Based in Lincoln, Nebraska, BinMaster designs and manufactures measurement sensors that are used to measure grain bins, silo levels and monitor tanks.
On April 26, 2024, a tornado outbreak hit Nebraska and Iowa, with several tornados decimating homes and businesses throughout the region. According to the National Weather Service, these were the strongest tornadoes to hit the area in nearly 10 years and in their path stood BinMaster's 115,000-square-foot factory. In less than 20 seconds, an F3 tornado obliterated the plant, and remarkably, the footage was captured by a dashcam in the parking lot.
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With their plant destroyed, the BinMaster team worked swiftly to rebuild. In just three weeks, the company was assembling level sensors and wireless devices at a new plant location. A few months later, around mid-July, BinMaster moved into its new offices at the University of Lincoln's Innovation Campus.
The new plant is just a few miles from the prior location that was reduced to rubble. BinMaster set up new production lines, and the company's supply chain staff replenished inventory of some 30,000 parts in the new 40,000-square-foot warehouse and manufacturing facility.
Scott McLain, president of BinMaster and parent company Garner Industries, says the swift recovery is a testament to the unity and commitment of his entire team. McClain admits that the company couldn't have done it without the unwavering support of its vendor partners and the resilience of its IT infrastructure, which preserved BinMaster's history.
The company's rebuild was incredible. Scott Hudson, executive vice president of BinMaster, adds that during the recovery efforts, the company even certified and introduced a new line of rotary-level indicators—on schedule nonetheless. The final piece, BinMaster's new sign outside the plant, was installed earlier this month.
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