AGI Clay Center marks three years without lost-time injury
The Kansas facility earns top safety award as AGI highlights people-led safety culture across its network.
USA – Ag Growth International (AGI)’s Clay Center facility in Kansas has recorded three years without a lost-time injury, a key safety mark that reflects how teams manage risk and protect each other at work.
AGI recognized the site with its top internal honour, the Safety Standout Award, which the company gives to teams that show strong commitment to workplace safety across its global operations.
“This achievement is powered entirely by our people,” said David Postill, senior vice president, North America at AGI. “Three years with no lost time injuries reflects a culture where employees look out for one another, speak up about risks and take personal responsibility for keeping themselves and their teammates safe.”
A lost-time injury refers to a workplace incident that forces an employee to miss work. Companies track this measure to understand safety performance and its effect on output. AGI applies its Safety Management System across all sites, with a focus on risk checks, corrective steps, and steady improvement.
The Clay Center plant has a long history. Two local investors started Hutchinson Manufacturing in 1958 and began producing grain handling equipment. AGI acquired the business in 2017. Today, the facility produces augers, bin unloads, bucket elevators, towers, catwalks, and conveyor systems.
“This safety milestone is a tremendous accomplishment by our entire Clay Center team,” said Mike Baker, plant manager at AGI Clay Center. “Achieving three years with no lost-time injuries takes everyone working together, every day, with a shared commitment to making safety our number one priority.”
“While we’re proud of this achievement, we see it as just the beginning of our journey toward eliminating all accidents,” he added. “Our goal is to make safety a way of life, not just at work, but for everyone who walks through our doors. Safety first, always.”
AGI will hold its sixth global Safety Week from April 27 to May 1 to promote safe practices across all its sites. Clay Center joins AGI Lenexa in Kansas and AGI Swift Current in Saskatchewan, which also reached three years without lost-time injuries this year.
The company has also continued to roll out new equipment. In February, AGI introduced a new bucket elevator at the GEAPS Exchange in Kansas City.
The unit handles between 10,000 and 120,000 bushels per hour and serves grain terminals, ethanol plants, and oilseed processors.
“For me, that was the most exciting, which was going to the customers, and instead of bringing them something we think they want, we ask them what they want,” said Ashley Gierok, enterprise sales manager at AGI.
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