Tornado’s CustomVac Division Enters Private Label Manufacturing Agreement With Ascend Hydrovacs

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CALGARY, Alberta, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tornado Infrastructure Equipment Ltd. (“Tornado” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: TGH; OTCQX: TGHLF), through its wholly owned subsidiary Custom Vacuum Services Ltd. (“CustomVac”), is pleased to announce that it has entered into a private label manufacturing agreement (“Supply Agreement”) with Ascend Hydrovacs Inc. (“Ascend”), a respected brand in the Canadian hydrovac market.

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Under this Supply Agreement, CustomVac will manufacture purpose-built, 13-yard tipping tank hydrovac units exclusively for Ascend, branded under Ascend’s name. The custom-built hydrovac units have been co-developed to meet Ascend’s specific operational and customer requirements.

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The Supply Agreement contains a commitment for the delivery of a number of innovative, proprietary hydrovac trucks to Ascend over the next four fiscal years commencing in 2026, that are estimated to generate minimum gross revenue for Tornado in the amount of CAD$88.2 million. As part of the Supply Agreement, Ascend will pay Tornado an intellectual property fee of up to $1.8 million CAD, on a per-unit basis, in exchange for certain rights to the co-developed hydrovac product design.

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“I’m excited to once again work with the ownership group of Ascend,” said Brett Newton, President and CEO of Tornado. “Their deep operational experience in service, repair, and sales has been instrumental in shaping this unique product. The collaboration reflects our mutual commitment to delivering tailored, field-tested solutions. Just as importantly, Tornado’s own capabilities continue to expand. Construction of our new shop at the Red Deer manufacturing campus is now substantially complete. We’ve begun transitioning the facility into production and expect to realize meaningful operational efficiencies and increased capacity starting in Q3 2025.”

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This exclusive partnership reinforces CustomVac’s position as a leading original equipment manufacturer for private label hydrovac manufacturing and showcases CustomVac’s ability to provide turnkey engineering and manufacturing solutions. Production will be carried out at CustomVac’s state-of-the-art facility in Nisku, Alberta, with first deliveries expected later this year.

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About Custom Vacuum Services Ltd.

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CustomVac manufactures and services mobile, coded vacuum equipment, both truck-mounted and semi-trailer mounted, for the oil and gas, utilities, excavation, environmental and safety sectors in Canada.

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CustomVac has experienced significant growth since 2022 and currently operates out of a 39,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art manufacturing and parts facility in Nisku, Alberta. Since its inception in 2000, the company’s continued expansion has led to several increases in facility size and production capacity to meet growing demand for its vacuum equipment.

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About Tornado Infrastructure Equipment Ltd.

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Tornado is a pioneer and leader in the vacuum truck industry and has been a choice of utility and oilfield professionals with over 1,800 hydrovacs sold since 2008. The Company designs and manufactures hydrovac trucks as well as provides heavy duty truck maintenance operations in central Alberta. It sells hydrovac trucks to excavation service providers in the infrastructure and industrial construction and oil and gas markets. Hydrovac trucks use high pressure water and vacuum to safely penetrate and cut soil to expose critical infrastructure for repair and installation without damage. Hydrovac excavation methods are quickly becoming a standard in North America to safely excavate in urban areas and around critical infrastructure greatly reducing infrastructure damage and related fatalities.