Who We
Are
Austech Custom Fencing is a family-owned and operated company providing a wide range of barbed wire, steel mesh, oilfield pipe fence, wood rail fencing and automated gates to rural areas and communities surrounding Calgary. We are based northwest of Calgary, Alberta.
We are a small, highly experienced and committed team of thinkers, builders and hands-on doers. Since our founding over 30 years ago, we have been working on better ways to fence – better materials, better designs, better equipment and better installation methods. We have spent half a lifetime working on tools and equipment that increase our efficiency, because time is money.
We have rolled out a series of innovations – We’ve built the industry’s best truck mounted post-pounders. We were involved in the local development of dowelled posts and rails and we’ve created a series of innovative tools to provide better results. We continue to innovate so that our customers get a fence or gate that is stronger, longer-lasting, easier to maintain and better-looking than what was available before.
Rural fencing is what we do, and specialization has enabled us to develop a unique way of operating. We maintain our own inventory in a large materials yard (where we also provide bulk retail sales). We have a large assortment of tools and equipment, much of which has been modified to better suit what we do, or designed entirely in-house. We are not dependent on rented equipment. We have strong relationships with a range of suppliers and partners.
And we’re not just a seasonal provider. We fence from early spring until December. Automated gate installations are available year-round. We believe that our commitment and expertise show, in that we have built our business largely on our loyal repeat clientele. Our customers appreciate that we’re always trying to further improve our products and we service everything we build.
And, they especially appreciate the honest advice we give. Not only about the fence or gate itself, but about the customer’s entire big-picture concept. For example, will the number of acres they intend to fence for their horses actually grow enough grass to feed them? Or should the enclosure itself perhaps be enlarged? Might a different gauge of mesh do a better job of containing your particular pets or livestock? We’ll give you honest advice about your fencing needs, what will work and what won’t, what will last, what is cost-effective as well as aesthetic. We also service what we build so we have been able to observe what works and what doesn’t over the years and make adjustments to improve the result and longevity of your fence.
This ability stems from the fact that we ourselves – Nick and Janet Warner, the founding owners of Austech – have an extensive agricultural background. We each grew up on farms – Nick in Australia, Janet near Balzac, Alberta. Today we continue to run a custom grazing operation. As users of miles of fencing ourselves, we intimately understand fencing, gates and corrals from the customer’s standpoint. We also understand the challenges of handling livestock and of living in a rural area with security concerns. And we certainly understand the value of a scarce dollar!
The first innovations – along with interacting with customers to demonstrate the benefits – arrived early, and many more followed. Here are the most important ones:
1993 – Fully articulated, hydraulic, truck-mounted post pounder. Designed and manufactured in-house, and the outcome of years of research, design and trial-and-error, this is truly far-and-away the country’s best truck mounted post pounder.
1997 – Beveled-rail fencing. This is what we refer to as “conventional rail”. An Austech invention. More than 20 years later, as far as we know we are the only fencing contractor providing this design. Efficient installation of this design required other innovations, including special hydraulic sharpeners and cone bits. Please see this page for the full description and photos.
1998 – Dowelled posts (and, later, rails). Traditional peeled posts and rails are inconsistent, challenging to install correctly, and each bundle would contain up to 10% unusable stock. Austech was instrumental in persuading Alberta’s big mill to switch to dowelled posts of uniform diameter. Many benefits followed, including the freedom to introduce our unique notched and saddle-cupped post-and-rail design. This delivered a leap in consistency and durability over traditional designs.
2010 – Notched and saddle-cupped rail fencing design. Facilitated by the Austech-driven shift to dowelled posts and rails, this unique approach maximizes wood-to-wood contact area, adding immensely to a wooden fence’s strength and longevity. Efficient construction of this design required a number of equipment innovations, including gas-powered post notchers and saddle-cuppers used exclusively by Austech.
2011 – Bulk sales. We added bulk retail sales of materials to farmers, ranchers.
2015 – Automated gates. Austech recognized the need for a value-priced automated gate that did not sacrifice strength, reliability, good looks, or longevity. Austech rolled out its solution, using field-proven and reliable motors and controls from Command Gate, based in Innisfail, Alberta, and locally manufactured Hi-Hog gates.
2016 – In-house manufacturing of automated gates. This allowed us to improve finishing quality, reduce cycle times and add sizes and variants.
2017 – Mesh roll-out unit with automatic tensioner. Tension is critical in mesh fencing, and this recent innovation enables us to install mesh fencing far faster than anyone else, while achieving perfect tension as the fencing goes up. That year also brought stand-alone steel end braces, significantly improving installation time, flexibility, and the fence’s longevity.
2019 – We installed three phase power, to allow us to use a plasma table.
2022 – We installed a plasma dragon capable of handling 30ft lengths of oilfield tubing.
Over the years we also added numerous pieces of specialized tools and equipment. Today we operate two pounder trucks, a skid-steer pounder and other equipment.