AGCO Corporation’s 2022 North American Technician of the Year

A Lethbridge College-trained apprentice has been named AGCO Corporation’s 2022 North American Technician of the Year after an intense test of skills over three days against four other top technicians.

Cody Erman, who completed both his Parts Technician apprenticeship (2013) and Heavy Equipment Technician (2018), works at Hanlon Ag Centre in Lethbridge. In early March, he and technicians nominated by their AGCO dealerships from Manitoba, California, Idaho and South Dakota travelled to Hesston, Kansas, where they were tasked with diagnosing and repairing six different machines. They had just 2½ hours per machine.

Their work was judged by a three-person panel representing the customer, the service manager and a technical support person. Their scores were based on the way they interacted with each judge, the questions they asked and their diagnosis and repair skills.

Erman says the time limit was stressful, and he was worried after not completing the first of the six tasks. He later found out none of the competitors completed the first project. With that experience, he settled in for the rest of the competition, winning the title and a $5,000 grand prize.

The prize is just the latest highlight in a trades career Erman says he’s never regretted pursuing.

“I enjoy hands-on work and dealing with people in the field,” he says. “It’s rewarding to be able to fix something. You’re always problem solving, and there’s so much technology involved now. A problem could be mechanical or electrical. You have to be able to talk to the customer, find out what was happening when the problem started, and then systematically figure out the cause.”

For more information about the competition and Erman’s success, visit the AGCO newsroom and the Hanlon Ag Centre website.

AGCO is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and precision ag technology. AGCO delivers customer value through its differentiated brand portfolio including core brands like Fendt®, GSI®, Massey Ferguson®, Precision Planting® and Valtra®. Powered by Fuse® smart farming solutions, AGCO’s full line of equipment and services help farmers sustainably feed our world. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, USA, AGCO had net sales of approximately $12.7 billion in 2022. For more information, visit www.AGCOcorp.com.