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Emerald Park, SK
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July, 2023
Firing on all cylinders: innovation, opportunity, and Indigenous Reconciliation
Setting the scene
From manufacturing and construction, to the mining and oil & gas sectors, shutting down operations to manually adjust, maintain or repair heavy equipment is the norm. But these routine delays cause production slow-downs, costing operating businesses tremendous amounts of time and money. Thanks to the ingenuity of Saskatchewan-based XTENDED Hydraulics & Machine, that costly status quo may be changing.
Founded in 2013 by the Tebb family, XTENDED Hydraulics & Machine is an Indigenous-owned business whose heavy-duty industrial hydraulic cylinders, custom machines and repair services are industry game-changing and a force for Indigenous employment opportunities.
Poised to revolutionize the pipeline industry, their newly designed X-Quill™ provides a fully automated, retractable quill – a needle-like piece of equipment that hangs down into pipelines to inject chemicals that help oil flow more easily. Quills typically have to be manually installed and removed by a crew each time they’re used, but with XTENDED’s technology, the X-Quill™ is controlled remotely. This provides owners and operators with the safest, most efficient method possible to control and manage the equipment – no shut-downs required.
How we helped
After the XTENDED team conceived of and brought the idea for the X-Quill™ to life, the next step was to ensure the technology was scalable. To tap into large global markets and set the foundation for a long-term export strategy, they were going to need to get the research and development of their product across the finish line while navigating the regulatory ecosystem of government funding, patents, intellectual property (IP) and international exports.
Joining the Accelerated Growth Service (AGS) and working one-on-one with an Innovation Advisor provided the guidance they needed. Through AGS they were able to connect with the right provincial and federal partners and programs specific to the Prairies region, and were subsequently able to conduct testing, get their design approved and patented, and explore global opportunities.
Having an advisor who could point us in the right direction was a lot of help throughout the process.
Robert Tebb,
President, XTENDED Hydraulics & Machine Inc.
The team
AGS was able to bring the partners listed below to the table, and through their collaboration and assistance, XTENDED Hydraulics & Machine positioned itself for continued growth and success in the future.
Research and development
With funding and support from The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) and National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), XTENDED was able to get their patents evaluated and sanctioned, and their designs tested.
This included developing the software and hardware needed to control the equipment remotely and spending 3-4 days in SRC’s lab which allowed X-Quill™ to be tested in tough real-life conditions.
They also built six different quill prototypes to test out different configurations and show how it could work and fit into a variety of pipelines.
With the help of a dedicated advisory session, XTENDED was also able to secure a Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit.
International expansion
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) provided an advisory session on a new intellectual property strategy to expand into international markets. The trademarking process is long and tedious, but CIPO provided resources on how to trademark and protect the company’s IP in different ways.
Support from the Trade Commission Service CanExport enabled XTENDED Hydraulics & Machine to explore global opportunities in the United States, Australia and the Middle East.
The impact
With the support of AGS and their team of government partners, XTENDED was able to make huge strides with their innovative X-Quill™ technology.
But the impact of their success goes far beyond a product, industry, or innovative idea – at the heart of XTENDED Hydraulics & Machine’s business, is a commitment to Saskatchewan, community and Indigenous truth and reconciliation.
From innovative technology to shaping the next generation of Indigenous entrepreneurs and trades professionals, XTENDED Hydraulics & Machine’s impact on their community and industry serves as a national inspiration for the power of diverse workforces and economic reconciliation.
Workplace diversity
100% Indigenous-owned and over half of employees are Indigenous
Gender-balanced management team
Local employment
Empower people in their communities
Apprenticeship training
Offer training for Indigenous youth to get red-seal trade certified
More than just a job
Create careers and opportunities for people that they can take far beyond XTENDED
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