And Other Questions About Diversified Technologies, Inc.
‐Question: Sudenga? Answer: In the northwest corner of Iowa, where the company was founded, the name has always been pronounced “Soo‐den‐gay”. That is how it is pronounced today.
‐Question: How old is Sudenga Industries? Answer: Sudenga Industries traces its roots back to its founding in 1888, by German blacksmith Folkert Sudenga, as the George Iron and Woodworks. Folkert’s two sons Phillip and George joined him in later years. Eventually, Phillip’s sons Floyd and Jay joined the company and transitioned into full‐fledged manufacturing around 1946. The company came to be called Sudenga Industries in 1962 when it was incorporated by Floyd and Jay. 2013 marked the 125th anniversary of Sudenga Industries.
‐Question: Who own’s Sudenga Industries? Answer: Sudenga Industries was purchased from the Sudenga brothers in 1975 by five key employees, two of who still hold controlling interest today. Sudenga Industries is one of two companies/divisions held by Diversified Technologies, Inc. DTI was started in the early 1980’s to consolidate Sudenga Industries, Inc. under one umbrella with sister companies Dur‐A‐Lift Inc. and Ranger All‐Season Corporation. Ranger ceased operation in 2016.
‐Question: How many people does Sudenga Industries employ? Answer: Diversified Technologies, Inc. as a whole employs between 260 and 275 people. Employees choose to drive from as far away as 65 miles to work at our main facility in George, IA. In 2004, a review of employee tenure found that one out of every four employees had been with the company 20 years or more.
‐Question: Where is Sudenga Industries located? Answer: DTI enjoys approximately 226,000 square feet of manufacturing space located on a 40 acre campus one mile northeast of George, Iowa. The main corporate offices for Sudenga and Dur-A-Lift are also located on this campus. A Sudenga warehouse is maintained in Atwood, Indiana and Diversified Technologies Inc. staffs an innovation office in the South Dakota State University Research Park in Brookings, SD.
‐Question: In a nut‐shell, what does Sudenga Industries do? Answer: Sudenga Industries, Inc. is a manufacturer of bulk material handling and processing equipment. If there is a free-flowing, bulk product to move, Sudenga Industries’ is the company that gets the call. Corn, soybeans, wheat, feed, seed and fertilizer are all common agricultural materials handled by Sudenga equipment. While agriculture is a traditional market niche for Sudenga products, you can also find “Sudenga” handling everything from coffee beans to ground rubber to frac sand.
‐Question: What products does Sudenga Industries manufacture? Answer: Sudenga products include, portable augers, stationary augers, bucket elevators, drag chain conveyors, seed belt conveyors, bin unloading equipment, bulk feed trucks and trailers and feed processing systems. Sudenga Industries also does a variety of contract manufacturing for other companies. Sister company Dur‐A‐Lift manufactures truck and van mounted aerial lifts.
- Question: Tell me more about how Sudenga became involved with Dur-A-Lift and Ranger. Answer: For many years, the Sudenga product line provided work and steady growth for the employees of Sudenga Industries. In the 1980’s, the farm crisis hit without warning and Sudenga essentially lost its core business in agriculture almost overnight. Having to get creative, it was decided that Sudenga had capabilities that could be utilized for the manufacture of other products for other markets. In 1988, Sudenga Industries purchased the assets of a company called Durnell Engineering, renaming it Dur-A-Lift and relocating the manufacturing to George. Shortly thereafter, based on the idea of a retired employee, Sudenga developed their first electric scooter for the mobility industry. That product line was named Ranger All-Season. While the ag market did eventually turn around, and Sudenga with it, these new products became divisions in their own right. To maintain a connection between the businesses, but ensure they maintained their own, now established identities, the owners of Sudenga Industries consolidated the three divisions under the Diversified Technologies, Inc umbrella.
-Question: I want to know more about the Dur-A-Lift product line. Answer: Dur-A-Lift is a fast growing truck and van mounted aerial lift manufacturer. You can find Dur-A-Lifts in states as far away as Hawaii, and in numerous countries around the world. Dur-A-Lift specializes in telescoping and articulating lifts that are designed for the sign, communications and rental industries.
