A Brief History of Cantrell•Gainco Group
Cantrell Machine Company and Gainco, Inc. joined forces in 2019, combining their market-proven strength and expertise to create a single company that offers more customer options than ever before. Both companies have Northeast Georgia roots and have been based in Gainesville for several decades.
Cantrell
Cantrell was founded in 1972 as a U.S. firm devoted to supporting poultry processors improve their plant operations and effectiveness. Beginning in 2008, when industry veterans Tony Rice and Dane Woods acquired the company, Cantrell established a well-earned reputation for quality in evisceration equipment along with killing/picking equipment, wing segmenters and vacuum transport systems.
Cantrell also built a significant precision machining business, along with supplying replacement parts for a wide range of poultry processing equipment and brands – a service that continues strong today.
Gainco
Gainco was established in 1984 as Gainesville Scales. At first, the company had a regional focus, with equipment emphasis in the early years focused on whole bird sizing and distribution systems. In 1999, a new chapter began when the company became a member of the Bettcher family of companies. With a legacy of innovation that dates from 1944, Bettcher is a leading name in the meat processing industry. It’s pioneering trimming and cutting products are used in processing plants throughout the world.
Beginning in 1999, Gainco expanded its reputation for meat yield optimization solutions and systems for weighing, inspection, trimming and deboning applications, broadening its solutions to encompass red meat and seafood in addition to poultry.
The company became recognized for its metal fabrication capabilities as well.
Combined Expertise … Combined Strengths
The two firms coming together in 2019 created opportunities to complement and expand the range of equipment and expertise available to customers., including an expanding array of systems and solutions for pork, beef and seafood processors. The combined staff is made up of employees who are subject-matter experts in their fields of expertise, and who work with customers to come up with the most efficient and cost-effective system solutions. The fact that engineering and manufacturing are done in the United States means that customized design and engineering happen quickly and with maximum flexibility.
In addition to our own USA-designed and manufactured equipment, Cantrell•Gainco also maintains relationships with other leading equipment manufacturers, making even more solutions available to customers.
High yields … high productivity … faster lead times … lower cost of ownership: It’s a powerful combination of capabilities, and poultry processors reap the benefits.
