Caterpillar - Finning Canada

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GROUNDBREAKERMACHINIST IAN MACKAYPrince George GrowsBusiness isbooming likenever beforein PrinceGeorge andthe new shopgives themthe capabilityof workingon some ofthe largestcylindersmade byCaterpillarBritish Columbia’s surging economy is fuellinggrowth at the Finning hydraulic cylinder shop inPrince George. Darcy Frankforth and his staffhave recently added more than 5,000 square feetof shop space by moving into a vacated buildingon their existing property.“We looked at our old facility and the growthin the economy in our area and decided we neededto expand. It was one of those situations wherewe either had to grow or seriously look at otheroptions,” says Frankforth. “Everything pointedto the opportunities out there and it’s succeededbeyond our expectations.”Making the move was a natural choice forthe Prince George operation. There was a 7,000square-foot fabrication shop sitting on theirproperty that wasn’t being used. They renovatedthe building, brought in new equipment and hadthe new digs up and running in short order. Theyeven put the old building to use, converting itinto a clean room for engine assembly.“We’ve been getting busier and busier andwe’ve increased our staff, but what we found wasthat moving materials around was slowing usdown. The big thing is that we now have morework stations and we’re putting in new cranes,which allows us to increase efficiency, producemore work in less time and reduce the chance ofdamaging materials,” says Frankforth.To reduce costs, Frankforth was able to salvagesome equipment from the Pacific FluidPower shop that closed down in Edmonton.Cranes, jibs, lathes, polishers, honing benchesand other equipment were all trucked in fromEdmonton. “It really worked nicely because thestuff may have gone to auction and we might nothave recovered the full value. This was a great opportunityfor us to grow without the high costs,”says Frankforth.The expansion project has been a real team effort.The company’s eight employees played a keyrole in designing the new facility. They all volunteeredtime to help with some improvements.“We sat down, before we even made the decisionto grow the business, and talked to ouremployees and explained what we wanted todo and where we needed to go. We wanted tomake sure they were engaged and involved,” saysFrankforth.“They’ve been the real success story. They designedwhere the equipment should be placed,”he adds. “Before anything happened, they wereover there looking at it and getting their ideasand thoughts. They know the business and theyknow what’s needed. Their ideas are well foundedand well thought out.“Our staff came in one weekend with all theirfamilies and friends, everyone donated their timeand we painted the walls,” Frankforth says. “Theywanted the place to look professional because wewere really going after a cylinder customer. Wespent the whole weekend painting and preppingthe building, the client came a few weeks laterand we got their business.”Business is booming like never before inPrince George and the new shop gives them thecapability of working on some of the largest cylindersmade by Caterpillar. In fact, Frankforthset a target to double cylinder work in 2005 andso far they have exceeded even those lofty goals.“We’re doing 994 cylinders and they’re comingall the way down from the Northwest Territories.We get all the cylinders for BHP Mines in theNorthwest Territories, we’re hiring more employeesand adding an afternoon shift. We’ll be ableto offer service from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.”8 TRACKS & TREADS • Summer 2005 www.finning.ca
GROUNDBREAKERBy the Numbers12– Size of Orange County Choppers(OCC) Paul Teutul Sr.’s work bootNumber of Phantom’sthat could be carried bya Caterpillar 797Bhaul truck:Number ofkid-sized sandboxesa 797B can haul:950Shaquille O’Neal’s:221354,000Number of lessons from the sandboxthat can be applied to business leadershipaccording to author Alan Gregerman:– average number of wordsin the vocabulary of an AfricanGrey parrotAverage numberof words used bydoctors during aconsultation: 933933Price of Shaq’s wedding gift – a PhantomRolls-Royce – to Donald Trump andMelania Knauss:$325,000Rank of the customCaterpillar bike among projectscompleted by OCC in termsof bigness, toughnessand ruggedness:131Price of a set ofOrange CountyChopper talkingaction figures:$34.95 USNumber of provinces,outside of B.C. wherehousing constructionwill grow in 2005:0Growth of B.C.’sconstruction workforcebetween 1991 and 2001:2,800Since 2001: 47,000Maximum federal government grant availablefor commercial building owners who plantvegetation on roofs: dkdidid$60,000www.finning.ca Summer 2005 • TRACKS & TREADS 9
Page 1: Field test: MT tracked tractors sho
Page 4 and 5: The Finning FocusA New Identity, an
Page 6 and 7: GROUNDBREAKERNEWS &REVIEWSGROUNDBRE
Page 10 and 11: The Tech ReportTHE DAYS OF THE CAT
Page 12 and 13: COMPANY PROFILE :: Teck Constructio
Page 14 and 15: COMPANY PROFILE :: Teck Constructio
Page 16 and 17: EQUIPMENT PROFILE16 TRACKS & TREADS
Page 18 and 19: EQUIPMENT PROFILE continued“My vi
Page 20 and 21: Safety FirstBRINGING A PILLOW AND B
Page 22 and 23: SPECIAL REPORTHUMAN RESOURCESSPECIA
Page 28 and 29: MEETING THE CHALLENGEAirborne Deliv
Page 30 and 31: EQUIPMENT PROFILE30 TRACKS & TREADS
Page 32 and 33: EQUIPMENT PROFILE continued“Weyer
Page 34 and 35: FIELD TESTMulti TaskingB Y J I M S
Page 36 and 37: INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHTMINING IN BRITISH
Page 38 and 39: COMPANY PROFILE :: Marnevic Constru
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Page 42 and 43: Count On UsMay 31, 1960Customer sup

Caterpillar - Finning Canada

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