Although adjustments had to be made during the recent pandemic, one of Yazoo County’s largest manufacturers made some significant improvements despite the uncertain times.
AMCO Manufacturing never closed its operation due to COVID, and the local operation saw some much-needed facility and property improvements thanks to the assistance of several community leaders.
Manager James Milner said he is extremely grateful to the Yazoo County Board of Supervisors, Economic Development District Director Tim Mood and Senators Briggs Hopson and Joseph Thomas for bringing roof repair and parking lot and driveway pavement projects to the facility.
“The repaving of the roads came with the overall project surrounding Rial, Levee and River Roads,” Milner said. “That project also included our driveway and parking lot, which was still the original pavement from the early 1960s. It was in bad shape.”
Milner said the projects also included the full replacement of the AMCO roof, which was heavily damaged after two storms.
“The roof replacement meant a lot to this company and our men in the plant,” Milner said. “With the white reflecting material, the men are lot cooler. They have benefited the most from these projects.”
Milner said AMCO has not closed for a day due to COVID.
“Our safety, health and environmental manager immediately implements a certified standard that we have maintained since,” Milner said. “Being an essential industry in agriculture, we kept running.”
AMCO implemented policies like daily cleaning of surfaces that are commonly touched, social distancing and limiting access to the facility.
Milner added that AMCO is not an “assembly line” operation so that workers are not close to each other. Sales staff worked outside the office if they needed to. And truck drivers would wait outside the facility.
AMCO mainly constructs tillage equipment with discs ranging from 4 to 40-feet wide. The company also makes water management tools, PTO-powered ditchers, levee plows, terracing plows, and many other products. The locally constructed products are shipped all over the nation.
“2020 was a good year for us, and we saw no reduction in sales,” Milner said. “2021 has started off as a good year. But we have experienced and are fighting supply changes. But our engineering and sales teams are working together to come out with new products. Local farmers test those products and give us honest feedback to make changes or improve the product before we use it. You want those products to operate under real-world circumstances first to see how they will do.”
With 21 employees, Milner said about 75 percent of AMCO workers live in Yazoo County, which proves to be beneficial for the local community. He is also proud to announce that Charlie Lane was moved into the role of market and sales manager. Despite the changes, there is progress happening within AMCO’s walls.
“It all goes back to the same thought,” Milner added. “It is that we have excellent employees, dedicated hard workers who understand how to compete and succeed in today’s environment. We have to watch out to be safe, qualified and determined in seeing this company succeed. If the company does well, then our employees do well.”
