To close out this year’s tour, we visited a company making both big equipment and a big impact: American Augers. In the small village of West Salem, Ohio, 40 miles west of Akron, American Augers manufactures maxi rigs, horizontal directional drills, fluid cleaning systems, and mud pumps. This equipment is used to service the underground construction industry, which is responsible for maintaining key aspects of our infrastructure.
The AEM Manufacturing Express 2026 has been an awesome opportunity to highlight people who manufacture equipment of all sizes from the Northeast through the Great Lakes. At Parker Hannifin, we saw tube fittings no bigger than an apple that play a critical role in making machines move. At Steelwrist, we saw tiltrotator attachments for excavators that make a huge impact on making earthmoving more efficient.
Oil and gas, water, and power. All of these essential utilities reach Americans in many parts of the country through underground lines. Without American Augers’ horizontal directional drills, it would not be possible to build or maintain these underground infrastructure assets.
The Manufacturing Express was flanked by American Augers signature blue drills on either end as workers in West Salem came out to enjoy a delicious meal, play games, and celebrate the impact their hard work has on the country. “Celebrating this campaign is all about celebrating you and what we all do in American manufacturing,” said Kevin Smith, Vice President of Ditch Witch, American Augers’ parent company. “What we do is special, and what we do here in West Salem is unique. American Augers stands for a robustness and grit.”
American Augers sets itself apart from its competitors through its ruggedness. The team here prides themselves on how easy their equipment is to repair in the field compared to the competition. In most places in the United States, American Augers can get a tech to a job site within 12 hours to troubleshoot any issues. That’s part of the benefit of being part of the Ditch Witch dealership network, another global leader in underground construction.
The company knows that its users are not making any money if their equipment is not working. That’s why so many underground construction companies turn to American Augers for simple to use, durable directional drills.
“We provide the arteries of the economic system,” said Sean Hubbard, Marketing Communications Manager for American Augers. “We do everything underground. We make all the gas lines, utilities, and everything connect. So you have all of these major manufacturers and telecom, and they need our systems to connect them together. And without that, you can’t get the energy flowing to these corporations. We are the circulatory system of that manufacturing network.”
The impact of these drills is felt by each and every one of us every day. Modern life would not be possible without the underground infrastructure supported by American Augers. As we close out another fantastic year on the road with the Manufacturing Express, we pay tribute to the people who live here in the small town of West Salem who work every day to ensure the rest of the country can live safe and healthy lives.
