Our History
Kahler Automation traces its lineage back to 1949. That’s when Fairmont, Minn., native Roy Kahler, having returned home after working in the shipyards during World War II, chose to support his wife and young family by starting Kahler Electric. In time his sons, Wayne & Doug, would join the family business as electricians. By 1980, however, Wayne had grown “tired of wiring homes” so his brother suggested they create an “automation division” to serve their area’s farming community.
Wayne and a small crew began doing programmable logic controller work in hog kill facilities, and developing barn ventilation controls under the trade name “Vent-Trol.” Then in 1988, a business partner floated the idea of using a weigh tank to measure farm chemicals and dispensing them into 200-gallon mini-bulk containers; with this, Kahler’s iconic Fluid Dispensing System was born. Their first FDS unit was built for what was then La Salle Farmers Grain in Madelia, Minn., and featured polished stainless steel fill pipes, stainless steel pumps, and variable frequency drives for slowdown and accurate cutoff. Sales took off — distributors were selected to sell Kahler products across the central and upper Midwest, and panel assembly and service staff were added to handle demand.
It wasn’t long before Kahler Electric’s insurance carrier decided that with all of those custom ag projects, Wayne and his division’s growing crew were no longer insurable. A change needed to be made, and that change was the birth of Kahler Automation as an independent business in 1991. Bulk liquid fertilizer systems and a common manifold ag chemical weighing system were added to the product line, and a computer software program called “Plant Supervisor” was created. The next several years were filled with countless customer visits, trade shows, production floor activity, system deliveries, and site startups. Throughout the ‘90s business continued to expand, notably alongside the widespread growth of ethanol plant projects.
As the calendar turned to a new century Kahler Automation developed into much more than just a fluid controls provider. In 2001, Kahler began selling dry fertilizer automation facility systems and offering its expertise for the many new “mega terminal” grain handling automation facilities popping up nationwide. The company broadened its software development program as Wayne’s son, Logan, brought his computer engineering background to the team. By 2007 Kahler had far outgrown its original Fairmont site but stayed true to its roots, relocating to an all-new facility in the community’s industrial park.
Kahler Automation is horizontally and vertically integrated into the agronomy world, applying technology to help its partners manufacture, store, and distribute ag chemicals and bulk fertilizers. Its business partners include large and small farmers cooperatives, farm ag chemical and bulk fertilizer manufacturers, agronomy service providers, road and rail transportation businesses, agricultural equipment manufacturers, construction companies, and producers of food, fiber, and fuel. Kahler’s hardware and software systems measure, blend, and track agricultural products across the country and around the world, and its panels proudly bear the mark of a UL-recognized panel manufacturer.
While the industries in which Kahler Automation control systems are found have diversified since the mid-‘80s, the majority of the company’s work remains agricultural. Starting from ventilation controls for hog barns, and over the years expanding to measuring farm ag chemicals for cooperatives, grain dryer controls, bulk liquid, and dry fertilizer dispensing, to ethanol plant controls, to completely integrated systems for large-scale grain facilities… Kahler works with, works for, and is in agriculture.
In 2024, now in its 33rd year as Kahler Automation, the business continues to develop new products and expand into new markets. Grown from strong agricultural roots, Kahler has become a global player in industrial automation systems while supporting the families and communities of more than 90 employees in rural southern Minnesota.
HIGHLIGHTS
1949: Roy & Elvera Kahler start Kahler Electric
1965: Wayne Kahler passes the Master Electrician test
1980: The automation division started at Kahler Electric, at the suggestion of Doug Kahler
1983: Vent-Trol barn ventilation controls designed and introduced to the hog industry
1989: First scale-based herbicide measuring system sold and installed in Madelia, MN
1991: Kahler Automation becomes an independent business, and has 5 employees
1993: First Plant Supervisor software version released
1995: First dry fertilizer blending tower automation project in Eau Claire, WI
1997: Kahler Automation has 13 employees
2004: First corporate aircraft purchased, a Piper Dakota
2005: First Yargus fertilizer blend tower automation project
2005: First 24/7 self-serve truck loading system, in Hennepin, IL
2006: Construction begins on new 21,000 sq. ft. facility in Fairmont's industrial park
2007: First of several appearances on the Inc 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies
2007: First Sackett dry tower automation
2008: Kahler Automation has 30 employees
2009: A second aircraft, a Beech Bonanza, added to the fleet
2012: Construction on the 15,000 sq. ft. addition begins
2013: Wayne Kahler named Business Man of the Year by Connect Magazine
2014: First Sackett Loss-in-Weight system implemented
2014: The third aircraft was purchased, a Cessna 340, and a full-time pilot hired
2015: Wayne Kahler retires as CEO, becomes Chairman of the Board
2016: Dave Cone named CEO of Kahler Automation
2016: Kahler Automation has 85 employees and celebrates its 25th anniversary
2017: High-Speed Tote Filler offers industry compact, legal-for-trade solution for filling 110-, 275-, and 330-gallon totes
2018: Kahler introduces Micro Measurement Systems for bulk product repackaging
2019: Subscription Software plan launched, offering customers the latest updates & simplified budgeting
2020: Virtual Interactive Training developed in response to COVID-19 restrictions
2021: John Christ named Kahler Automation’s CEO/Integrator
2022: Constellation® introduced, bringing multiple locations together with one interface for more streamlined business management
2023: Introduction of LOADPASS™, empowering drivers with easy mobile check-in for smooth traffic flow and increased efficiency