WINTER 2010
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Contents
Winter 10
Columns & Departments
4 Finning Focus
An antique mill wakes from a century
of sleep
6
16
9
10
20
Groundbreaker
Finning storms the Venture 100, ramping
up recruitment, system switch, new
power systems website, Caterpillar paving
schools, the 795F AC arrives, show us your
gear contest
By the Numbers
Yesterday & Today
30
The evolution of the scraper, from horsedrawn to high-speed
11
Safety First
12
Operator’s Tips
13
Manager’s Tips
28
Tech Spotlight
30
Meeting the Challenge
32
Portrait
33
Bill’s Business
34
Count on Us
Don’t panic if you suspect asbestos in
your workplace
Essential etiquette on the worksite
Promote your mission statement
Anatomy of a field follow
14
Rescue Rig
16
Eco Driven
20
Maximum Performance
24
Well-Equipped
26
Powering Up the Party
Port Mann Bridge Project
Richard Mallen, business
development manager
A Finning customer’s integral role in the
recovery of the trapped Chilean miners
New vehicles and regulations signal green
times for operators
Castlegar mill pushes the reliability of
its fleet
Edmonton company is won over by
Caterpillar
The Grey Cup Festival
heats up thanks to
the Cat Rental Store
Greener machine
On the Cover
Dozer operator Steve Rendall
of Surmont Sand and Gravel
stands proudly with the D7E,
designed to leave a smaller
environmental footprint.
Photo: Greg Halinda
www.finning.ca
12
tracks & treads
Winter 2010
3
A Return to the
Glory Days
It was a warm September day in east-central B.C.
when an old mill woke from a very long sleep.
Its saw blades hadn’t made lumber in nearly 100
years. Some folks said the pile of rusted metal it had
become looked more like it belonged in a scrap yard
than in the town of Barkerville, a Canadian Heritage
Site. But in September, after some elbow grease and
a lot of restoration, the ancient mill started up like it
was brand new.
“It was puffi ng white smoke rings,” recalls Forbes
Campbell, a volunteer with the Quesnel’s Antique
RISE AND SHINE: Forbes Campbell wakes up the antique mill
for the people of Barkerville.
4
tracks & treads
Winter 2010
Machinery Park. “Good entertainment for 67-yearold boys.”
Forbes has every reason to be excited about the
mill’s awakening. For the last two years, Forbes, along
with Jim Trueman and the rest of the volunteers at the
Antique Machinery Park, has been working hard to
restore the mill to its former glory.
When Forbes was first introduced to the mound of
discarded cast iron, the mill looked to be a long way
from its glory days in the 1800s when it was powered
by either steam or a water wheel. “It didn’t look very
promising,” Forbes admits.
But after sandblasting, painting and
fashioning some new wooden parts,
the old mill started to look pretty good.
The only thing missing was power. The
original force was out of the question, so
an alternative energy source was needed.
That’s when the volunteers came upon a
1946 D8 Caterpillar engine. After many
hours of rejigging the old piece of equipment (including sourcing parts from
a similar machine from 1953, some of
which were still in the original packaging), it was ready to go.
For Forbes, who used to watch
Caterpillar equipment in action at the
Calgary Stampede, the mill’s grand opening was an ideal close to a much-loved
project. Barkerville’s claim to fame is its
showcase of life in the early 1900s, and
Forbes says the Barkerville staff members,
all dressed in their period finery, added a
perfect touch of whimsy.
“It was neat to see the mill cutting wood,
surrounded by people: Barkerville actors,
people with bowler hats and then modern
people with digital cameras. And the
engine sounded beautiful.”
www.finning.ca
PHOTO: THOMAS DRASDAUSKIS
BY JEN JANZEN
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
An ancient mill rises again
to run like new
WINTER 2010 Volume 50, No. 4
PUBLISHER
Ruth Kelly
rkelly@venturepublishing.ca
All Machines Are Not Created Equal
See the difference...
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jen Janzen
jjanzen@finning.ca
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Joyce Byrne
jbyrne@venturepublishing.ca
MANAGING EDITOR
Stephanie Sparks
ssparks@venturepublishing.ca
COPY CHIEF
Kim Tannas
EDITORIAL ADVISORS
Hilary Anaka, Crystal Chokshi, Jeff Howard,
Michelle Loewen, Jeff Wuite
ART DIRECTOR
Charles Burke
cburke@venturepublishing.ca
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR
Colin Spence
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Betty-Lou Smith
CIRCULATION COORDINATOR
Andrea Cruickshank
circulation@venturepublishing.ca
ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
Anita McGillis
amcgillis@venturepublishing.ca
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Serena Beck, Robin Brunet, Caitlin Crawshaw,
David DiCenzo, Keith Haddock, Annalise Klingbeil,
Cailynn Klingbeil, Tricia Radison, Jim Veenbaas
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ILLUSTRATORS
Bobbi Barbarich, Thomas Drasdauskis, Greg Halinda,
Joel Koop, Stuart McCall, Heff O’Reilly,
Raymond Reid, Colin Spence, Chip Zdarsky
Tracks & Treads is published to provide its readers
with relevant business, technology, product
and service information in a lively
and engaging manner.
Tracks & Treads is published for
Finning (Canada) by
Venture Publishing Inc.
10259-105 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1E3
Phone: 780-990-0839
Fax: 780-425-4921
Contents © 2010 by Finning (Canada)
No part of this publication should be
reproduced without written permission.
... IN HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY
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... IN LOWER OPERATING COSTS
Cat Compact Construction Equipment can use
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standard equipped foot throttle.
Imagine how much you’d save in a year,
burning 1/3 to 1 gallon less fuel every hour.
Do the math with your own numbers:
Machine usage (hours per year):
Fuel savings (1/3 - 1 gal* per hr):
1.000 hours
333 - 1,000 gallons
Cost savings (@ $3per gal):
$1,000 - $3,000
... IN INCREASED PROFITS
Maximizing productivity and minimizing costs.
On your company’s bottom line-that’s where
you’ll see a real difference when you’re running
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*1 gallon = 3.79 litres
Tell us what you think
Tracks & Treads would love to hear from you. Tell us what you think
of the magazine’s stories, columns and look, so that we can improve
it and make it a more interesting read.
Send your comments to editor-in-chief Jen Janzen by email at
jjanzen@finning.ca or the old-fashioned way to: Jen Janzen, Tracks & Treads,
Finning (Canada), 16830 – 107 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T5P 4C3
www.finning.ca
www.finning.ca
tracks & treads
Winter 2010
5
BY JEN JANZEN AND STEPHANIE SPARKS
Merging Systems
Finning’s insides are about to get an overhaul as the company
switches its computer-based systems over to an enterprise
resource planning (ERP) system.
The new ERP, powered by Lawson Software Inc., will eventually merge Finning’s systems not only across all of its locations
in Canada but also across the United Kingdom, Ireland and
South America.
Finning is working hard to minimize any impacts on its customers. As a result, there are several changes it would like
to tell you about. Please visit “We’re Making Changes”on
www.finning.ca to get all the details.
Finning Makes the Cut
In September, Alberta Venture
released its Venture 100 for
2010, and Finning (Canada)
came in on the list at #24,
moving up three spots from
its 2009 rank. The annual
list ranks the top grossing companies in Alberta.
“Finning is one of those
rare companies that stays
ahead of the curve,” says
Alberta Venture editor
Paul Marck. “It has a
strong sales force and
its maintenance and
service divisions have
built a solid reputation
in keeping customers
moving. It is no surprise that Finning is
a huge success story,
and its ranking of
#24 on the Venture
100 is well-deserved.”
6
tracks & treads
Winter 2010
Down the Same Road: Around the
world, at least six other Caterpillar
dealers have now signed on with
Lawson. Wheeler, Wagner, Butler,
WesTrac, Energy Power Systems
Australia and Pon have all begun
projects to implement their own
ERPs. Together with Finning, these
dealers will provide direction
around future Lawson products
and services, ultimately to improve
the service Cat dealers provide.
www.finning.ca
Electric News
For the last three
years, Caterpillar has
been developing
its 795F AC electric
drive truck and the
machine is now
being field followed.
The new machine
is equipped with
new Caterpillar AC
technology making
downhill work less of
an uphill battle.
“The features
that Caterpillar has
designed are proving
themselves to be
benefits,” says Mark
Vander Griend,
director of mining
sales and marketing.
The 795F AC,
with a load capacity
of 345 tons, also
gives Finning an
opportunity to go
after a truck size
between 320 tons
and 360 tons –
a truck that can go
head-to-head with
competitors in that
size class. The Cat oilcooled brakes coupled
with the dynamic
braking feature of the
electric drive truck
enables more control
while travelling down
steep hills faster.
www.finning.ca
Recruitment Ramps Up
Business is picking up—and so are many companies’
recruitment needs. Finning requires heavy equipment technicians, third- and fourth-year apprentices
and service supervisors. It is looking to fill more than
100 positions in the first quarter of 2011. While the
drive is on across Finning’s territory, Fort McMurray,
Red Deer and Sparwood have the highest need.
To kick off the search for great people, the
new and dedicated Recruitment Team has been
arranging participation in career fairs, radio ads,
online job boards and newspapers across Canada.
If you know of any exceptional people who
might be interested in a position at Finning,
have them apply online at www.finning.ca.
tracks & treads
Winter 2010
7
Future of Forestry
Forestry has always faced more than its fair
share of issues. Now it must contend with
this piece of information: the average age of
forestry workers is 54, according to the Truck
Loggers Association. Depending on whether
or not workers decide to stay in the industry or
transition out of the business, companies need
to start planning for succession. And sooner is
better.
“As the cost structure has been forced to collapse and we have to be more efficient, a lot of
the entry-level jobs that used to exist have been
deemed to be redundant or unnecessary,” says
David Lewis, executive director of the Truck
Loggers Association.
“At the end of the day, you need to have stable
jobs for people if you are recruiting them. The
reason we’re in this spot is because we’ve seen
the number and stability of jobs reduced so
much. Naturally, it’s the older, more experienced people
who have stayed. We have created an age-class gap.”
Once the existing workers hit retirement age in the
coming years, how can companies “refi ll the bucket?”
Opportunities for entry-level workers need to come
Picture Perfect Gear
From the front lawn to the jobsite to the warm
beach, you’re rarely seen without your Caterpillar
gear. Now, with the Heavy Duty Gear Store’s “Show
Us Your Gear” promotion, you won’t have any reason
to take it off.
Here are the details: Send in a photo of yourself
in Caterpillar gear (a hat, jacket, socks, boots
– anything goes). The pictures will be posted on the
Heavy Duty Gear Store’s Facebook page. Voting will
take place online, and the winner gets a $100 gift
certificate to purchase even more Caterpillar swag.
The promotion kicks off on Jan. 1, 2011 and
runs throughout the year, with winners chosen
quarterly. Visit the Show Us Your Gear page at www.
heavydutygearstore.ca/show for more information,
including terms and conditions.
8
tracks & treads
Winter 2010
sooner, and in order for companies to be able to do this, they need to create
value instead of cutting costs.
“If you can justify their existence by undertaking a different process that
will bring more value to your operations, you can afford to have that entrylevel person around,” says Lewis. “It’s a pay now or pay later situation.”
Paving the Way
Caterpillar understands that with the current levels of turnover in the industry, something’s
going to give, and it shouldn’t be the quality of its customers’ work. That’s why the company hosts Caterpillar Paving Schools.
“We call it paving by numbers,” explains paving industry marketing manager Jim Serink of the series of operator steps necessary to lay down a smooth, clean mat. “Because there’s such turnover in
operators, it’s beneficial to reacquaint everybody with the proper procedures for operating a paver.”
With classes of six to 10 people, schools are run regularly in the U.S., but Finning can
also accommodate customers that want to bring in a Caterpillar instructor to their own
workplaces. The regular classes run from three days to one week, but privately scheduled
sessions can be tailored to customer needs. Serink notes there is a cost for attending or
hosting a class; speak to your Finning rep for more information.
www.finning.ca
By the Numbers
Power Systems
to the People
What began as a simple
update to the contacts
page for Richmond Power
Systems turned into a
complete overhaul of the
external power systems
website, thanks to the
input and initiative of
corporate engineering
manager Tony Heir and his
sales representatives.
The original goal was
to ensure customers could
find out who to talk to
at their branch. But as
Heir and his team looked
deeper, they discovered the
external website was out of
date and felt it was out of
touch with the competition.
He volunteered his staff
and sales reps to join a
development team working
on the website with an
Edmonton design team.
Now customers can go
directly to www.finning.ca
to print a brochure or look
at the service levels offered
in that specific business
unit. And to alleviate
concerns that the website
might again become dated,
Heir has designated a
website contact for every
power systems branch.
Each person will monitor
and update the contacts
page as needed.
Says Heir, “We are
getting good feedback
from the market on it
already.”
www.finning.ca
216
Average number of
noodles in a can of
Campbell’s chicken
noodle soup
120,000
7 out of 10
pet owners purchase
Christmas gifts for their pets
8
120
Colours currently
produced by Crayola
43
Colours available in the
original Crayola box
(black, brown, purple,
blue, red, orange, yellow
and green)
730
Crayons the average
child will have worn
out by their 10th
birthday
Number of years Barbie dated Ken
(from 1961 to 2004, at which point
Mattel announced that the couple
“feels it’s time to spend some
quality time apart.”)
365
possible words that
can be spelled out
using seven letters
or fewer
points is the highest single
play in a game of Scrabble
57%
Percentage of Canadians
that feel that they have
less free time now than
they did five years ago
$100 million
The cost of installing a 3G mobile phone network that reaches the summit of Mount Everest
1 billion
Pairs of
shoes Barbie
has owned
since 1959
tracks & treads
Winter 2010
9
BY KEITH HADDOCK
Scraper Evolution
Early horse-drawn scrapers evolved into high-speed
earthmovers and led to Caterpillar’s dominance in
today’s scraper market
HOLD YOUR HORSES: A two-horse team aided by three
operators shows how earthmoving was done before the
mechanized age.
A CLASS TO THEMSELVES: Caterpillar’s 657 series of
scrapers at 36.6 cubic metre capacity are the largest available
anywhere. These and the smaller 26 cubic metre 637 series
have no competitors in this size range in the industry today.
10
tracks & treads
Winter 2010
This year’s Calgary Stampede
was host to Draft Horse Town, a
tribute to the working horses of
Canada. In the pre-mechanized
era, these gentle giants were the
engines of the day, performing
all kinds of transportation and
construction tasks. Draft Horse
Town was a working demonstration of all things connected with
draft horses. You could watch
blacksmiths at work making
metal parts and horseshoes, look
at a multitude of artifacts from
the horse-drawn era and watch
live demonstrations of horses
churning out real ice cream or
pulling roadbuilding equipment.
The roadbuilding equipment
demonstrations were organized by members of the newly
formed Roadbuilders and Heavy
Construction Heritage Society of
Canada (RHHS), who transported several pieces of restored
horse-drawn equipment to a
corner of the Calgary Stampede
grounds where Draft Horse
Town took place. The equipment,
all from the early part of the 20th
century, included a road plow,
pull-type grader, drag scraper,
Fresno scraper, early wheeled
pull-type scraper, dump wagon
and elevating grader.
Crowds watched as a dump
wagon drawn by a two-horse
team entered the arena and
dumped its load. A four-horse
team pulling a grader then
levelled out the soil, taking several passes to delight the
audience, and finally a two-horse team pulling a drag
scraper collected the material and arranged it into piles.
Observing the antique equipment silently moving a
few cubic metres of earth clearly revealed just how far the
earthmoving industry has progressed since the horsedrawn era. Over decades, scrapers have progressed from
horse-drawn to tractor-drawn and later to self-propelled.
Compare the early drag scrapers, which could manage
about one-half of a cubic metre, with the cavernous
capacity of Caterpillar’s latest 657G motor scrapers that
carry 33.6 cubic metres or the 657G coal scraper version
with its 56 cubic metre capacity.
Caterpillar introduced its first scrapers in 1946, a
range of three pull-types ranging from 6.1 to 13.8 cubic
metres heaped capacity, designed to match its three
largest crawler tractors of that era, the D6, D7 and D8. In
1951 Caterpillar’s first integrated self-propelled tractor
and scraper units appeared: the DW21 (two-wheel tractor with No. 21 scraper) and DW20 (four-wheel tractor
with No. 20 scraper). With heaped capacity of 15.3 cubic
metres and a top speed of 32 kilometres per hour, these
scrapers showed what high-speed earthmoving was
all about and set the stage for bigger and more efficient
machines to come.
Fast forward six decades. Today Caterpillar’s scraper
line covers the full gamut of models and sizes. The range
consists of two standard single-engine scraper models of
17 and 26 cubic metre heaped capacity, three models of
tandem-powered scrapers from 17 to 33.6 cubic metres,
two models of elevating scrapers of 8.4 and 17.6 cubic
metres and three models of auger scrapers from 16 to
33.6 cubic metres. Nobody can match this comprehensive range, and Caterpillar not only leads the market in
scraper sales, but its largest models have no competition.
The RHHS is a non-profit organization dedicated
to preserving and promoting Canada’s construction
heritage. For more information or to get involved,
contact Gerry Stotts at 403-279-7751 or Keith Haddock
at 780-434-2840.
www.finning.ca
BY ANNALISE KLINGBEIL
ILLUSTRATION BY RAYMOND REID
All About Asbestos
Don’t panic but do contact an
expert if you suspect this versatile
mineral is in your workplace
From its glory days when it was celebrated as a
versatile “magic mineral” to the discovery that it’s a
dangerous health threat, public opinion of asbestos has
been reshaped over time. A natural mineral strong enough
to resist high temperatures, asbestos has strong insulating properties. It's used in a wide range of industries for
multiple purposes: from rope to brake pads, binders to insulation. It’s still used worldwide, though banned in some
nations and not generally used in Canada.
“At one point in time, it was considered to be the magic
mineral because it could do so many things,” explains Jim
Moroney, executive director of the Alberta Municipal
Health and Safety Association.
Asbestos crystals were used for fire- and sound-proofing, but when a direct link between the silky asbestos fibres
and cancer was found in the 1970s, industry use began
to diminish. Governments began to implement strict
procedures around the mineral’s removal, and industries
were forced to stop using it in buildings. In the very early
years of asbestos removal, Moroney says such projects were
“so dismal, so difficult, so uncomfortable” that the only people up
for the dangerous task were ex-convicts. “The industry has since
changed … but in the early years, it was like the wild, wild west,”
says Moroney.
To this day, removing asbestos, or chrysotile, is a complicated
procedure. “Essentially, what you have to do is prevent the fibres
from migrating to anywhere else in the building,” he explains. The
location with asbestos is contained and removal workers are outfitted with personal protective equipment. “There is a whole set of
procedures that have to be followed.”
A former industrial hygienist, Moroney once assessed workplaces for occupational diseases. He recalls one horrific experience
decades ago when he came across an employer who knew there was
asbestos in his building. To avoid paying the high cost of removal,
he enlisted his employees, who were unaware of the harmful mineral, to come in on the weekend and tear down the building. “That
was one of the most blatant risk exposure cases I’ve ever seen ... it
was terrible,” he says.
If you suspect you’re working in an environment with asbestos,
bring in an expert to gauge the exposure risk before panicking.
“You don’t have to run out of the building screaming and yelling,”
www.finning.ca
he says. If you already know your building has asbestos, an assessment is mandatory. Where it poses immediate risk, the former “magic
mineral” will need to be removed but in other cases – for example, if
asbestos is in drywall that remains undisturbed – it may be okay to
leave it alone. “You can still have asbestos in the building and it can be
very safe to live and work in that building,” emphasizes Moroney.
While “probably all of us have been exposed to some type of
asbestos fibres in the air,” Moroney says, prolonged exposure can be
detrimental. When fibres are breathed in, they could get trapped in
the lungs and over time, the accumulation of fibres can cause serious
health problems – such as mesothelioma (a rare form of cancer) or
asbestosis, a long-term respiratory condition.
Remember, if you suspect chrysotile exposure in your workplace or
jobsite, call an expert to assess the situation.
CHANGING TIMES
In 2006, 2.3 million tons of asbestos were mined worldwide and
Canada was the world’s fourth largest producer.
tracks & treads
Winter 2010
11
Tips

Mind Your Manners
Tips for a safe and happy worksite
12
BY CAILYNN KLINGBEIL
ILLUSTRATION BY HEFF O'REILLY
Etiquette, politeness, rules: regardless of what you call
them, good manners are important. Unfortunately, it can be easy
to forget manners in the hustle and bustle of a worksite. But good
manners on the site aren’t just courteous – they’re safe. Brad Nunn, a
Finning mining and construction application specialist, has seen almost
everything, from horrendous etiquette blunders to triumphant courtesy
victories. He offers five tips for minding your manners while on the job
to help ensure everyone plays nice and stays safe.
you,” he says. “If you think that guy knows where you are, you always
make sure … whether that be through radio, through a hand signal or
through eye contact.”
1) Know who has the right of way
Loaded haul units always have the right of way, says Nunn, meaning
unless you’re a loaded haul unit, you’d better pull over. Nunn often
witnesses this simple piece of etiquette ignored or lost, as people
unfamiliar with the site and unaware of traffic patterns are unsure
what to do. In addition to giving loaded haul units the right of way,
another piece of etiquette regarding haul units is to make radio
contact when passing.
4) Practice good radio etiquette
“Keep two-way radio chatter to a minimum,” says Nunn. “The radio is not
for gossiping. It’s meant for safety purposes and communication.” Proper
radio protocol also includes keeping your language clean. “It’s
not professional,” he says, and this simple stance on foul-language is shared
by many in the field. Additionally, turn off stereos in the background when
communicating on a two-way radio, whether you’re in your vehicle or a
yellow iron cab. The extra background noise serves only to distract.
2) Make eye contact
“Always make sure at any point when approaching a machine that
you make eye contact with the operator prior to approaching that
machine,” says Nunn. This applies to everyone on the worksite, even
the people who have been working together for years. While such
familiarity provides a certain comfort level, it’s still important to make
eye contact for safety purposes. “Never assume that someone can see
5) Clean up after yourself
Cleaning up after yourself wherever you are on the worksite ensures
a safe environment for all. A clean machine is one that’s taken care of,
will last longer and is unlikely to fail when you or your coworker needs
it. A clean and organized work environment can eliminate hazards
and improve relationships. “Always make sure you keep your machine
clean and tidy,” says Nunn. “Don’t live in a pigsty.”
tracks & treads
Winter 2010
3) Communication is key
Contact with your colleagues is a constant part of the job. Nunn advises
operators to communicate their whereabouts with supervisors, signing
in and out of job sites and making contact with the site supervisor.
www.finning.ca

On a Mission
Leaders should “walk the talk”
when it comes to promoting
company mission
statements
BY TRICIA RADISON
Ask your employees to write down your
company’s mission statement and you might be surprised at the responses.
“I’ve asked senior management teams to do this
exercise, and I couldn’t believe how disconnected
they were from the mission of the company,” says Ken
Curtis, practice leader, MNP Consulting with the business advisory and accountancy firm Meyers Norris
Penny LLP from his Regina office. “Some would write
down three key words they remembered from a poster.”
What’s the big deal? If everyone is doing his or her
job, is it really important to know the mission statement by heart?
Yes, says Curtis. Connecting your employees to your
mission – the reason your company exists – can lead to
several significant benefits:
• Increased motivation
• Enhanced productivity
• Improved job satisfaction
• Reduced voluntary attrition
• Heightened commitment to quality
While these benefits are always desirable, today’s
changing demographics and predicted future labour
shortages combined with the challenges of our global
marketplace, make them critical to a company’s
success.
Creating a connection
Simply memorizing a mission statement posted in the
lobby isn’t going to cut it. There must be a connection between the employee and the company’s stated
purpose.
“The company’s reason for being must be meaningful for people,” says Curtis. “That means ensuring
that employees understand how what they do at work
contributes to the organization’s mission.”
www.finning.ca
An accountant in a large finance department may believe he is doing a good job,
but when asked how he serves his company’s mission to build relationships with
customers, he may not see a connection. “That accountant will do a better job for
you if he understands how what he does actually contributes to what the customer
receives,” explains Curtis.
Leading the way
Communicating your mission to your employees and helping them connect with
it begins with your leadership team. The leaders of the company must believe in
the mission, and in the values and vision that outline the ways the organization will
achieve its mission.
“The leaders are the stewards of the corporate values and set the example. They
must walk the talk,” says Curtis. He adds that ensuring new hires share your company’s values and believe in your mission is becoming a standard part of the hiring
process for many human resource professionals and recruiters.
Rewarding behaviours that support the mission, vision and values of the organization is key to creating a connection. In some companies, just the opposite occurs,
leaving employees confused. For example, if one of the values that supports your
mission is work-life balance but you consistently reward employees who stay late in
order to increase profits, employees will have difficulty understanding what’s important to the company.
4 WAYS TO STRENGTHEN THE CONNECTION
• Clearly explain how each employee’s job contributes to your mission.
• Create an organizational culture and identify shared values and
behaviours that support your mission.
• Talk about your mission at meetings, explaining how recent achievements
contribute to your company’s growth and sustainability.
• Incorporate key messages reflecting corporate values into your mission
statement so that employees who share those values have a way to
personally relate to the mission. “We’re seeing an increased use of ‘green’
statements in mission statements,” says Curtis. “Employees who are
environmentally conscious relate more closely to what their employer is
trying to achieve.”
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13
COPIAPÓ, CHILE
PLAN C: Rig 421 (on left) works alongside one of the
other drills as part of the rescue operation.
Rescue
RIGT
BY ANNALISE KLINGBEIL
Finning customer helps in
the daring recovery of the
trapped Chilean miners
14
tracks & treads
Winter 2010
he world watched with bated breath as 33 Chilean
miners trapped hundreds of metres beneath the earth’s surface were rescued, one by one, in October. Although the San
Jose copper and gold mine is in a remote Chilean desert located
thousands of kilometres from Canada, the miraculous rescue had
ties close to home. Precision Drilling Corporation, Canada’s largest
oilfield services company and a Finning customer, played a role in
the dramatic and joyous 22-hour, 37-minute rescue operation that
captivated viewers around the globe.
“Precision is honoured to have been part of the rescue mission,
and we are relieved and happy that all the miners have returned
safely back to the surface and are reunited with their families and
loved ones,” the company posted on its website.
www.finning.ca
On Oct. 13, the world watched as the miners,
who had spent 69 days trapped 700 metres
underground, climbed into a small steel capsule
that brought them, one at a time, to elated
relatives. The rescue mission went off without
a hitch and ended the longest underground
entrapment in history. As relatives reunited
with their trapped sons, husbands, brothers and
fathers, live telecasts relayed their safe arrival.
According to information on the company’s
website, when the miners became trapped on
August 5, 2010, Calgary-based Precision Drilling
had one machine, Rig 421, that had been working in northern Chile and was sitting idle waiting
for redeployment. Precision was approached by
Chilean authorities to see if the rig was fit to drill
a hole both wide and deep enough for the rescue
mission. The company worked with ENAP, an
energy company owned by the state of Chile,
FREE AT LAST: Just days after their rescue, the miners attended
Codelco, the main copper producer in the world
a mass service at the San Jose mine.
with a head office in Santiago, Chile, and the
Ministry of Mines to evaluate whether Rig 421
ing supporters for their encouragement while Rig 421 worked in the
was capable of drilling the desired hole.
In mid-September, the rig, which is rated to drill a vertical depth of South American country: “Precision Drilling and particularly the crew
3,200 metres and can lift 360,000 pounds, was mobilized to Copiapó, of Rig 421 would like to thank everyone for the numerous messages of
thanks and support we received during our operations in Chile.”
roughly 45 kilometres south of the Atacama Desert mine site. It
began drilling alongside two other mining rigs on Sept. 19. The trio
of rigs was dubbed “Plan C” by Chilean government officials.
Rig 421 is known as a Diesel-Electric Triple, meaning it can lift
Who Kept Rig 421 Going?
three joints of 30-foot pipe onto the drilling floor at a time. “DieselElectric” refers to the three primary diesel engines that run three
Running a rig that can drill a vertical depth of 3,200
generators used to power the machinery. From Sept. 22 until Oct.
metres and lift 360,000 pounds is not an easy task. Rig
12, Precision Drilling posted daily updates on its web site until the
421 was kept running by two full crews who worked
miners were greeted by family and officials, as they emerged from the
around the clock. Each shift of workers was made up of
underground cavern.
11 rig positions, according to Precision’s website for the
“We have lived a magical night, a night we will remember
rescue updates, which detailed information on each
throughout our lives, a night in which life defeated death,” Chilean
position.
President Sebastián Piñera told the Los Angeles Times following
A rig manager, driller, motorhand, electrician, mechanic,
the spectacular rescue.
two derrickhands and two floorhands as well as an onsite
Following the rescue, a photo of 18 staff, dressed in dirty coveralls
safety supervisor and engineer made sure things ran as
and hard hats, accompanied a message on the Precision website, thankthey should on Rig 421. While the rig manager acted as
foreman of the rig overall, the motorhand ensured all
equipment was clean and operating properly and assisted
About Rig 421
the driller and the two derrickhands. The derrickhands
were responsible for all work that took place above the rig
• Transporting Rig 421 to Copiapó required 37 truckloads.
floor and the drilling fluid, while the driller led the crew
• From the ground to the top of the mast, Rig 421 measured
and made certain all of the equipment was operated safely
43 metres tall.
on the drilling rig. The two floorhands, also known as
• Rig 421 had a working area of approximately 70 metres by
roughnecks, were responsible for assisting the derrickhand
110 metres.
and driller on the drilling floor. Together, the diligent team
• Atop a substructure, the crew worked on a “drilling floor”
cooperated to ensure Rig 421 worked flawlessly 24 hours
that measured about four metres above the ground.
a day.
www.finning.ca
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Winter 2010
15
16
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www.finning.ca
D
It’s an environmentally conscious
time at Caterpillar as Finning
customers welcome the new
D7E into their fleets
BY JIM VEENBAAS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREG HALINDA
GROUND UP: Surmont Sand and Gravel dozer operator Steve Rendall
stands by the speed, design and diesel electric engine of Caterpillar’s D7E.
www.finning.ca
avid Laboucane didn’t waste any time
making a decision. The owner of Surmont Sand
and Gravel sat behind the controls of the D7E
during a summer demonstration and knew immediately that it would become the next piece in his fleet of
heavy equipment.
“It was pretty much a no-brainer for us,” says
Laboucane. “We had a chance to test it out and the
manoeuvrability was great. I really liked the way it
performed, and the cost savings and durability made it
a good fit for us.”
One of the biggest draws was the machine’s speed.
“With this, you can actually spin it around on a threeto-one back slope and go in whatever direction you
want without getting stuck. If you tried that with other
equipment, you’d cut into the ground right away, making it more difficult to move.”
Surmont Sand and Gravel was the first Finning customer to purchase the D7E, a machine that generated
a huge buzz in the industry because of its cutting-edge
design and diesel-electric engine. But for guys like
Laboucane – and virtually all heavy equipment operators – purchasing a new machine is all about performance and cost. Surmont is running 150 machines
in the Fort McMurray area, where the terrain and
conditions are rugged. The company needs equipment
that can handle a wide range of operations, as well as
the muskeg and soft ground that’s so prevalent near
the city.
“We’ve got it working really hard and we’ve
been impressed with its performance so far,” says
Laboucane. “It’s only been a few weeks and already
it has more than 400 hours in the field. Right now,
we are using it to build a compost pad at the landfill,
where the ground is really soft. The new track system
makes it much easier to handle on the soft ground.
A D7R wouldn’t work in this place and it’s even
running faster than the D8.”
What separates the D7E from any other piece of
machinery on the market, however, is the electric
hybrid engine. Designed from the ground up to deliver
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Winter 2010
17
ECO Driven
WAVE OF THE FUTURE: The D7E's electric drive
allows it to meet the “first wave”
of emissions standards.
FINNING BELIEVES THAT SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT IS FUNDAMENTAL TO ITS SUCCESS
AND THE SUCCESS OF ITS CUSTOMERS. THE D7E
AND THE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN FUEL
EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY THAT IT WILL
PROVIDE CUSTOMERS (ULTIMATELY HELPING
THEM CUT COSTS AND REDUCE EMISSIONS) IS
A POINT OF PRIDE.
superior performance and a
smaller environmental footprint,
the D7E has been under the
watchful eyes of Caterpillar
engineers, who have been
perfecting the engine design for
nearly two decades and have
generated more than 100 patents.
Although the D7E still has a
conventional diesel engine in front of the cab, it merely serves as a
generator, creating power for two AC electric drives, which are connected to a differential steering system.
A traditional mechanical transmission is not needed because the
electric motors serve as a continuously variable transmission. The
electric drive train has 60 per cent fewer moving parts than conventional transmissions – so there is no need for gears and clutches –
which means less service work and downtime. Operators will save at
least 10 per cent on parts and maintenance over the lifetime of the
machine and cut fuel costs by 10 to 30 per cent. Equally important
is the improved productivity. Unlike traditional engines that rely
on gears, producing an uneven flow of speed and power, the electric
motors give the D7E smoother torque, which allows it to move 25 per
cent more material per litre of fuel and 10 per cent more per hour.
Those features not only make it more productive and less costly,
they are part of Caterpillar’s strategy to reduce emissions and meet
stricter environmental standards. The D7E complies with Tier 4
18
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Winter 2010
regulations established by the
United States Environmental
Protection Agency, in which
manufacturers are required
to reduce particulate matter
by 50 per cent and noxious
fumes by 90 per cent. The
legislation comes into effect
Jan. 1, 2011 in the U.S. and
Finning expects Canada to adopt similar standards in the
near future.
“The D7E meets the first wave of emissions standards. It’s the
electric drive that allows the machine to meet those requirements,
but it also uses significantly less fuel, which reduces customer costs as
well as greenhouse gas emissions,” says Laura Watson, new product
introduction specialist with Finning. “Because it uses fewer parts
and fluids over its working life, there are fewer raw materials and less
waste to dispose of. And the major components are built to be rebuilt,
so recycling the machine for a second life is part of the basic design.”
The first models of the new machine started arriving at Finning in
August and Watson expects interest in the D7E to expand as operators become more familiar with the engine and its performance.
“This is so different than anything on the market right now. The
major oilsands companies are serious about reducing greenhouse gas
emissions and they are interested in what the D7E can do. We intend
to put some of these on the rental market so customers can really see
www.finning.ca
GAME CHANGER: The D7E is generating positive responses, though
Caterpillar’s next challenge will be to create greater awareness.
how it works before they make a purchase,” she says.
Finning believes that sustainable development is fundamental
to its success and the success of its customers. The D7E and the
significant improvements in fuel efficiency and productivity that it
will provide customers (ultimately helping them cut costs and reduce
emissions) is a point of pride.
“This accomplishment proves technology can improve both customer value and sustainability,” says Watson.
Kelly Black calls the D7E a game changer. The Finning sales
representative worked on the purchase with Laboucane and sees
more interest in the machine as people learn about the benefits of the
hybrid engine. Finning showcased the D7E at demonstrations across
Western Canada this summer, so customers could gain a better
understanding of the design innovations, sit behind the controls and
judge the machine’s performance for themselves.
“The D7E is generating a lot of interest right now and the response
www.finning.ca
has been really positive,” says Black. “People have noted even some
of the small things, like better visibility and comfort in the cab.
Surmont Sand and Gravel is using its machine at the landfi ll and
people are coming over to watch it in action. Even people at the
mines are hearing about it and checking it out.”
Despite this curiosity, the biggest challenge is creating greater
awareness and understanding of the hybrid engines. People unfamiliar with the technology may have reservations at first, but that’s not
the case for operators who have experience with electric engines and
their benefits.
“We have a lot of electric machinery and a lot of mechanical
machinery because we run crushers and other mining equipment,”
says Laboucane. “The electric equipment needs fewer repairs than
the mechanical equipment and has more uptime. That’s what it’s all
about – saving money and getting more work done faster with the
smaller machinery.”
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Winter 2010
19
POWERFUL STUFF: Operator Shauna Cave and Celgar's
ever-reliable Caterpillar D8T.
20
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Winter 2010
www.finning.ca
Celgar doesn’t push the performance
envelope of its Caterpillar fleet –
it tears it apart
BY ROBIN BRUNET
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BOBBI BARBARICH
o say the Caterpillar D8T is a rugged piece of equipment would be
an understatement. First released in 2004, it has a C15 engine that produces
310 flywheel horsepower, a suspended undercarriage and electronic ripper
control – just some of the ingredients that make this a formidable off-road
workhorse.
A D8T can log up to 12,000 hours before undergoing a power train rebuild,
but anything beyond that is pushing it. So when the Celgar kraft pulp mill near
Castlegar brought its D8T to Finning for a rebuild in 2010, Finning staff was
pleased to learn the machine had logged 22,000 trouble-free hours, even after
working in the extreme West Kootenay summer conditions. “The tractor looked
damn good and was running just fine,” marvels Bill Lusted, Finning’s Castlegar
sales manager.
Celgar was already well-known for getting the most out of its machines. Several
months prior, the company purchased a new 980H with a 24-cubic-yard bucket to
replace a 980H that had logged a whopping 55,000 hours.
www.finning.ca
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Winter 2010
21
Maximum Performance
Lusted remarks, “If there
company’s Caterpillar fleet so hard?
WHEN THE CELGAR MILL BROUGHT ITS
was a hall of fame for pushKucher laughs good-naturedly. “Of our
D8T TO FINNING FOR A REBUILD IN 2010,
ing how long a machine can
980G and 980H, one is a back-up, but
FINNING STAFF WAS PLEASED TO LEARN
operate without breaking
admittedly we rely heavily on our D8T with
THE MACHINE HAD LOGGED 22,000
down, Celgar would be a top
its 36-cubic-yard blade to work our chip
TROUBLE-FREE HOURS.
contender.”
piles, which are several storeys high and the
Perhaps so, but from Celgar’s
size of a city block.”
perspective, it’s a matter of necessity. “The job of our mobile fleet is
Lusted adds, “Critics may argue that the Celgar D8T only has to
to transport wood chips on our property to our digester and boilers,”
push chips, but 36 cubic yards is a huge blade, the tractor is routinely
says general manager Alan Hitzroth. “It’s tough to justify buying new,
climbing uphill and the summers get pretty hot in Castlegar.”
because a new machine doesn’t give us an added tonne of pulp.”
When Finning stripped the D8T to its frame, a few bearings had
With 400 employees and 500,000 air-dried metric tonnes of highflattened out and some of the planetary gears were badly worn. “It
grade pulp produced annually, Celgar is one of the largest kraft pulp
could have been a lot worse, but our success in pushing our equipment
mills in North America. And because Celgar’s market is basically
is due to several factors, first and foremost being our three mechanics
worldwide, “our D8T and 980H run 24/7,” according to chip handling
who take ownership in regularly maintaining everything,” says
superintendent Mark Kucher.
Kucher. “Our machine operators have the same sense of ownership.
Maintaining constant operation is not only crucial to Celgar’s sucWe also have a very close relationship with Finning, and of course the
cess, it’s important to the regional economy. “When forestry in the
Caterpillar brand is the most reliable on the market.” Kucher pauses
region took a downturn, Celgar kept buying and chipping and kept its
before remarking, “All told, we feel we’ve got our backs covered.”
workers employed,” says Lusted. Therefore, the worst thing that could
Of the power train rebuild, Lusted says, “Celgar now has a tractor
have happened, apart from not maintaining inventory (which is not a
that will log another 8,000 to 12,000 hours before it needs to be traded
problem for Celgar despite its digester consuming 260 tonnes of chip
in.”
hourly), is equipment failure.
Not surprisingly, Kucher suggests otherwise. “We want at least
Which begs the question, doesn’t that make it risky to push the
another 18,000 hours.”
CHIP OFF THE BLOCK: With 22,000 trouble-free hours before its
power train rebuild, Celgar's D8T is an anomoly. The 980G in the
background is also pushed hard.
22
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Winter 2010
www.finning.ca
A kraft pulp mill is merely a designation of
a particular pulp-making process. Pulp can
be made using mechanical, semi-chemical
or fully-chemical methods, and kraft falls
into the latter category. An advantage of
kraft is that it results in stronger fibres than
mechanical or semi-chemical. However,
other full-chemical methods produce a
product that is easier to bleach.
ELECTRIFYING BYPRODUCT
One thing is certain: the Celgar equipment fleet will be worked harder
than ever in 2011, thanks to a new energy project undertaken by the
company. Celgar produces significant quantities of renewable electricity
as a byproduct of pulp production, selling over 9,113 megawatt hours
of electricity in 2009. About 45 per cent of the wood fed into the mill
becomes kraft pulp. Lignin and hemicellulose are extracted from the
remaining 55 per cent, and this so-called “black liquor” biofuel is
burned in a recovery boiler to make steam, which in turn is used to
generate electricity.
In 2010, Celgar received a $40-million federal grant to install a new
condensing turbine and other steam-saving initiatives that will enable
the company to sell 238,000 megawatt hours of electricity to BC Hydro
annually, enough to power 20,000 homes. Not only will this help B.C.
become energy self-sufficient by 2016, the project will add a new
source of revenue and enable the mill to be more competitive globally.
“We’ll be pushing our hog boiler and recovery boiler a lot more than
we did in the past,” says Hitzroth. “In fact, they’ll be running flat-out
all the time. So the onus from here on in is for our employees and the
good people at Finning to keep our equipment fleet mobile.”
www.finning.ca
GOOD TO GO: The D8T is now on its way to
logging another 12,000 hours.
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23
WELLE
BY SERENA BECK AND JEN JANZEN
24
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Winter 2010
www.finning.ca
Edmonton company
is won over by
Caterpillar and isn’t
looking back
L
ike all Finning customers, Wilco Contractors
Northwest Inc. needs durable, dependable
equipment. So when the Edmonton-based
company experienced reliability issues with another
brand of skid steers, Wilco decided it was time to shop
around. That was when Finning service and Caterpillar
equipment got its chance to shine. In April 2009, Wilco
purchased its first two Caterpillar 289Cs.
A division of the Wilco Group of Companies,
Wilco has worked on many projects: topsoil on
boulevards, grading, sports fields, tree-planting
and riverbank restoration, walking trails and urban
landscapes, and most recently, environmental site
development. Purchasing manager Cory Grismer says
that working on “a vast diversity of projects across
Western Canada has allowed Wilco Contractors
Northwest to become a true leader in open-space site
development.”
At an in-house equipment demo held in 2009,
Finning sales representative David Muller arranged
to show Grismer three machines (in both tracked
www.finning.ca
and wheeled versions). Despite viewing numerous
demos from other equipment manufacturers that
day, Caterpillar captured Grismer’s attention. “We
liked the new design of the Caterpillar 289C compact
track loader undercarriage. Finning also made a
concerted effort to work with us before we made a
final commitment,” he says.
After the demo, Finning brought a few Wilco
employees to North Carolina for an in-person view of
the Caterpillar factory. Grismer was “convinced that
the quality and durability of the Cat machines would
be what we expected.” Soon after that trip, Wilco
purchased its first Caterpillar machines.
“Over the course of the entire season, we only had
four minor issues with these machines, which Finning
was able to come out and fi x fairly quickly,” Grismer
says. Wilco staff were also impressed with the
durability of the machines, especially considering the
machines worked for a combined total of 2,450 hours
during their first season.
The two machines were used to build the
Birchwood Trails in Fort McMurray, moving
materials back and forth over 17 kilometres of gravel
trail for hours each day. And they ran incredibly well.
“At the end of the project, both Cat machines
showed almost no wear and tear,” Grismer recalls.
Since that fateful demonstration day, Wilco
Contractors Northwest now owns seven Cat dozers
(ranging in size from a D3 to a D6R), six Cat 289C
compact track loaders and three Cat 262C skid steers.
The Caterpillar skid steers and dozers are vital to
Wilco’s operations and are used for a multitude of
applications, from bulk grading and levelling to site
touch-ups.
Has Caterpillar equipment contributed to Wilco’s
success? The answer seems to be an obvious ‘yes.’
By using reliable equipment, Wilco can ensure its
jobs are completed on time. Grismer says, “With
the dependability of our Cat products, we can move
more material as we have a lot less downtime than in
previous years.”
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Winter 2010
25
Powering
THE
UP
Cat Rentals worked with Finning
Power Systems and the Cat Rentals
Electrical Division to provide heat and
power at the 2010 Grey Cup Festival
PARTY
BY CAITLIN CRAWSHAW | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL KOOP
T
Gerald Lavoie, Cat Rental Store manager
26
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Winter 2010
his November, tens of thousands of football
fans descended on Edmonton for the 2010 Grey
Cup to see the strongest teams in the Canadian
Football League go head-to-head.
The city had been buzzing with anticipation for months –
and not just about who would win the coveted cup. From
Nov. 15 to 28, the city hosted the Hot to Huddle Grey Cup
Festival. The festival site (also known as Huddle Town)
spanned three downtown blocks and featured a street
festival, parade and a variety of family-friendly programs.
Visitors were also encouraged to check out CN Field,
a temporary football field constructed over City Hall’s
wading pool. For the really adventurous, there was even an
80-foot-high zip line extending 520 feet across Churchill
Square.
But because Edmonton is known for its unpredictable
weather, festival organizers fully understood the need to
www.finning.ca
The Cat Rental Store provided approximately
$2-million worth of equipment at the event sites.
keep revellers toasty and warm.
“In the past, [the Grey Cup] has had every extreme:
from t-shirt weather to massive snowstorms. The
festival organizers need to have confidence that if there’s
Grey Cup Facts
“We provided approximately $2-million worth of equipment at the sites,” says Lavoie, adding that a portion of the
equipment and services were donated to the event.
All of the Cat Store’s efforts made a big impact, says
“IN THE PAST, THE GREY CUP HAS HAD EVERY
EXTREME: FROM T-SHIRT WEATHER TO MASSIVE
SNOWSTORMS. THE FESTIVAL ORGANIZERS NEED TO
HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT IF THERE’S BAD WEATHER,
IT WON’T DISRUPT THIS MASSIVE CANADIAN PARTY.”
bad weather, it won’t disrupt this massive Canadian
party,” says Marty Forbes, media liaison for the Grey
Cup Festival 2010.
That’s why organizers approached the Cat Rental
Store for help. Gerald Lavoie, sales representative
for the Edmonton Eskimos and the 2010 Grey Cup
Committee, explains that they were working with
Finning Power Systems to provide heat and power to
the tents at both Commonwealth Stadium and the
downtown festival site, including the 20,000-squarefoot Huddle Town tent where many events took place.
The Cat Rental Store also provided heat for a tailgate
party inside the stadium, as well as other event necessities
like portable toilets and security fencing, and even modular offices for crew members. Forklifts and aerial work
platforms were provided for the site setup and takedown at
the stadium, Huddle Town and the CN Field.
www.finning.ca
Forbes. “This kept people warm and happy during the
festival. The Grey Cup organizers couldn’t be any happier
because you’re stuck with the weather.”
This was the first time the Cat Rental Store had been
involved in Grey Cup festivities in Edmonton. However,
the store has been a major sponsor of the Big Valley
Jamboree for the last nine years and also helps out with
other events like the Edmonton Folk Music Festival and
the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival.
“We help out with almost all of Edmonton’s festivals,”
says Lavoie.
About 60,000 people attended the sold-out Grey
Cup game, but while not everyone was able to get into
the game, Forbes says there was more than enough
entertainment to go around. “There was literally
something going on for the four days that should’ve
appealed to everyone.”
• This was the first time
the Grey Cup has been
held in Alberta in consecutive years. Calgary
hosted in 2009.
• At 68,318 people,
Montreal in 1977 had
the highest attendance
on record.
• Attendance levels at
the Edmonton-hosted
games rank in fifth
(62,531 in 2002), sixth
(60,431 in 1997) and
seventh (60,081 in
1984) place in Grey Cup
history.
• This year is the
100th anniversary of
Edmonton Eskimo football in Alberta.
• Tickets to the 98th Grey
Cup sold out in one
week.
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Winter 2010
27
Spot light

Anatomy of a
Field Follow
BY DAVID DICENZO
Customers have their say when
Caterpillar performs its test-runs
Precision Contractors is no stranger to yellow iron.
The Lloydminster-based oilfield lease and road builder has
about 190 Caterpillar machines in its extensive fleet. But the
D7E dozer that Precision operated from September 2008 to
May 2009 differs from the rest – it was the lone machine used
in a Caterpillar field follow.
“We ran it through its paces,” says Frank Tremmel,
Precision’s equipment manager.
Caterpillar has been performing field follows for years.
The basic premise is to bring a new or revamped model to a
customer’s jobsite for an equipment test-run using real-world
situations. It allows Caterpillar to see how the machine holds
up on the site before it’s released to the public. Throughout the
project, there’s constant dialogue between participants such as
Cat’s service engineers, the mechanics who repair the machine
and the operators who use them.
“When Caterpillar makes a substantial change in a product,
they want to do field testing to see if those changes will survive
in certain applications, temperatures and regions,” explains
Finning industry marketing manager Al Gosselin. “There are
really no limitations to the comments or suggestions that a
customer could say to make the machine better,” he adds.
Ideally, field follows benefit everyone involved. For at
least six months or 1,200 operating hours, customers have
a machine to use for an extended period of time at no cost
other than fuel, and they have the opportunity to offer valuable design input. Caterpillar obtains knowledge on how to
improve their products and dealers like Finning have better
equipment to sell.
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Winter 2010
The D7E used by Precision was an example of a
machine that received design tweaks throughout the
field follow process. Most of the suggestions had to do
with what Tremmel calls “fatigue points,” like the ideal
placement of switches to make the job more comfortable
for operators who will spend long hours in the machine.
Visibility was also addressed.
“They were really curious to see what the operators’
points of view were because a lot of the changes were
right in the cab itself,” says Tremmel.
“Ripper visibility was a necessity. As a result of that, Cat
went back and remodelled the fuel tank and put a large
notch in it so the operator had good visibility through the
back window of the cab down to the tips of the ripper,”
says Gosselin, who suggests that on some field follows,
changes can also be made to specific attachments, like
www.finning.ca
FIELD FOLLOW WITH SHELL ALBIAN
undercarriages, rather than to a whole machine.
The rugged landscapes and extreme winter conditions
in Western and Northern Canada make Finning’s territory a prime location for field follows. Gosselin says that
Caterpillar prefers to test its equipment in harsh locales to
see how the iron responds.
No matter the severity of their climate, customers
want reliability, durability, comfort, ease of operation and
efficiency. By sending new machines out for field follows,
Caterpillar can better provide these qualities to the people
buying its equipment.
“Those are the things that customers certainly look
for,” says Gosselin. “Ultimately, we all want a machine
that works every day, is easy to operate, is efficient and
produces what it’s supposed to produce. It’s a win-win for
everyone.”
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Teamwork prevails on tough terrain.
That point was driven home to Finning field mechanic Darryl Osachoff when he and
his fellow mechanics looked after three mining trucks during a lengthy field follow for
Shell Albian at the Muskeg River Mine located 75 kilometres from Fort McMurray.
Osachoff and his coworkers – engineer Roger Sieber, Floyd Marches, Paul Ferner,
Louis Lantiegne and brother Ryan Osachoff – oversaw repairs and maintenance on a
pair of Caterpillar 797Fs and a 797B with a retrofitted engine. The field follow produced
some critical modifications, specifically improvements to the engine’s fuel system, cylinder heads and improved ATAAC tubing. But the sound communication and cohesiveness
between all parties is what Osachoff had a real appreciation for when the process was
complete.
“For us as mechanics, it was a bit of a different role,” he says. “We had to interface
between Finning, Caterpillar and Shell Albian. We had three customers to deal with. In
this particular case, Caterpillar wanted electronic information sent fairly quickly so they
could review it and start to make engineering changes as required.”
The demands were tough, but despite a few setbacks, teamwork prevailed.
“What you attempt to do once you get a comfort level with the product and how things
are going is you try your best to grow it, to have it as something that everyone can be
involved with, to have some piece of that puzzle and be proud of it,” says Osachoff.
And the machines aren’t the only thing to perform better after the field follow.
“Within our own organization, we grew certain technicians to a higher level. Those
were the great gains and our group did very well.”
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Winter 2010
29
Meeting the Challenge
BY STEPHANIE SPARKS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY STUART MCCALL
A Cure for Congestion
Infrastructure needs a major overhaul when commuters in a densely populated
metropolitan area navigate through hours of road congestion each day. With a population of over 2.1
million people, the Metro Vancouver region is all too familiar with the traffic back-up on its decades-old
Port Mann Bridge.
British Columbia’s Transportation and Investment Corporation (TI Corp.) is widening 37 kilometres of
Highway 1 from the McGill Street Interchange in Vancouver to 216th Street in Langley. Working with the
general partnership of Peter Kiewit Sons Co. and Flatiron Construction Corp., TI Corp. is behind the $2.6billion design/build contract for
the Port Mann/Highway 1 Project.
The route is not used exclusively by commuters. It happens to
be the primary goods-movement
corridor for the region and the
Trans-Canada Highway. The
project, which began in August
2008, will not only reduce
congestion for all travellers and
drivers, but will provide safer and
more efficient highway on- and
off-ramps, make improvements
for all modes of transportation,
allow for a new express transit
service on Highway 1 and improve
travel times.
“The most important reason
[for the project] is because of the
congestion problem that we’re
having in the region today, but
also looking ahead to the future
of knowing that we’re going to
have another one million people
in this region in the next 20
years,” explains Pam Ryan, the
project’s spokesperson.
Although the entire project
is due for completion in 2013,
the new bridge will open in
2012. What originated in 1964
as a four-lane bridge has been
“retrofitted and reconverted” to
five lanes (three eastbound and
two westbound). When the new
bridge opens, it will have eight
lanes total; four in each direction.
Once the old bridge is closed, a
portion of it will be cut away to
complete the full 10 lanes.
“By 2012, we’re doubling the
capacity of the westbound direction, which is where we get the
biggest queues,” says Ryan.
To watch the latest developments, check out the PMH1
Construction Cameras at www.
pmh1project.com.
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tracks & treads
Winter 2010
www.finning.ca
www.finning.ca
tracks & treads
Winter 2010
31
Portrait: Richard Mallen
BY CAILYNN KLINGBEIL
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREG HALINDA
As Finning's business
development manager at
Mildred Lake, Richard
Mallen works with emerging players in the oilsands,
developing and facilitating relationships among
Finning, Caterpillar, and
customers. The goal?
Securing new business.
“You’re out there
charting new paths and
breaking new ground,” says
Mallen, who has been with
Finning since 2004.
When a deal nears
fruition, “all-nighters” are
common. Along the way,
a fine balancing act is
required to fulfill various
mandates from every
stakeholder, negotiating
deals that are right for the
customer and for Finning.
While so many different
demands can bring stress
to the position, the exhilaration of winning business
is well worth it. “When
you do win, just like in any
competition, it feels great,”
says Mallen. “You can just
look upon your team and
know that you guys are
the best.”
He is quick to share any
accolades for Finning’s
success with the team, and
credits the people – both
his coworkers and his
customers – with making
him love his job. “It’s really
the people within Finning
that back this process and
are the true experts that
make it work.”
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tracks & treads
Winter 2010
www.finning.ca
www.finning.ca
tracks & treads
Winter 2010
33
Count on Us
MAKING TRAX
“Cycle time is sharply reduced,”
boasted Finning literature.
How could it not, with a side dump
bucket to accommodate all three sizes
of the 1958 Traxcavators? The bucket
made for better accuracy and easier
and faster loading, which in turn
lessened the maintenance on tracks,
other running gear and clutches.
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tracks & treads
Winter 2010
www.finning.ca
Unrivalled
Customer Service
Our commitment to customer service has been the backbone of our operation for more than
75 years. And now, we’ve enhanced our Customer Service Commitment.
When you bring your machine into a Finning branch for a repair, you’ll receive it on time and on
budget, and you’ll enjoy peace of mind knowing the work is guaranteed for a year.
So for your next service, why not put Finning’s Customer Service Commitment to the test?
You won’t be disappointed. We promise.
The Customer Service Commitment guarantees:
•On-time completion
•No surprise invoice
•No-costservicewarrantycoverage
1-888-finning|finning.ca
(346-6464)