Building Opportunity: Bastian Solutions Canada and GNJ Automation

Kevin Auger | December 9, 2024

When companies with complementary strengths join forces, they provide customers access to a broader range of solutions, higher levels of expertise, and faster, more efficient service. This is especially crucial in servicing the vast and diverse landscape of Canada’s warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing facilities, and other logistics businesses. The synergy between Bastian Solutions and GNJ Automation, two material handling and integrated logistics-solutions entities companies under the Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) umbrella, exemplifies how such collaborations enhance customer experiences. By leveraging their combined strengths and geographic footprint, Bastian Solutions and GNJ Automation set new standards in warehouse automation and material handling across Canada.

Combining Forces for a Total Warehouse & Distribution Solution in Canada
For more than 70 years, GNJ Automation’s parent organization G.N. Johnston Equipment Co. LTD (GNJ) and its partners have worked with Canadian companies in a multitude of industries to plan and implement customized integrated solutions that satisfy customer’s unique material handling objectives. From national warehouse operations to small retail companies, GNJ has a strong foothold in forklifts, racking and automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) solutions for its customers. For many years, these solutions covered many of its customers’ needs, however recently, GNJ started to notice a trend: the need for more comprehensive, automated, and integrated solutions beyond the traditional warehouse products.

Recognizing this need, GNJ Automation partnered with Bastian Solutions, a leader in material handling automation across North America. This strategic alliance delivers greater value to customers from both sides.

Michael Marcotte, Dealer Principal at GNJ, explains, “Customers are increasingly turning to their material handling equipment (MHE) suppliers for complete solutions that enhance their competitiveness and long-term sustainability. GNJ has long provided top-tier equipment, storage structures, and service, but the partnership with Bastian Solutions has elevated both their offerings to new depths of capability. Through their collaboration, GNJ can now address a wider range of customer needs, moving beyond core equipment and support to include advanced material handling automation solutions.”

As GNJ Automation customers now have access to the advanced automation solutions from Bastian Solutions, customers of Bastian Solutions Canada now have access to GNJ Automation’s strong service network. For customers this means a broader offering of local onsite support and preventative maintenance for all Bastian Solutions Canada projects. No matter which company a customer establishes a relationship with, it receives the benefit of all specialized services provided through one local entity. Beyond local accessibility, both companies are further bolstered by their global ties, resources and stability within the TICO network, garnering a reliable solution for every challenge.

One-Stop-Shop Solution
A critical aspect of this partnership is the training and leveraging of GNJ’s 650+ technicians across Canada. Bastian Solutions provides specialized training to GNJ and GNJ Automations’ teams, enabling them to handle more complex automation and maintenance tasks. In the not-too-distant future, as GNJ and Liftow (TICO's largest Toyota dealer of forklifts and related services) increase their synergies together, the breadth of this already-substantial market coverage will magnify still more." In turn, Bastian Solutions applies GNJ’s 70+ years of material handling expertise in their system service. This cross-training ensures customers receive expert service without the hassle of dealing with multiple vendors. Customers often struggle with maintaining their equipment, leading to high turnover rates in maintenance personnel and significant operational risks. Combining their efforts, Bastian Solutions and GNJ Automation offer a one-stop-shop solution covering everything from consulting to system design, equipment installation and service. This integrated approach means better communication, fewer redundancies, and a seamless experience for the customer.

Regarding GNJ Automation’s partnership with Bastian Solutions, Marcotte continues, "Our alliance has elevated the market perception of our combined offerings to new depths of capability. Together, we operate seamlessly to provide total end-to-end solutions unmatched by any other entity.”

Unleashing Opportunity: The Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) Connection
With a full range of automated logistic solutions – from receiving to shipping – our network of companies supports all logistic aspects of our customers’ manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers. This strategic alignment allows TICO sibling companies like Bastian Solutions and GNJ Automation to leverage Toyota’s extensive experience and resources, providing their customers with unmatched solutions.

A Strategy for the Future: Building Long-Term Partnerships
The partnership between Bastian Solutions and GNJ Automation is not just about combining services; it’s about building a sustainable future for its customers. The two are setting a new standard in the material handling industry by addressing customer needs, developing innovative products, and driving sustainable change.
This alliance embodies the Toyota philosophy of quality and excellence. It is on time, on budget, and on target, with one goal in mind: delivering quality in everything it does. The relationship between Bastian Solutions Canada and GNJ Automation is a powerful example of how strategic alliances can unleash new opportunities and offer exceptional value to customers. By combining their strengths and leveraging their shared vision, they are transforming the material handling landscape in Canada.

Author bio:
Kevin Auger is a Canada Country Sales Manager at Bastian Solutions based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Featuring a background in engineering, Kevin has a Baccalauréat en génie de production automatisé from Université du Québec - Ecole de Technologie supérieure and a Diplôme d'étude collegial in industrial electronics from Cégep de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue.

Fill out the form below for more information on Johnston Automation