For almost 100 years, WINCO has been inventing resources for emergency backup power. The company’s goal is to be a dynamic, nimble player in the custom generator arena.
At WINCO, some 90 employees, most of whom live within 20 miles, engineer, design, machine, fabricate, and assemble its units under one roof on a 17.5-acre campus. Company leaders say their sheet metal manufacturing, power painting, welding, and machining capabilities give them an edge and an ability to react quickly to customer concerns, industry changes, and product innovations.
For much of its history, WINCO has supplied backup and portable standby generators for agricultural markets, equipment manufacturing markets, and mobile external machines used in residential, commercial, and industrial applications. But three years ago, WINCO shifted to include the oil and gas industry, data center industries, rental companies, and component equipment manufacturers.
The future is green
This fall, the WINCO president says the company will roll out a large-scale green product that will reduce emissions. He calls it a once-in-a-career type project. “We’re developing a first-in-industry mobile prime power generator set,” he says. “This could make or break us.”
The generator set combines multiple units in one package supplying prime power that runs off methane gas, a natural byproduct generated through oil exploration. “Instead of wasting those gases and those gases going into the atmosphere,” he says, “we’re developing units that are going to take those gases and convert them into energy.”
To manufacture the new natural gas system, WINCO has dedicated 100,000 square feet to two full production lines with testing capabilities.
The president calls the generator set a convenient, flexible system (you can add or subtract with multiple units in one package) that adds and shuts off power according to demand. The system also has the ability to run up to 1500 kVA (kilovolt-ampere), a unit of apparent power in an alternating current electrical circuit, compared to other systems that go up to 900 kVA.
To address the push by some states toward zero-emission diesel generators in the near future, WINCO says it is one of the first in the country to supply aftertreatment systems to reduce harmful emissions on 1 to 3 megawatt units. For example, carbon monoxide emissions can be cut by 40 to 95% and a system paired with a catalytic diesel particulate filter can reduce them by up to 98%. “These generators are incredibly expensive, depending on what priorities are in a particular region,” the president says, “but we want to have that ability.”
Drive for innovation
“We made other advancements in machine capabilities by purchasing CNC machines versus manual machines,” the president says. CNC machines use pre-programmed instructions to precisely cut, shape, or mold materials. The company has also improved battery storage and invented a digital interface meter called “YourGen” to make their generators more user friendly. The meter alerts the user to load imbalances that might harm their equipment.
“They’ve looked into truly innovative products that most people wouldn’t even consider,” says James Thomas, an Enterprise Minnesota ISO consultant. “These are things that will truly change the world, and they’ve hired the team to research them.” Thomas is helping WINCO become certified in what he calls the “trifecta” of ISO — the internationally recognized standards for health and safety, environmental, and quality management. “For most of our clients, it’s unheard of,” he says.
Local and proud of it
“Our strengths really come from staying local — local people, local pride, local quality,” the president says. Employees wearing WINCO’s blue shirts can be found accompanying pickups pulling large generators and the company’s inflatable bulldog mascot in local parades. “[Our community involvement] helps overcome logistical challenges — global, economic, transportation, and tariffs, which have been a big thing as of late.” The company partners with many Minnesota companies, striving to produce generators that are “made in America.”
Another strength is the company’s long-standing customer relationships. “We support our products for a minimum of 20 years to some level,” he says. “We even get calls into our service department on 50-, 60-, 70-year-old products, and we will support them.”
A third linchpin at WINCO is the leadership’s emphasis on employee development. “The retention starts with our culture, people want to work where they feel valued, heard, and safe. It’s not just about the money anymore, and I believe that’s the kind of workplace we’re building at WINCO.”
Thomas says he saw it in action. “They’re a formal, larger company, but they have that informal small company mentality. You can still walk in and talk to the CEO.”
Return to the Winter 2025 issue of Enterprise Minnesota® magazine.
