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Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - 3:15 p.m. LINCOLN – Case IH of Grand Island, along with Bruckman Rubber Co. of Hastings, have been named Nebraska’s Manufacturers of the Year by the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The companies were honored Tuesday, Oct. 30, at the State Chamber’s Manufacturing Summit held in La Vista. The Nebraska Manufacturer of the Year Award is sponsored by the State Chamber and RSM, a leading provider of assurance, tax and consulting services to the manufacturing and wholesale distribution industries. The award has been presented annually since 2008 to Nebraska manufacturers that successfully implement innovative ways to conduct business through the use of new products, processes, technologies and strategies. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts presented the awards to representatives from both companies. Case IH, Grand Island: Case IH’s history can be traced back to 1842, when Jerome Increase Case founded Racine Threshing Machine Works in Racine, Wisconsin.? In 1985, Case and the agricultural division of International Harvester merged to form Case IH. Today, Case IH is one of CNH Industrial’s brands. The company is a global leader in the production of agricultural and construction equipment, trucks, commercial vehicles, buses and specialty vehicles, in addition to offering a broad portfolio of powertrain applications. The Grand Island manufacturing facility produces the company’s axial-flow combines, along with several types of hay and forage equipment. It has earned a silver level designation in the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) Program. (WCM is one of the global manufacturing industry’s highest standards for the integrated management of plants and processes.) Case IH’s Grand Island facility employs 650 people across various manufacturing competencies, located in four different buildings on two campuses. Michael Schaefer, the Case IH Grand Island plant manager, and his management staff accepted the Manufacturer of the Year Award on behalf of the company. Bruckman Rubber Co., Hastings: Bruckman Rubber Co. offers a full spectrum of rubber parts manufacturing capabilities, from making the rubber and the molds, to crafting parts and providing die-cutting operations. The company was founded in 1961 by Chuck Bruckman as a one-press operation. The company has since grown to more than 70 employees who manufacture thousands of different rubber products, all to customer specifications. Bruckman Rubber Co. currently sells products throughout the United States and in China, Mexico, Philippines, Canada, India, Japan and France. Travis Turek, president of Bruckman Rubber Co., accepted the Manufacturer of the Year Award on behalf of the company. “The Nebraska Chamber takes great pride in honoring these two standout companies,” said Bryan Slone, president of the Nebraska Chamber. “Manufacturing is part of Nebraska’s economic backbone and vital to our state’s future growth. Both Case IH and Bruckman Rubber are innovation leaders in Nebraska’s manufacturing sector.” Nebraska is home to approximately 1,600 manufacturers who provide jobs for nearly 100,000 Nebraska workers. Manufacturing contributes almost $14 billion annually to Nebraska’s total economic output. The average manufacturing employee in the Cornhusker State earns about $17,000 more per year compared to the average non-farm worker. In terms of GDP, manufacturing is Nebraska’s largest private-sector industry, according to state data. Since 1912, the State Chamber has been Nebraska’s largest statewide business association. The Chamber proudly serves as the manufacturing association for Nebraska.