Wilbur Ellis: Sieler Siding Project Feature

Customer Name: Wilbur Ellis: Sieler Siding

Location: Moses Lake, WA

Website: wilburellis.com

Wilbur-Ellis continued to modernize its Sieler Siding agronomy facility with an automation upgrade from Easy Automation. The project integrated automated controls, loadout management, and real-time facility monitoring to improve operational efficiency and product handling. By providing operators with greater visibility and control over daily operations, the system helps increase accuracy, reduce manual processes, and support the long-term growth of the facility.

Wilbur Ellis Sieler Siding Customer Q&A

Anita Paulsson, Distribution Center Manager at Wilbur Ellis: Sieler Siding

Q: Why did you choose Easy Automation as your automation partner? 

"Service – We talked with another facility who had both the automation system we used before at Sieler Siding and Easy Automation at their facility. You can have the best automation that’s easy to use, but there will always be something that goes wrong or something unexpected that comes up. Based on their experience and our research, great service was the deciding factor for me between a system I knew and one I needed to learn.” 

Q: What was your experience working with the Easy Automation staff before and during installation? 

"Easy Automation staff has been great to work with. I will admit I had some reservations from time to time in the months before the installation mainly due to the fact that I was facing a startup after a rebuild… already partly into the spring season… already knowing how the plant needed to function to maintain the efficiency the branches we serve had come to expect after years of operation… and feeling like I needed to understand how to use the automation (probably a lot earlier than most people would ever have been thinking about that). BUT Devon and his team (including Curtis and Brandon) came through with flying colors. The training and installation went very smoothly, and all of the Easy Automation team has been great to work with throughout this process.” 

Q: Has the automation impacted your facility’s efficiency? If so, how?

“It may be too early to tell. In my mind, it wouldn’t be fair to compare a startup season to the efficiency we had after years of operation with a previous automation system. My best answer based on my impression at this point is that Easy Automation has not reduced our efficiency or necessarily increased it. I also don’t think we have reached the full potential of understanding what the Easy Automation system/programs provide.” 

Q: Have you called into service and support? If so, what has been your experience?

“Outstanding! I have called in for help many times, including Saturdays, and have always gotten the help I needed. I have been impressed with the fact that it doesn’t matter who I talk to, they know what they are doing, and they seem to be communicating with each other, so I don’t have to waste time reviewing the entire history of a problem when the same tech isn’t available. From my experience, Easy Automation has a great service team that functions as a team!” 

Q: Would you recommend Easy Automation as an automation partner? Why or why not.

“Absolutely. In my opinion, automation should be easy to use, adaptable to support the business needs, and have a great service team to back it up. Easy Automation does that. Adaptability was one key factor for me after our research on automation companies before the rebuild of Sieler Siding, but service was the deciding factor, and Easy Automation’s service has proven to be the key to our successful partnership."