Providing heavy equipment attachments across North America, Craig Manufacturing has been operating for eight decades. What started as a simple service station and repair shop in a small town in New Brunswick has grown to five branches throughout Canada and the United States. Now led by the fourth generation, Craig Manufacturing remains a well-established presence in its industry.

Breaking ground

Craig Manufacturing dates back to 1946, when Woodford (“Woodie”) Craig opened a machine service station and repair shop in Hartland, New Brunswick. Working with his father, Washington Craig, they sold cars, farming equipment and made mechanical parts. Initially, the business was called Craig Machine Shop.

Soon, Woodie Craig began using his experience as a machinist to build larger metal machine components. In the early days, Craig hustled to secure small projects like making bolts for the government. However, his creative and ambitious nature led to the company’s focus on developing heavy equipment attachments. In 1952, Craig made the first snowplow blade for a wheel loader, and he later developed their first bucket attachment. Over time, Craig’s innovation continued to help him develop other new products, and in 1960, he built a ferry. It appears that no job was too big or small.

Building a legacy

When the family business celebrated its 30^th anniversary, Woodie’s son, John, joined operations, and he eventually took over as president in 1985. Meanwhile, the company’s product line continued to expand beyond snow equipment to a variety of heavy machinery attachments for clients across Canada and the United States. By 1987, the organisation had grown to 85 employees and it rebranded to Craig Manufacturing to better reflect its new product focus.

Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, Craig Manufacturing expanded its physical presence in Hartland, allowing the company to add new equipment and divisions for painting, office work, welding and more. Computers and software were also introduced at this time to manage sales, inventory and other business functions.

A major setback occurred in 2005 when Craig Manufacturing lost its entire facility in a fire. The company immediately got to work on rebuilding and celebrated the grand opening of its new, more efficient space in 2006, along with 60 years in business. That same year, John’s son Ben joined the family business.

In 2008, Craig Manufacturing began expanding its presence beyond New Brunswick, first by adding outside sales representatives and also building a branch in Cambridge, Ontario. This was followed by a branch in Red Deer, Alberta, in 2015, which was later relocated to Blackfalds. In 2019, the company opened its first U.S. location in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.

Still lifting strong

Today, Craig Manufacturing continues to make a variety of heavy equipment attachments for clients across Canada and the United States. Representing the fourth generation, Ben Craig now serves as president, and the family business recently announced it’s expanding to six branches with a new facility under development in Fort Worth, Texas.

Note: A representative of Craig Manufacturing was unavailable for an interview; the above article is based on third-party research.

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