Company Profile
Leland Industries, Inc.

Reprinted from Grain Journal November/December 2015 Issue

Toronto, ON-based Leland Industries has been designing and manufacturing fasteners since its inception in 1984. Since then, the company has been at the forefront of manufacturing and coating technologies directed towards the advancement of grain bin and storage products.

A privately-held Canadian company using only North American steel and labor, Leland has grown and expanded to include seven sales branches and warehousing facilities in Canada and the United States, with the recent opening of an office and warehouse in Tulsa, OK.

In addition, the company’s headquaters recently underwent a 50,000-sq.-ft. expansion allowing it to encompass all phases of production and management on a 10-acre property in suburban Toronto.

Jason Nelson, vice president, grain bin and ag storage products, in company with his twin brother, Duane, and their father, Byron Nelson, Leland’s president, have long believed that Canadian and North American producers have a right and a duty to compete in their own markets.

“For too long, foreign producers have inundated North American markets, not with innovative products, but by simply filling the pipeline with copies of fasteners developed in America and taking advantage of subsidized labor to depress prices,” says Jason Nelson.

“The desire to succeed and to provide innovation and value drove Leland to grow into a leading producer of fasteners within a few short years,” explains Nelson. “Understanding the markets, listening to the customers, responding to concerns – all are necessary steps to success. Companies native to the North American market innovate; others simply attempt to copy.”

Coming from a farming background undoubtedly assisted the Nelson family in understanding the needs of the industry. “Our family’s experience in the grain storage industry did not guarantee success, but it certainly pointed us in the right direction,” exclaims Byron Nelson.

JS1000 Plating

Leland’s signature long-life fasteners include unique flange-head bin bolts equipped with low density polyethylene washers for secure sealing properties, says Jason Nelson, as well as a proprietary JS1000 plating that withstands 1,000 hours in salt spray testing with no red rust.

“Leland’s JS1000 plating can outlast hot dip galvanizing by 40% before showing rust, and it contains no lead, as may be present in hot dip galvanizing,” he explains.

Additionally, JS1000 provides a minimum of 10 times the protection of zinc plating. “Some would say JS1000 is overkill; Leland says it is adequate and can be improved by adding long-life coatings such as DT1500, DT1700, and DT2000.” All are coatings developed by Leland and designed to fulfill a specific purpose.

Nut Manufacturing and Plating

Nut manufacturing is an industry that has all but disappeared in North America, but not at Leland.

Consider this: square nuts that bite into corrugated structures allows one-man bolt tightening saving labor. Leland nuts receive the same plating as their bolts, which Nelson notes is important for ease of erection.

“This attention to detail is what makes Leland the producer with the broadest product line of agricultural fasteners in North America,” he says.

As explained by Jason Nelson, carbon steel, JS1000-plated, stainless steel, JS600-plated, and custom-packaged, locally-produced items eliminate the long wait times experienced when purchasing products overseas.”

The news of local manufacturing came as a surprise to users accustomed to accepting offshore goods as the only game in town. Leland’s marketing department has long used the phrase, “we sell what we make,” says Nelson. “However, certain customers and prospects need to be reassured at every trade show, ‘we sell the fasteners we make, and are proud of it.’”

Road to Success

While Leland Industries quickly became a successful business, the road was not as straightforward as it may seem.

Byron Nelson experienced 20 years of successes and failures prior to founding Leland Industries Inc.

“It truly was a family business, consisting only of Mom, Dad, twin sons, three employees, and two cold-heading machines,” says Byron Nelson. “Jason and Duane packed products after school; There was inventory stacked in the office of the 1,500-sq.-ft. headquarters; and I used my personal car to make deliveries. This is where rapid growth comes from – only 25 years to success,” he explains.

Acting as his own delivery service offered unique benefits to Byron. He still says, “Ask questions – what is needed?”

Connecting with customers during personal on-site visits, trade shows, or trade organizations all are valuable learning tools. Several Leland products, some patented, are a direct result of remaining connected to the industry through personal relationships. “This is the pathway to success, combined with hard work,” says Nelson.

Product Innovation

One example is Leland’s patented thermal expansion one-stepper fastener, which is designed to attach fiberglass-reinforced or polycarbonate light-transmitting panels to storage buildings. He says that building owners voiced dissatisfaction with the cracking and ultimate failure of fiberglass panels caused by driving screws directly through the panel into the wood structure.

Byron Nelson noted this and developed a winged wood screw to ream out the panel allowing panels to float during expansion and contraction. One-steppers remain widely used today. “Innovations such as our one-stepper come from listening and responding to our customers’ needs,” he explains.

Powder Coating

Again, personal observation led to the introduction of powder coating to match fastener heads to panel colors.

Previously, assembled screws simply were spray-painted to match panels approximately. Since each fastener supplier used a different formulation, color match was, at best, hit or miss, says Nelson. “More importantly, only the visible portion of the fastener was colored.”

“Powder coating, when properly applied, will coat the screw head and underneath the screw head, assisting the sealing of the raw steel edges exposed during the fastening process,” he adds.

“Leland pioneered the powder coating of screws 20 years ago. There are agricultural buildings in existence that currently show no red rust on the screws,” says Nelson. “It was partly due to this observation that Leland was able to introduce a paint warranty in 2010 – the first of its kind in the industry.”

Today, Leland Industries occupies 205,000 square feet in its own building and employs over 200 people to operate more than 300 pieces of manufacturing equipment. Expansion in the form of acquisition occurred in 2012, when Leland purchased Threadall Manufacturing, a specialty fastener company in Waterloo, ON that complements Leland’s manufacturing.

“A dedication to honoring commitment helped us earn a reputation for quality and service,” says Nelson.

Leland continues to invest in new equipment, platings, coatings, and technology to help set them apart from others in the industry. “Today, Leland’s products are state of the art, as is required in the twenty-first century.”

Opportunities Abroad

International expansion began in 2008, largely because of innovative products developed for the North American market, explains Nelson. “Leland routinely exports into Europe, competing with Asian manufacturers, and winning.”

Quality and innovation aside, maintaining a close connection to its employees is largely responsible for the company’s success, states Jason Nelson.

All of the Nelson family are visible on the plant floor regularly. Knowing that the president of the company has first-hand working knowledge of the machines, and that someone is listening to their ideas and suggestions, can be important to employees.

“Being visible with an attentive ear is a very positive attribute,” says Jason Nelson. “We’re not perfect – we’re a work in progress.”