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We live in a country that has always prided itself on entrepreneurship and encouraging the growth of locally run businesses. Our company had humble beginnings, being founded in Winona, Minnesota, by Royal G. Thern and his wife Lucille in 1948. At the time, Thern began manufacturing a handful of basic winches and other miscellaneous tools.
Leveraging 75 years of varied experience, continuous research, development, and testing, Thern winches and cranes are highly sought after. We have established a worldwide reputation for toughness, versatility, and reliability by playing vital roles in various industries and high-profile projects.
Powered by American ingenuity, exceptional quality is in everything that we do. There are numerous benefits in purchasing from a USA-based winch and crane manufacturer, from acquiring dependable equipment and supporting local jobs to contributing to a lower carbon footprint.
Why Support Thern: An American Winch & Crane Manufacturer
High-Quality Winches & Cranes
All Thern products are made in the USA with the highest-quality materials from primarily local sources. While we outsource some components, such as motors and drives, everything we can produce locally is fabricated and assembled in Winona, MN. Every once in a while, there is a material like stainless steel tubing that is not melted/formed in America, but even then, all secondary processes are performed here.
Thern’s sales team always listens and gathers market research to identify customer needs. Our products are specially designed with the end user in mind. Our experienced sales and in-house engineering teams work closely together throughout the design, performance, and safety testing process to ensure that any new product or update to an existing product meets or exceeds our customer’s expectations.
We take pride in our products because they represent dependability and excellent craftsmanship. Being an ISO 9001:2015 certified company, we ensure that every product we manufacture meets our strict quality standards and is thoroughly tested for performance and durability. Despite a higher initial investment for heavy-duty, American-made winches and cranes, the cost per use is lower since these products will often last longer.
“The difference in quality between Thern products and those made overseas is durability and workmanship. For example, virtually all of our competitors that make their products overseas utilize stamped gearsets comprised of thin metal welded together. Thern’s gearsets are cut from a single piece of steel, making them much stronger, quieter, and more reliable,” said Technical Sales Representative Tim Anderson.
Creating Jobs
By buying domestically made winches and cranes, you are contributing to a hard-working American’s wages. At Thern, employee turnover is low. We pride ourselves as a family-owned manufacturing company that strives to ensure that each team member feels valued and appreciated for their unique talents and gifts. Your business means we can continue operations and provide local jobs for our workers.
“I know many people at Thern who have been here a long time. I would guess that the average tenure is over 10 years. Some of the people I work with daily have been here for well over 20 years in positions like customer service, applications engineering, and tech sales. Many of our assemblers and fabrication team have been here a long time too,” noted Tim. “Thern is a small-town company, and we want to keep things local as much as possible to provide good-paying jobs to stimulate our economy.”
Lower Carbon Footprint & Pollution
With global warming as a pressing issue that affects us all, consumers should be aware that winches and cranes made overseas have a higher carbon footprint than American-made products. Foreign goods must be shipped from across the ocean to reach us, burning fossil fuel and emitting greenhouse gasses as they travel. It’s typically cheaper to make goods in developing countries because many of them have few to no regulations to protect air and water health. Since we manufacture and distribute all of our products from our Winona, MN headquarters, we can help to maintain a lower carbon footprint on our planet.
Thern is an established winch and crane manufacturer that’s proud to uphold a legacy of innovation across 75 years. Experience how an American-made winch or crane can streamline your operations. Connect with us today to see how we can help do the heavy lifting for you!