COMPANY HISTORY
H&S Manufacturing Co. Inc. was founded by Mr. Lauri Heikenen and two partners in 1967. In the years that followed, Mr. Heikenen bought out the original partners. The business was started to manufacture and sell self-unloading forage boxes to farm equipment dealers. The original manufacturing facility was a 50′ x 100’ block building with a very small office located on 5 acres in the then-new Marshfield Industrial Park.
Over its history, H&S has experienced steady expansion of facilities, products, and markets. The original 5,000 square foot manufacturing plant has grown to 220,000 square feet on 56 acres in Marshfield and Clintonville, WI, and Ripley, NY. In 2024, all operations including Research and Development were moved from Clintonville to the expanding Marshfield location.
From its beginning, the dairy farm industry has always been H&S’s most important market. In 1968, there were 14 manufacturers making forage boxes for the dairy industry, though today just a handful exist. In 1968 H&S was the newest manufacturer of that group and today H&S offers forage boxes up to 40′ in length.
Manure spreaders are another major product H&S supplies to the dairy industry, and H&S manure spreaders have become a dominant player in this market. H&S manure spreaders are used on dairy farms throughout North America, Canada and as far away as Korea and Japan.
In 1988, H&S chose to enter the large hay rake market. In the years since, H&S has become not only the largest player in that market, but also the design leader, with six patents granted by the U.S. government for new designs of bi-fold and high-capacity rakes. The rake business has significantly increased H&S’s presence in ag markets beyond the dairy industry.
In June of 2023, H&S was acquired by Oxbo enhancing their ability to serve the dairy and forage industries. The Marshfield, WI location is now the Oxbo Forage Division which manufactures Oxbo and H&S brands.
Today, H&S is leading the way in emerging agricultural technologies by producing innovative, powerful and dependable farm equipment.
H&S is proud to be one of the sponsors of the National Farm Medicine Center since 1998.