumco’s 96-inch fork bucket and feed grapple loads more than two yards of haylage with every lift. This unit will eliminate the need for the payloader-type equipment most often used. “It is easy to see the savings when a $40,000 piece of equipment outperforms a $200,000 piece of equipment,” he says.
Pauman adds that on-farm testing of the bucket grapple resulted in a reduction of pen-packed manure loading time by half or less.
These products and more will be on display at the company’s booth, located in Expo’s Outdoor Trade Mall spaces 655-657. In the large, outdoor space, Paumco will build a haylage bunker so interested producers can see how the buckets and grapples can dive into piles with ease.
As mentioned, producers in the barns will also be able to see these products at work as show staff have arranged to use buckets with grapples and the fork bucket to maintain the grounds during the show.
“Grapples play a huge role in the overall cleanliness of the grounds,” explains Laura Herschleb, World Dairy Expo dairy cattle manager.
Expo’s Sales Manager John Rozum also knew this and recognized Paumco’s products as a potential fit when Pauman applied for booth space this year. “We’ll be using their bucket grapple system. They’ll allow us to get bigger loads of material at a time and keep it all in the bucket, instead of in the walkways,” he says.
While researching the company, Rozum noticed the creative design of the products. He explains, “Most of the other grapple buckets we’ve seen are designed for construction applications, not holding feed or straw. The tines and grid will help us hold the load a lot better than others we’ve used.”
This isn’t the first time Expo organizers found a useful tool for themselves from amongst its exhibitors. Just last year, it started using a sand spreader to help put sand down for texture around the barns and cattle walkways after the grounds crew leader saw one on display in the trade mall.
Whether in the barns or at the booth, Pauman is excited to display his products at World Dairy Expo. It is his first real step at promotion, as he is normally busy designing and building products. He is also looking forward to talking with individual operators to get their perspective.
“We may find the next problem to solve,” Pauman says. “That’s what we love to do!” PD
Photo courtesy of Paumco Products
