Our Core Values
Jon Kinzenbaw founded Kinze Manufacturing on a set of core values, values that have withstood the test of time. They’re the foundation to our culture, and are as relevant today as they were in 1965.
Integrity
We will conduct ourselves in the highest ethical manner in all relationships. Honesty, commitment, truth, and honor are not just words; they are the governing Christian principles by which we conduct our business.
Customer Focus
We are customer-driven. There must be a sense of urgency on any matters related to our customers. Service and warranty are ahead of profit. Customers assure our future and drive our growth. We are in business as a result of the trust and loyalty of our customers.
Excellence
We are committed to excellence. It must permeate our culture and every aspect of our activities. Each of us must make a maximum effort to provide a quality product that responds to and anticipates our customer needs. Our products must meet and exceed competition. Rather than asking “is it good enough”, we must ask, “how can we do it better?” The policies and procedures we implement will guide the Management of our organization’s crucial resources so we can remain profitable. Operational excellence will be achieved by working together as a team and diligently performing tasks in an exceptional manner. The quality of everything we do reflects on us and is essential for maintaining long-term relationships with our customers, suppliers and employees.
Innovation
Innovation is critical to our success. Our workplace must be an environment where creativity and new ideas, consistent with our company direction, have the ability to reach their full potential. We welcome new challenges as opportunities for growth and must be able to quickly react to our customer needs.
Mutual Respect
Mutual respect is the ability to listen and learn from everyone. We care about the professional and personal well being of each member of Kinze Manufacturing, Inc. People are our greatest asset and we will strive to exhibit care, concern and interest in those with whom we work and with whom we do business. Our work environment respects individual talents and provides opportunities for training, leadership development, professional growth and financial reward. A secure, highly motivated, and well-trained workforce will thrive and enjoy the challenges of meeting our customer needs.
The Story
Back in 1965, a 21-year old farm boy from Victor, Iowa with an ability to “fix things” opened his own welding shop, with a small bank loan and $25 in his pocket.
Everyone knew young Jon Kinzenbaw had a gift. But no one could have predicted his little welding business would grow into one of the largest, privately held agricultural equipment manufacturers in North America.
The Firsts
Jon’s first manufactured product: a 13-knife, 30-ft anhydrous ammonia application toolbar.
His first patented product: a high-clearance, variable-width moldboard plow.
His first major innovation: the first-ever single axle, low-profile grain cart (with giant high-flotation tires), designed and built in 1971. It revolutionized grain handling during harvest time.
The Overnight Revolution
The event that really changed Kinze, and farming, was a conversation Jon had with farmers in 1975. After hearing some of his friends complain about the amount of time they wasted constantly dismantling and loading their planters onto drop-bed trailers, Jon invented a rear-folding planter toolbar. And planting changed forever.
The first rear-fold planter sold 20 more. The next 20 sold another 80.
To meet the huge demand, Kinzenbaw purchased 10 acres of land and built a new manufacturing plant near Williamsburg, Iowa. Before the end of the decade, he added 600- and 800-bushel grain carts to the product line-up. And the ideas have kept coming.
Today’s Kinze
Kinze is still privately held by the Kinzenbaw family. The company’s world headquarters and manufacturing facilities span more than 30 acres under one roof. As a market leader in innovating, durable and high-quality planters and grain carts, Kinze continues to reinvest into the future with state-of-the-art facilities and manufacturing equipment.
We Use What We Build
The Kinzenbaw family and many Kinze employees own and operate row crop farms. This brings a unique perspective to the way Kinze equipment is designed and manufactured. After all, what better way to evaluate farm equipment than using it on your own farming operation.
We Hear You
At Kinze, everything starts with listening. Listening to farmers at the forefront of innovation. Farmers who want to take advantage of proven technologies that maximize productivity. Listening. Then designing, building, testing, refining, and using it on our own farms. Then, we bring it to the rest of the world.
The Whole Story
Visit our Innovation Center and read the full Kinze story, 50 Years of Disruptive Innovation.
