Canada-wide recruitment drive hits the highway

Transcription

Cat and Finning build a better blade edge
Watch your back! How to avoid back injuries
SPRING 2006 www.finning.ca
75,000 Hours
Owner, machine and mechanic
a perfect match
B.C. Mining
Back on Track
The Riverman
Contractor thrives
on Cat precision
THE
WANTED
TOUR
Canada-wide recruitment drive
hits the highway
Non-deliverable mail should be directed to: #201, 10350-124 Street, Edmonton, AB T5N 3V9
Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #40020055
30
Departments
4
The Finning Focus
6
Groundbreaker
Wanted Tour hits the road
A hairy situation; New Cats
on the block; Natural gas
savings; Up and gone
10 The Tech Report
Cat and partner create
innovative power plants
11 Yellow Iron
New products and services
from Finning
20 Safety First
Watch your back and keep
the pain at bay
27 Yesterday/Today
Caterpillar’s first true
off-highway truck
28 Meeting the Challenge
The (ice) road to diamonds
at the Ekati mine
34 Field Test
Building a better blade edge
36 Industry Highlight
Cautious optimism
in the oilsands
38
CONTENTS
SPRING 2006
Features
Industry Report
12 River Keeper
21 B.C. Mining
Nahanni Construction’s Dean
Price keeps on an eye on the
environment as well as the
bottom line
16 In It For The Long Haul
Thanks to preventive
maintenance, and his mechanic,
Richard Bedier’s 30-year-old
wheel loader runs like new
30 All In The Family
A team approach to farming
and flying is paying off for
the Snethuns
38 RUE Grit
Finning’s recently amalgamated
Rental and Used Equipment
division gives customers many
options
22 Digging Deep
With exploration expenditures
soaring and new mines opening
throughout the province, British
Columbia’s mining industry is
climbing out of the slump
24 Coal Front
Western Canadian Coal’s Wolverine
mine is helping revitalize the town
of Tumbler Ridge, with a little help
from their friends at Finning
4
21
41 Bill’s Business
Bill gets some peace
of mind with a Customer
Support Agreement
42 Count on Us
Hands-On Leadership
www.finning.ca
ON THE COVER
GREG MCNEILL
Human Resources Director, Finning (Canada)
EDMONTON, ALBERTA
PHOTOGRAPH BY CURTIS TRENT
Spring 2006 • TRACKS & TREADS
3
The Finning Focus
The Wanted Tour: recruitment
drive hits the highway
BY GREG MCNEILL
Last month, Finning kicked off its “Wanted
Tour.” The Tour, which trumpets the battle
cry “Finning wants you to join our team,” is a
recruitment program that will see us travel
throughout Western Canada and beyond
in search of skilled employees to meet our
medium and long-term needs. Aboard a
customized Finning Hummer, the Wanted
Tour team won’t just visit the major centres;
it will also focus on several smaller communities in search of folks who want rewarding
careers with a company whose 70-plus year
heritage puts people and relationships at the
heart of the business.
Of course, it’s the opportunities our customers create that fuel the need for additional employees at Finning; undoubtedly,
you’ve got a recruitment campaign of some
sort underway yourselves. For our part,
we’re looking for nearly 400 more employees to join our team this year alone – most
of them heavy equipment technicians – just
to keep pace with business growth in the
oilsands, the rebirth of mining in northern
B.C., and economic development in other
sectors throughout our territories.
The Wanted Tour also responds to longterm projections, or what some are calling the “demographic time bomb” – the
alarming gap between the number of young
people entering the workforce and those retiring. Back in 1981, when you and I were
scrambling for our first jobs, there were 3.7
entrants to the Canadian workforce aged 20
to 34 for every person hitting 55. In 2001,
that number dropped to just 2.7, and it continues to decline as birthrates stagnate and
boomers head for the golf course. According
to the Conference Board of Canada, our
4 TR ACKS & TREADS • Spring 2006
greying workforce will create a shortage of
up to one million qualified workers in the
next decade, which translates into a shortfall of 100,000 workers in Alberta, which,
according to statistics, is the greyest province of them all.
The same goes for the accelerating B.C.
economy – the value of planned and proposed construction projects now stands at
$83 billion, up 20% from just six months
ago. Reports indicate that some projects
are already facing delays due to the labour
shortage, while over in the mining industry,
the Globe and Mail notes the “staggering”
need to recruit more than 80,000 new employees for operations across the country in
the next decade. That’s because 40% of the
people who work in the mining sector are
expected to retire in the next 10 years.
While it’s definitely pedal-to-the-metal
in terms of the recruitment area, it’s true
that other creative employee development
approaches are required to bridge the gap.
At Finning, we launched a unique partnership with Caterpillar and the Northern
Alberta Institute of Technology three years
ago to develop our own homegrown crop of
Caterpillar-certified heavy equipment technicians. Some 23 students have now graduated through the ThinkBig program and
are currently working at Finning branches
throughout Western Canada. Another 43
students are enrolled at various stages of the
two-year program.
I’ll have information on ThinkBig to offer
while I’m on the road with the Wanted Tour.
So please encourage the young people you
know to come check us out. Through print
and radio advertising, we’ll announce where
GREG MCNEILL, HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR,
FINNING (CANADA)
we’ll be in your community. As we make our
stops, we’ll provide an array of information
about the company, and interview qualified
heavy equipment technicians, automotive
mechanics, potential apprentices, parts and
support personnel on the spot.
Now here’s the sales pitch: why would
someone you k now want to work for
Finning? I’ll let 17-year veteran partsperson
Royal Martin from Campbell River, B.C.
give you his view. “I do believe the grass is
still much greener here at Finning,” he says.
“First, our company’s attitude towards safety
is second to none and the resources available
to help me perform my job are always improving, as is our company’s reputation in
the industry and the community. But I think
the main reason I enjoy working at Finning
is the people. Employees that I have had the
pleasure of working with over the years usually have a great attitude both professionally
and personally.”
Don’t want to wait for the Wanted
Tour to get your application in? Give me
a call at 1-888-FINNING or e-mail me
gmcneill@finning.ca today.
www.finning.ca
SPRING 2006 Volume 46, No. 1
PUBLISHER
Ruth Kelly
[email protected]
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Joyce Byrne
[email protected]
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Jeff Howard
jhoward@finning.ca
EDITOR
Dan Rubinstein
[email protected]
Letters & Feedback
YOU WANTED TO KNOW about the Count On Us picture on page 42
of the Winter 2005 issue. It is the opening of Endako Mines. The
people were brought in by bus and they are the ones on top of the
hill looking into the pit. Also, you will notice the box on this truck
is made of aluminum. Endako Mines at that time purchased l3
769As and I spent one year as a resident there.
Regards,
Bill J. Davis
Kamloops, B.C.
ART DIRECTOR
Jennifer Windsor
[email protected]
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR
Vanlee Tran
[email protected]
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Gunnar Blodgett
CIRCULATION COORDINATOR
Esme Friesen
[email protected]
ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
Anita McGillis
[email protected]
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Robin Brunet, David DiCenzo, Stewart Duncan,
Will Gibson, Keith Haddock, Ross Henderson,
Gene Kosowan, Jim Stirling, Shannon Sutherland,
Bill Tice, Kerry Tremblay
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
AND ILLUSTRATORS
Sylvie Bourbonnière, Stewart Duncan,
Glen Durrell, John Gaucher, Keith Haddock,
Jayson L. Hencheroff, Darrell Lecorre,
Deon Nurkowski, Curtis Trent
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.
#201, 10350-124 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T5N 3V9
Phone: 780-990-0839
Fax: 780-425-4921
Contents © 2006 by Finning (Canada)
No part of this publication should be
reproduced without written permission.
www.finning.ca
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. Y’all have a top-notch publication
here. I’ve been driving the iron for 30-plus years, and there is
no doubt in my mind – Cat is the best! In the area of customer
service, nobody else even comes close. Your magazine helps me
keep on top of what’s out there, and when asked what we need to
get the job done, I’m a lot better informed, and this usually ends
up with a call to our local Finning branch.
Dennis Kelly
Prince George, B.C.
Tell us what you think
Tracks & Treads would love to hear from you. Tell us what you think of the
magazine, its stories, its columns, its look. Tell us how we can improve the
magazine and make it a more interesting read.
Send your comments to executive editor Jeff Howard by e-mail at jhoward@finning.ca
or the old-fashioned way to: Jeff Howard, Tracks & Treads, Finning (Canada),
16830 - 107 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, T5P 4C3
www.finning.ca
Spring 2006 • TR ACKS & TREADS
5
GROUNDBREAKER
GROUNDBREAKER
NEWS &
REVIEWS
BY DAVID DICENZO
A Hairy Situation
n
Every year, Dan Bustin does something
strange to his head to honour his late friend
Don Jinda. Bustin and Jinda worked alongside each other for a dozen years at Garnet
Contracting in Campbell River, British
Columbia, a road-building company owned
by Dan’s father, Al. When Jinda passed away
after a battle with colon cancer in 2001,
Bustin, affected by the big void in his life,
felt compelled to do something to remember
his buddy.
So he started messing with his hair.
“Don was like a big brother to me,”
Bustin says about Jinda. “He helped me out a lot
at work. When he passed away, that got me involved with Cops For Cancer.”
Like many Canadians across the nation who
participate in the creative charity fundraiser,
Bustin shaves his head annually to raise money
for cancer research. The 46 year old, who still
works at Garnet but also owns a logging business, Medara Contracting Ltd., gets right into it,
too, normally colouring his hair in the weeks
leading up to the shave just to have some extra
fun. This year he went a step further – he shaved
a Cat logo into the back of his noggin, complete
with the trademark company colour dye job.
“In previous years, I’d always coloured my
hair different,” Bustin says. “Dick Dueck, my
Finning rep, asked, ‘What colour are you going
with?’ I said I wasn’t sure.”
That’s when Dueck suggested the Cat look
and offered to contribute a nice donation for
the fantastic cause. With help from Finning and
employees at the local Campbell River branch,
Bustin raised $1,500 this year, almost double
his previous best, making the strange looks he
received in the six weeks that he sported the
unique ’do easy to take.
Even without the eye-catching locks, Bustin
is a pretty recognizable face around Campbell
River. He started Medara Contracting Ltd. three
years ago and, since 1988, has worked for his dad
at Garnet. That’s where his fascination with the
Cat brand began. Al got his first Cats 25 years
ago, and both generations of the family have
stayed loyal to the yellow ever since.
“When I was working for my father, everything was always Cat – even the hoses, fittings
and oils,” says Bustin, who owns his own Cat
330 excavator to fall and process trees.
You have to be committed to put a company
logo on your head. And with the memory of his
old friend Don motivating him, you have to figure Bustin will come up with something even
wilder next year.
Natural Gas: Convert and Prosper
In a world that’s becoming increasingly aware
of the long-term effects of greenhouse gas emissions, it makes sense to burn cleaner fuels. And
if you run a fleet of light-duty trucks, that wise
environmental decision can also help you save
a few bucks.
Last summer, Natural Resources Canada announced an extension of the Natural Gas for
Vehicles Market Transformation Pilot Project,
providing $1.855 million in funding to help
promote the use of natural gas in commercial
fleets. Owners can receive up to $3,000 for con-
verting an existing gasoline vehicle into a natural-gas vehicle (NGV), which can run on either
conventional gasoline or natural gas. NGVs
produce 21% fewer greenhouse gas emissions
and significantly fewer airborne pollutants than
vehicles that use gasoline. Currently, no original equipment manufacturer in Canada builds
a light-duty truck with a natural gas system already installed.
“The program offers a great opportunity
for fleet owners,” says Alicia Milner, executive
director of the Canadian Natural Gas Vehicle
www.finning.ca
GROUNDBREAKER
New Cats on the Block
Need more power but concerned that will mean a
sacrifice in comfort? Need more versatility but worried that it could cost you some juice? Caterpillar’s
new 319C LN excavator and 904B compact wheel
loader ensure that neither of these conundrums
will come to pass.
Dirt, not problems, is all you’ll dig up.
The 904B replaces the 902 model and proves
the adage that bigger isn’t always better. At just
customers, the 319C LN is the latest Cat in the
20-tonne class of excavators. The new machine
combines the upper structure of a 318C (the
model it replaces) with the lengthier undercarriage of a 320C LN, translating into improved
stability and lifting capacity. In fact, the overthe-front lifting capacity for the 319C LN is more
than 20% greater than the 318C. The hydraulic
system is also at the top of the class, so expect
2.4 metres tall with a bucket that’s 1.8 metres
wide, the efficient 904B provides the versatility of
a skid steer loader, while maintaining the power,
comfort and fuel economy of a wheel loader.
Using a mechanic or hydraulic quick coupler,
the new Cat can handle a wide range of skid steer
loader and wheel loader work tools, all with a design that makes life easy for the operator. While
the Z-bar linkage offers superior digging capabilities, the short back end, compact dash and large
floor-length windows allows for a full view of the
work area with clear site lines of the actual tool.
And when it comes to working in tough terrain,
the 904B delivers Cat reliability, durability and efficient operation.
Designed specifically for utility and rental
high performance, controllability and versatility. A
range of boom/stick options and a full line of jobmatched buckets and Cat work tools (including
quick couplers, hydraulic hammers, demolition/
sorting grapples and multi-processors) means the
world is your oyster in terms of applications.
But what makes operators drool is the Tool
Control Pro option. This feature allows you to
select the flow/pressure settings for up to five
hydro-mechanical work tools without having to
leave the spacious C-Series cab. Sliding switches
on the joysticks provide smooth control for the
tools, reducing operator fatigue, while oil change
and greasing intervals have been extended.
Power, comfort and versatility – the newest pair
of Cats offer all three in one dynamic package.
Alliance. “It introduces a new fuel source. By having a dual-fuel vehicle, you can take advantage of
whichever fuel source is best.”
It’s a win-win situation for all involved. Even
though the price of natural gas has increased of
late, Milner calls it “short-term pain,” expecting
it to drop to the point where it will make economic as well as environmental sense to convert.
Natural gas has traditionally enjoyed a significant
cost advantage versus gasoline, she says, which
means vehicle owners can recover their initial
investment in a relatively short time. “There are
two sides to it for many companies – economics
and environment,” she says. “Some have to balance both.”
The money available for the project comes
from the $9.9-million Natural Gas for Vehicles
measure that was a component of the 2003 federal budget. The project is open to Canadian corporations and organizations that operate vehicles in
a high-fuel-use fleet, such as municipal/provincial fleets, utilities fleets and private urban fleets,
as well as contractors and small business operators. Go to www.ngvcanada.org for details.
www.finning.ca
7
GROUNDBREAKER
Gerry Baron is a man who knows what he likes.
And for the past 20 years, that’s meant climbing
aboard his trusty T70B Cat forklift to haul stacks
of plywood. Baron and the Cat have something
in common – durability. While the soon-to-be 65
year old has been a fixture at Kelowna Lumber
and Kelowna Plywood for nearly 35 years, the
T70B has put in a few hours, too. About 70,000
of them.
Which begs the question, who can you rely on
more, Gerry or the Cat? “The forklift,” the affable
Baron says with a smile.
The crew at the mill might beg to differ. Baron
recently retired after three and a half decades of
service, the last 20 of which were spent working
specifically on the Cat. It’s been a gem, and like
the guy who runs it, pretty much trouble-free.
“I figure it’s been serviced over 100 times,”
says Baron. “We had a little problem
when it was brand new and the cooler
leaked one time. But we’ve never had to
work on the transmission.
“If I were to take a picture of it,” he
adds, “it would look great.”
Baron admits that he’s a bit of an adventurous soul. Growing
up north of Edmonton
in the Barrhead area,
like many Albertans
he could have ended
up in the oil and gas business. But instead he
travelled west and landed the job in Kelowna.
Baron started out on the sawmill side of the Tolko
Industries-owned operation but says he eventually moved over to the plywood mill, where he
found both his niche and a work buddy. “I like
the little guys,” he says about the T70B.
Baron is openly nostalgic when it comes to
the machine he’s been operating since the days
when Chilliwack’s original lineup still played
gigs together. Though he’s now moved on from
the job, he recognizes that different generations
of workers have varying opinions on which forklifts work best.
“The younger fellas prefer the new ones,”
Baron says, referring to the T70D model. “The
older hands prefer the T70B – they like that hydrostatic transmission.”
To remember his time at Kelowna Plywood,
Baron was recently given a very appropriate parting gift: a black wood plaque sporting, what else,
a Cat forklift. It’s a source of pride for the reliable
Baron and a constant reminder of the good work
both he and his Cat did.
“I’m ready for retirement but I’m gonna kinda
miss the little problems we had,” he says. “The
troubleshooting, that made things interesting.
And I’m gonna miss the fellas – the jokes, the
kidding and the ribbing. It’s been a really good
place to work.”
www.finning.ca
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GLEN DURRELL
Up, Up and Away
GROUNDBREAKER
By the Numbers
Percentage of
lodgepole pine trees
expected to fall victim
to the mountain pine
beetle infestation
by 2008 and
Number
years it takes
2013 respectively: ofmountain
pine beetles
50 and 80
Age of the school
nurse who will
coordinate “fake
tanning lunch-hour
lessons” for Scottish
school children as a
healthy alternative to
tanning beds:
33
to chew an area the size
of New Brunswick:
1
Ratio of cost to clean up
chewing gum compared to
the cost to buy
it: 3 to 1
Rank of “negative
media reports”
among the
biggest issues
facing tanning
salons:
2
Percentage increase in
the risk of developing
melanoma associated
with regular tanning
bed use, especially
in women between
the ages of 20
and 29:
55
Number of years
chewing gum
manufacturers
have been working
on developing a
biodegradable
chewing gum:
Biodegradable
chewing gum
products now on
the market:
18
www.finning.ca
0
Percentage of oilsands
workers expected to
retire by 2010:
20
Percentage of Canadian mining
industry workers expected
to retire in the next 10 years:
40
9
The Tech Report
Fuelling
the Future
Imagine living near a power plant that
chops down your fuel bill, makes no noise,
and doesn’t billow any pollutants or greenhouse-gas emissions into the air.
Sound like a pipe dream? It’s actually
closer to reality than you might think,
thanks to a 2002 agreement between Caterpillar and FuelCell Inc., a manufacturer
of high-temperature fuel cells for electric
power generation. In the last couple of
years, the companies have worked together
to create an energy-efficient plant in Westerville, Ohio, another at the Caterpillar
Technical Center north of Peoria, Illinois,
and they’re currently working on a third
plant for a sewage treatment facility in Los
Angeles County.
Once fully operational, the Westerville plant will produce 250 kilowatts of
power, which is enough to power roughly
180 homes. The Peoria plant, meanwhile,
allows Caterpillar to demonstrate some of
the commercial applications of clean, efficient power to its customers, dealers and
development engineers.
“This project represents an important
step in the use of stationary fuel cells to
provide power to local electrical systems,”
Rick Rathe, marketing manager for Caterpillar’s Power Systems Marketing Division,
says about the Westerville endeavour. “As
the world leader in distributed power generation, we see a growing need for all of
Caterpillar’s broad range of power generation products.”
According to Steve Eschbach, FuelCell
Inc.’s Director of Investor Relations and
Communications, Caterpillar’s involvement is a win-win situation. “Cat distrib10 TR ACKS & TREADS • Spring 2006
utes power generation and they do engine
technology, so they have experience in
those areas,” he says.
“They also have a lot of customers who
use the grid for power. Our products bring
to the table a form of ultra-clean generation. Because the fuel cell can generate
electricity without combustion, it’s very
clean. And since we have 45% to 50% electrical efficiency, versus anywhere between
25% to 40% for combustion-based technologies, we can provide lower operating
and maintenance costs.”
Unlike most plants, which use internal
combustion to generate electricity, fuel
cells act like giant, continuously operating
batteries. They run on natural gas, which
flows into the module where a chemical
reaction transforms the gas into hydrogen.
The hydrogen atoms are filtered through
a membrane that releases ionic particles,
creating electricity. The heat involved in
the process, registering at 1,200 degrees
Fahrenheit, also produces steam – another
positive energy byproduct.
“You don’t need pure hydrogen for
these fuel cell plants to operate, so they’re
safe,” says Eschbach. “The internal reform-
ing of hydrogen from natural gas and the
electrochemical electricity generation
takes place simultaneously within the
same module. One is heat-producing and
the other is heat-taking, and they offset
one another.”
The plants also don’t need to disrupt
the aesthetics of their surroundings,
either. A FuelCell plant can be as small as
nine feet by 28 feet. Moreover, unlike solar
or wind power sources, fuel cell plants can
be built in areas where wind turbines and
solar panels can’t be installed. They also
don’t need large power grids, avoiding the
potential for massive power outages, like
the blackouts that plagued parts of the
continent in 2003. A fuel cell can easily
provide energy for a small community.
Fuel cells may seem like a novelty,
but they’re hardly new technology. In the
1830s, when internal combustion engines
were being adopted for factories, Sir William Robert Grove created a hydrogen
cell prototype, which attracted little more
than curiosity. Today, with higher energy
costs and environmental concerns grabbing headlines, Eschbach believes fuel
cells have a bright future. “As higher fuel
prices reflected in grid-delivered power
2
and as your electric bill continues to rise,”
he says, “there’s going to be a point where
our form of baseload ultra-clean power
is going to make a lot more sense to a lot
more customers sooner than later.“
Eschbach even sees a potential for fuel
cell plants to operate in Western Canada.
“I assume on-site power generation is not
from oil, but from natural gas, which I
imagine is high in that neck of the woods,”
he says. “So if power plants operating on
natural gas run with more efficient onside
baseload power-generating technology,
then that should provide more opportunities for lower operating costs.”
www.finning.ca
ILLUSTRATION BY SYLVIE BOURBONNIÈRE
WHAT’S THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CATERPILLAR AND ALTERNATIVE
ENERGY? GENE KOSOWAN LOOKS AT CAT’S LINK WITH FUELCELL INC. AND
THE INNOVATIVE POWER PLANTS – AND POTENTIAL – THE PARTNERSHIP
HAS PRODUCED
YELLOWIRON
New Products and Ser vices from Finning
www.finning.ca
Improve safety and productivity with AccuGrade
There’s no need to dig too deep, now that you can take
advantage of all the benefits of AccuGrade GPS on your
Caterpillar 345, 365 or 385 hydraulic excavator. With
AccuGrade, you’ll know where your bucket tip is in comparison to the jobsite plan; there’ll be no need for survey
stakes or a grade checker in the trench. Talk to your
Finning sales rep about the AccuGrade advantage for your
tractor, motor grader... and now, your hydraulic excavator.
Meeting regulations, exceeding expectations
Caterpillar’s ACERT Technology is the pioneer when
it comes to meeting emission regulations. This year,
engines in the 175 to 750 horsepower range fall under
Tier 3 emissions regulations. With ACERT, Cat earthmoving machinery will meet these requirements. ACERT
integrates new technologies with existing Cat systems,
offering you clean efficient combustion that won’t prematurely degrade parts.
Your one-stop shop for hydraulic cylinders
We stock them, repair them and can even make them.
With over $17,000,000 in hydraulic parts inventory,
Finning has the resources to either repair or replace your
damaged cylinder even if it isn’t the Caterpillar brand. A
number of our 11 cylinder repair shops can custom build
hydraulic cylinders to your specifications, even in cases
where an original cylinder is damaged beyond repair and a
replacement is not readily available.
Caterpillar machines are built to be rebuilt
The extensive Caterpillar Certified Rebuild program
incorporates the very latest Cat technology and critical
engineering updates into your machine at a fraction of the
cost of buying new. After a thorough evaluation, including
more than 350 tests and inspections and the automatic
replacement of approximately 7,000 parts, you get a likenew machine and warranty.
11
COMPANY PROFILE: Nahanni Construction Ltd.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAYSON L. HENCHEROFF
Dean Price
www.finning.ca
Nahanni Construction’s Dean Price
keeps an eye on the environment as
well as the bottom line
River
Keeper
BY JIM STIRLING
T
he Heritage River Trail snakes along the
Nechako and Fraser rivers, encircling parts of
busy downtown Prince George in the heart of
British Columbia. Residents and visitors are
passionate about the trail. In all four seasons,
it’s a peaceful sanctuary enjoyed by legions of
hikers, cyclists and dog walkers as well as lunchtime brown baggers. This past December, however, parts of the trail system were
also construction sites.
Immediately below the trail, snuggled close to the bank of
the Nechako River, a Cat 315L excavator was busy at work. The
machine was delicately positioning rock on a carpet of protective
synthetic fabric. Right next to it was the river, its surface sequined
with swirling mini-icebergs.
The 315L and other smaller Cat excavators, including a Cat
308C, were charged with armouring the riverbank to protect
vulnerable areas of the trail from further erosion from the fastflowing river. The equipment, and the responsibility for running it, belonged to Dean Price, who owns Prince George-based
Nahanni Construction Ltd.
Repairing and upgrading the city-owned trail system is the
kind of construction project Price relishes. It requires a thoughtful, planned approach with environmental protection front
and centre. “We’ve worked a lot around streams and rivers – it’s
something we enjoy,” says Price. “There are so many different
ways to do things efficiently with construction equipment. And
it’s always important to keep down the environmental impact as
much as possible.”
It certainly was on this job.
www.finning.ca
The trail rehabilitation work involved two at-risk sections
of the Nechako riverbank, one 90 metres long, the other 245
metres. The work was undertaken in winter when water levels
are lower. River flows on the Nechako fluctuate considerably.
They’re controlled by Alcan Inc., the aluminum and power producing company, which operates a dam and reservoir upstream.
Outflow from the dam is regulated, depending largely on water
levels in the reservoir.
The Cat 308C, with its zero tail swing, works right on the
trail itself, within inches of the fence and riverbank, resloping
the bank and helping to install the erosion control blankets. It
was tailor-made for the tight, narrow operating conditions of
the riverbank, says Price. He mobilized his larger Cat EL300B
excavator to rip the frost on the riverbank, using a single-shank
ripper fabricated in the Finning shop. Price also used the EL300B
to reach over young willow trees to feed rock for the 308C to
relocate. Willow shoots were also placed horizontally in the new
bank configuration. The idea is they will sprout in the spring and
help stabilize the bank. The willows will also provide shade for
fish habitat, adds Price.
Price has been at the helm of Nahanni Construction since
1989, resurrecting the company name from a business founded
by his father, Bill. The senior Price was active in B.C. road-building and heavy construction jobs from the 1960s to 1990s. “My
dad always said to buy the best equipment you can to get the job
done right, and for him that was Caterpillar machines,” recalls
Dean. Bill is now retired but still exercises a father’s prerogative:
“He still comes around and gives me hell now and then,” Dean
Spring 2006 • TR ACKS & TREADS 13
COMPANY PROFILE: Nahanni Construction Ltd.
The versatility and precision of Dean Price’s
Cat fleet proved ideal for the tight working
conditions of the Heritage River Trail project
Repairing and upgrading
the city-owned trail
system is the kind of
construction project
Dean Price relishes. It
requires a thoughtful,
planned approach with
environmental protection
front and centre.
says with a quick smile.
A predilection for construction type
and equipment choice was also passed
on to Dean’s brother, Jack. His company,
J.W. Price Construction Ltd., operates out
of Merritt, B.C. and specializes in heavy
earthmoving projects. His fleet includes
Cat 621B scrapers, D9H and D9G dozers,
and a 14G grader.
Dean worked with his brother for
about 10 years. But in 2000, he decided
to move on to more general contracting
work. “The heavy earthmoving work was
not really for me,” he explains. That’s
because the small excavators and other
equipment he deploys now in a wide
range of jobs and industrial applications
are more to his liking.
But what hasn’t changed is Price’s
reliance on Cat machines. He runs a Cat
D3B along with the three excavators he
used on the Heritage River Trail job, all
of which use biodegradable hydraulic oil
and grease. The D3B was used to clean up
the trail itself after the excavators were
finished. For Price, there’s an additional
factor supporting his confidence in Cat.
“From my experience, it’s Finning,” he
says. “They’re good for parts and service
and other dealers can’t match them. If
you get into a situation with a machine,
the par ts and ser vice aspect reduces
downtime and that’s huge. Finning stands
behind you 100%.”
Work has been picking up for Nahanni
Construction over the last three or four
years, says Price, to the point where he
keeps his machines busy most of the time.
“Forestry is one of the big things, installing and removing bridges and culverts
around fish bearing streams, and we do
a lot of maintenance work for the forest
service,” he explains. “There are lots of
roads out there.”
But the company is anything but onedimensional; it even has its own gravel pit –
a handy asset – located near the Nechako
River just west of Prince George. “We
do lots of private work, sewer and water
projects, and we have service contracts for
www.finning.ca
“My dad always said buy the best
equipment you can to get the job done
right, and for him that was Caterpillar
machines. He still comes around and
gives me hell now and then.”
dumps and transfer stations,” says Price. The company’s versatility helps keep the equipment moving and Nahanni’s four regular
employees working.
Price has a propensity for bush work – jobs which take him
and his Cat equipment out to tackle projects in sensitive areas
where maintaining strict environmental standards is important.
“I couldn’t work all day behind a desk,” he declares.
Those preferences are reflected in another way, too. When
he’s not helping train heavy equipment operators (see sidebar
below), he’s volunteering his time and expertise to assist people
in distress in the bush. Price is a member of Prince George Search
and Rescue, a group called in to help outdoorsmen – and wannabes – who find themselves in trouble.
Even experienced hikers and hunters can become disoriented
in the backcountry. Skiers and snowmobilers are seduced into
venturing beyond their experience levels into overly steep and
challenging terrain. Kayakers and rafters can underestimate the
capricious nature of streams and rivers in central and northern
B.C., not to mention the weather that influences them. Prince
George Search and Rescue and other agencies respond to the
distress calls when these types of things happen. And consider-
When the environmental
integrity of a worksite is
at stake, Cat iron moves
rocks one at a time
ing our growing fascination with the more extreme elements of
outdoor recreation, that’s no longer an isolated occurrence.
Price’s attitude toward taking care of and showing respect
for the outdoor environment was apparent in his approach to
the Heritage River Trail project. Some contractors, for instance,
may have whacked more of those pesky willows out of the way
because they were a hindrance to getting the job done. Nahanni
Construction, however, did that only as a last resort, says Price,
who preferred instead to use his range of Cat excavators and take
his time to reach and work around the trees. It’s common sense
as well as good practice to protect the riverbank, he adds. The
Heritage River Trail aficionados will be delighted he did.
Those Who Can... Teach
The main dilemma Dean Price had when he was approached
about teaching a heavy equipment training course was whether
he could find the time to do it.
But Frank Rossi, the man doing the approaching, had an
answer at the ready: he’d work the training sessions around Price’s
busy work schedule.
Rossi is a trades co-ordinator in the Continuing Education
department at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George.
He heard about Price, the owner of Nahanni Construction Ltd.,
through a friend of a friend. “It’s worked out very well,” says Rossi.
“We’ve had excellent feedback from the students and Dean is a
good communicator.”
The 100-hour courses are practical in nature, says Rossi.
“Our philosophy is for students to train on one piece of machinery
until they reach a level of proficiency. The skills are transferable
to other equipment.” Rossi has no shortage of men and women
hoping to learn from experienced machine operators like Price.
www.finning.ca
“Heavy equipment operators are one of the most in-demand occupations in the growing economies of B.C. and Alberta. There’s a huge
demand for them.”
Price also likes to take his students to the Finning (Canada) shop
in Prince George. There they meet Max Kostovich, a product support
salesman with Finning who’s been assisting Price and his fleet of used
Caterpillar equipment for about nine years. Kostovich introduces students to the world of good machine maintenance practices. “Operating the machine is one thing, but you have to learn to look after it as
well and all the maintenance stuff that goes along with that,” explains
Kostovich. “I think that’s a benefit to the students.”
Teaching has been a positive and rewarding experience for Price.
“Whether the people have previous machine operating experience or
not, I try and train them the way I was taught,” he says. It’s interesting
to see how people new to something react to it, he adds.
And that’s where the roles are sometimes reversed. “I can learn
from them,” says Price, “and we can never stop learning.”
EQUIPMENT PROFILE
966C owner Richard Bedier (left) and
Finning mechanic Lyle Babuick
16
TR ACKS & TREADS • Spring 2006
www.finning.ca
Thanks to preventive maintenance and his
mechanic, Richard Bedier’s 30-year-old
wheel loader runs like new
In It For The Long Haul
BY ROBIN BRUNE T
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN GAUCHER
www.finning.ca
Fort St. John-based Finning mechanic Lyle
Babuick loves to tell clients about a local
Caterpillar owner who, with little more than
due diligence and a grease gun, has operated
his 966C wheel loader trouble-free for 30
years. “Nobody believes me,” says Babuick,
“but I keep telling the story because it happens to be true.”
The Cat owner in question is named
Richard Bedier, and if the 966s are renowned
as the workhorses of the north, then Bedier,
who recently turned 53, is a mechanic’s
dream. He is someone who understood the
necessity of preventive maintenance long
before Finning began promoting it as a concept for heavy machinery care.
Much like Roy Rogers and his trusty stallion Trigger, Bedier and his 966 are inseparable. Since 1975 the duo have loaded logs
and gravel year-round, sometimes averaging
up to 4,200 tonnes daily. In the bone-chilling Fort St. John, B.C. winters, Bedier has
no trouble turning over his engine in the
mornings – much to the chagrin of newer
competitor equipment operators who are
left jabbing their starter buttons.
To date, Bedier’s 966 has accumulated
75,000 hours (not bad, considering that
30 years is only 262,800 hours total) and
Babuick estimates that its overall condition
could allow it to operate for another 10 to 15
years. “Put it this way: my 966 operates no
differently than the day I picked it up,” says
Bedier, a typical owner/operator who prefers work over talk. “It’s the best loader ever
built.” He adds that the most worn-out component of the entire machine is the driver’s
seat, which he has replaced five times (the
engine, incidentally, has been rebuilt four
times – but the block remains intact).
The expanding skyline of Fort St. John
bears little resemblance to the isolated
community where Bedier honed his operating skills. He stumbled onto loading by
accident as a teenager looking for steady
employment. He learned to load logs in a
sawmill, and in 1972 he operated a Cat 950
for logger Sam Craig. In 1975, Craig decided
to upgrade his inventory with the purchase
of a new 966C (cost: $108,000), and he dispatched Bedier to Finning’s Dawson Creek
outlet to pick it up.
“I drove it brand spanking new out of
the shop and onto Sam’s lowbed,” Bedier
recalls. Although he had no idea this was the
beginning of a 30-year partnership, he was
instantly smitten with the 966. “The 330-6
engine helped its reputation of being a workhorse,” he says, “and like other Caterpillar
17
EQUIPMENT PROFILE
Retirement is not in the cards for
Richard Bedier or his wheel loader
The most worn-out
component of
the entire machine
is the driver’s seat,
which he has replaced
five times.
18
equipment of that era you could perform a
lot of your own maintenance and repair.”
Soon thereafter, Craig decided to pursue other interests, and Bedier worked
out a deal whereby he rented the 966 for
a year and then bought the machine for
$90,000 in 1976. “I wanted to get into the
loading business for myself,” he says, and
then hesitates. “But in hindsight, I don’t
know why I rented the 966 instead of just
buying it outright.”
From the get-go, Bedier lubricated the
966 with two and a half tubes of grease
every evening after work. “It’s a habit I
picked up working in the sawmill, and
it’s what I do no matter what machine I’m
driving,” he says. “I do it at the end of a
shift because you can see if there are any
missing bolts or loose pins. The process
only takes 10 minutes.”
It may sound unlikely that this is the
key to the 966’s longevity, especially considering that Bedier has also pursued a
comprehensive maintenance program,
but Babuick stresses that a little grease
goes a long way. “Lubricating the boom,
linkages and articulated hitches is critical
to a loader’s longevity,” he says. “When
Richard finishes using his grease gun,
his 966 is packed with two inches of
the stuff and looks like a horrible mess,
but that’s what it takes to get 15,000 to
20,000 hours of performance without
doing any other maintenance.” Babuick’s
tone becomes noticeably frustrated as
he makes mention of other machines he
presides over that are greased once every
three weeks – if that.
Babuick met Bedier in the mid 1970s,
shortly after Bedier’s Dawson Creek
mechanics claimed that the 966’s boom
was drifting too much. “When I went
to the logging site Richard was working
in, Sam Craig’s Mack truck was supporting the boom, and when I extracted the
hydraulic tank I realized the cause of
the problem was that the jam nut for the
spool wasn’t tight,” says Babuick, who,
www.finning.ca
“When Richard Bedier
finishes using his grease
gun, his 966 is packed
with two inches of the stuff
and looks like a horrible mess,
but that’s what it takes to get
15,000 to 20,000 hours of
performance without doing any
other maintenance.”
after tightening the nut, observed Bedier
in action. “He was an incredible operator. He thought nothing of making 42
loads a day when other people would
average 22 or 23.”
Babuick describes Bedier as the sort
of operator “who, once he trusts his
mechanic, hovers over his shoulder and
asks questions – because he intends to
perform as much preventive maintenance as possible in the field.”
But what inspired Bedier’s dedicated
meticulousness? Bedier shrugs and mutters something about common sense,
but Babuick theorizes: “It cost Richard a
lot to buy that machine and his dream
was to be a one-man show, so he couldn’t
afford any downtime.”
Babuick chuckles at the memory of
a peeved Bedier visiting the Finning
shop a while back. “He had snagged a
stick which snapped a hydraulic line,
and it was one of the rare times he had
forgotten to pack spare lines in his
www.finning.ca
cab,” Babuick says. “Richard was angry
because the mistake forced him to cool
his heels for a mere 90 minutes, the only
downtime he had in three years.”
Although Bedier, who is married but
has no children, leads a modest life, he
will go to extravagant lengths to preserve
the integrity of his loader. Case in point:
when the time came for him to replace
its tires three years ago, he discovered
that the cross-tread he preferred was no
longer manufactured in North America.
With access only to two new tires and
a new spare, he ordered a fourth tire to
be made by a company in Japan, then
waited five months for its delivery.
So numerous are t he anecdotes
regarding Bedier and his 966 that he and
Babuick sometimes question distant
memories. For example, Babuick insists
that 15 years ago, Bedier ordered him
to change the loader’s o-rings, a major
task that can cost $40,000. “And then
he went off for a three-week vacation in
Hawaii without a care in the world,” says
Babuick. “That’s the way he is – as long
as I’m the guy working on his machine,
he’s happy as a clam.”
B e d ie r bu r st s out laug h i ng i n
response. “I don’t remember that incident at all. Yes, I’ve gone to Hawaii on
vacation, but for a job that massive I prefer to be by Lyle’s side.”
One thing is certain: at a time when
1970s-era 966Cs are selling on the internet with disclaimers that the machines
“need major repair,” Bedier soldiers
onward as if time has stood still. Is retirement in the cards anytime soon? No,
he says emphatically. “There’s no such
thing,” asserts Bedier, “because the bills
don’t stop coming in. As for my 966, I
may use other machines in the future,
but I can’t imagine ever selling my
loader. It’s like the old saying: I’ve taken
care of that machine, and it’s taken care
of me for 30 years. In spades.”
19
BACK INJURIES ARE ONE OF THE MOST COMMON REASONS FOR MISSING
WORK. KERRY TREMBLAY EXPLAINS WHY, AND TELLS YOU HOW TO KEEP
THE PAIN AT BAY
Watch
Your Back
Back pain is by no means a new issue.
Nearly 80% of adults experience it at some
point in their lives. That’s four out of every
five adults. And 90% of them suffer from
lower back pain, which affects the area
around the bottom curve in the spine.
Back pain is ranked as the number-three
reason for missing work – right behind
colds and headaches.
As one leading orthopaedic surgeon
puts it, back pain is simply part of the
human condition.
Statistics from the Alberta Workers’
Compensation Board reveal 9,000 backrelated claims in 2004 alone, at a cost of
$14 million. WorkSafeBC calculates that
between 1997 and 2001, just over 90,000
back-related claims racked up over 3.7
million days lost from work. The average
number of days lost per claim was 45. In
the U.S., there are 100 million workdays
per year lost to back injuries, for a whopping $10 billion to $14 billion US in
workers’ compensation costs.
That’s a lot of pain and suffering,
a lot of time off work, and a lot of lost
productivity. Trouble is, there’s often no
specific obvious cause, such as a disease
or infection. Back pain can be triggered
by a something as minor as bending over
to pick up a screwdriver, or something as
long-term as sitting on a vibrating piece of
heavy equipment every workday for years.
Unless the problems are made obvious by
a severe injury such as broken bones, they
often can’t be seen through diagnostic aids
like X-rays or MRIs.
Studies show that if someone has hurt
their lower back before, they will probably do so again, according to an article
in a recent issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. There are lesser
associations between the injury and the
worker’s age, weight and sex. “Among the
biomechanical risk factors,” the article
explains, “the most consistent associations are with exposure to lifting or carrying heavy loads, whole body vibration,
a nd f requent bending
and twisting.” It
also says
that there is growing evidence linking
stresses such as a perceived high workload,
time pressures and job dissatisfaction with
lower back pain.
Some of those risk factors are definitely
in the realm of personal choice – from
how a worker decides to handle stress to
the physical way he or she handles a task.
A worker can choose how to sit or stand.
The worker decides whether to deliberately
and carefully pick up a box, or to not pay
attention to their motions. And only the
worker can decide when to stretch, get up,
change position or move around.
Lifest yle c hoices may help someone with a back injury, too. New studies
explore, for example, whether a worker
heals less quickly if he or she smokes, and
examine how coffee and caffeine-based
pop affect recovery time.
According to Kathy Hilborn, an Alberta physiotherapist and president of Backs
Unlimited Inc., when a worker stands up
after sitting for hours, their back is in an
unstable position for two or three minutes. If he or she jumps down from heavy
equipment during that time, they could
be hurt badly. It’s best to exit the
equipment using three-point contact and slowly climbing down.
And instead of sitting for hours,
workers need to get up briefly at
least every hour.
In fact, Hilborn says, it’s a good
idea to get off the equipment and
stand or walk for part of the lunch
break, especially if you’ve been
sitting all morning. That lets your
back fall into its natural curvature; the discs and joints in your
back fall into normal configuration after being compressed.
Once upon a time, back injuries
were virtually a guaranteed sentence to
complete bed rest for an indeterminate
period of time. Today, the thinking has
changed. Studies have tracked workers who remained off work with back
pain for years. They slowly get weaker
and weaker. Those who returned to work
quickly, however, even with modified
work, have generally been more mobile
and have less pain sooner.
“The goal is to get up off the bed and
get going as quickly as possible,” says
orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Gordon Waddell,
a leading authority on back pain. “Lying
down doesn’t make the pain better. It actually makes it 10 times worse.”
These ideas on back injuries are very
general and are only meant for discussion
purposes. If you’re worried about your
back, consult a doctor or physiotherapist.
www.finning.ca
Safety First
Industry Report
B.C. Mining
22
Resurgence
From coal to gold, from
Vancouver Island to
Sparwood, a survey of key
mining developments.
www.finning.ca
24
The Wolverine Mine
A new coal mine is helping
to revitalize Tumbler Ridge,
with Finning and Caterpillar
playing key roles.
The history of mining in British Columbia is
long and lucrative. Precious metals and industrial minerals were extracted as far back as
the mid-1800s. But as recently as last decade, prospects looked less than rosy in the
province. Mines were closing, jobs were being
cut, and important investments were winding
up elsewhere. Fast forward to the 21st century, however, and we’ve clearly turned a corner. As B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell says,
the “golden decade” is here. With new mines
opening, commodity prices climbing and exploration expenditures soaring, the mining sector is
booming. Moreover, it’s happening throughout
the province, not just in one or two spots. “All
regions of B.C. are seeing increased activity,”
says Michael McPhie, the president and CEO
of the Mining Association of B.C., “which bodes
well for the future.”
IN D U S T RY R E P O RT
B.C. MINING
B.C. MINING
LANDSCAPING
Digging
Deep
B
eginning with coal mines on Vancouver Island
and placer gold camps in the province’s interior,
British Columbia has grown since the mid 1800s
into one of the world’s major mining regions.
A bountiful producer and exporter of everything from copper, gold and silver to lead, zinc,
molybdenum, coal and industrial minerals, B.C.
appears destined for a prosperous 21st century
thanks in large part to mining.
In exploration alone, expenditures in the province
increased from $55 million in 2003 to $130 million in
2004 and somewhere between $175 million and $200
million in 2005. Three new mines opened in late 2004,
the first such openings since 1998, and activities in all
aspects and geographic reaches of the mining sector
increased in 2005. With 23 potential new mines in various stages of regulatory review or permitting, and 650
active exploration projects in the province, the industry
was worth approximately $5 billion in 2005, according to the Mining Association of British Columbia – up
from $4.5 billion in 2004.
In short, things are looking good.
Small wonder then that B.C. Premier Gordon Camp-
B.C. mining industry
climbs out of the slump
BY STE WART DUNCAN
bell calls this a “golden decade” for the province – and
no industry can help make it golden like mining. Yet
all the deeply buried wealth is not easily taken. Only
big dreamers with big plans can find it, extract it and
get it to market.
Mining Association of British Columbia president
and CEO Michael McPhie summed up the soul of the
industry in a recent speech. “At times, in mining, it
seems that all we have are dreams – the pot of gold at
the end of the rainbow – and searching for and dreaming of that next big discovery,” he said rather poetically.
“We are optimists by nature. But we’re no strangers to
tough times.”
Indeed, in the 1990s, mines closed, jobs were lost
and investments moved to other parts of the world. “It
was a time in B.C.’s history when the government of the
day failed to appreciate how important a stable publicpolicy environment is for creating the right conditions
for investment,” McPhie said. For many resource industries in the province, the 20th century ended not with
a bang but a whimper, as low commodity prices sucked
the life out of industrial progress. But that changed
rather suddenly as the 21st century got off with a postwww.finning.ca
B.C. MINING
INDUSTRY REPORT
B.C. MINING
poned bang that built in intensity for the first three
years. Then, by the end of 2003, the international coal
trade f lipped as China stopped exporting coal and
instead sought to import vast quantities of metallurgical coal. Supply dried up, prices perked up and new
investment started to pour into B.C.’s coal industry.
One of the hot properties experiencing this longterm boom is the Tumbler Ridge area in northeastern
B.C., where several companies are going down – in a
good way.
Western Canadian Coal is operating or developing
high-quality metallurgical coal and pulverized coal
injection (PCI) coal mines at their Wolverine and Dillon properties. Not far away is Northern Energy and
Mining’s Trend project, which is just getting underway,
and Pine Valley Mining Corp.’s Willow Creek mine,
45 kilometres west of the town of Chetwynd, which
started production in 2004. All of this spells fortune for
the town of 3,500 that’s geared up for growth to 5,000
within a year or so. There’s more activity in the vicinity,
but not all the action is in the northeast.
In the southeast corner of the province, not far from
the Alberta border, Elk Valley Coal produces metallurgical and thermal products for international steelmakers and other industries. Coal Mountain ownership
was transferred in 2003 to the Elk Valley Coal Partnership, which is 60% Fording Canadian Coal Trust and
40% Teck Cominco. Along with the partnership’s four
other mining operations near the towns of Elkford and
Sparwood, Elk Valley Coal is the world’s second-largest supplier of metallurgical coal, with a near-capacity
output in 2004 of 24.9 million tonnes.
When it comes to quantity, coal certainly rules, but
the dirty, black, carbonized plant matter is anything
but sexy. For that, we’ve just got to go to gold.
Vancouver-based New Gold Inc. is exploring a goldcopper deposit beneath the former Afton Mine just west
of Kamloops. Company president Chris Bradbrook said
they started exploration drilling early in the new year to
complete a $14 million US
tunnelling operation.
A feasibility study and
exploration program
in 2006 is expected
to cost about $12
million US. “To put it
in production, we’ll have
www.finning.ca
R E P O RT
to raise money,” Bradbrook said. “Hopefully, thatINDUSTRY
will
be in 2006.” Good news arrived earlier than that for the
LANDSCAPING
mine, which reported just after Christmas that it had
raised another $4 million toward creating the underground gold-copper mine.
On Vancouver Island, about 440 employees at the
Myra Falls mines in Strathcona Provincial Park are
busy digging out gold, silver, zinc and copper at the site
southwest of the town of Campbell River. Temporaryowner Boliden, of Sweden, closed the mines in 2001
and reopened them in 2002 with a 20% cost reduction.
The mines are back in Canadian hands now – Breakwater Resources bought them in 2004 for $12.5 million.
In the northwest, Teuton Resources Corp. finished
its combined diamond drilling and airborne geophysical program in 2005 near the town of Stewart in the
Eskay Creek mining district. Studies confirmed that the
vein they’re following widens as it descends with a core
of bonanza-grade gold and silver.
Back in B.C.’s interior throbs Teck Cominco’s massive Highland Valley Copper open-pit mine near Logan
Lake. Last September, Teck Cominco approved a fiveyear extension for the mine’s operations, shifting the
mine closure date from late 2008 to the third quarter
of 2013. The mine has about 296 million tonnes of
reserves. “The extension of the Highland Valley mine
life significantly adds to our copper production over
the medium term,” said Teck Cominco president and
CEO Don Lindsay. “This is good news for the workforce at Highland Valley, for local communities and the
province of B.C., and for our shareholders.”
The capital cost associated with the mine-life extension is about $40 million and means ramped up production from the Lornex pit and expansion of the Valley
pit. Copper-concentrate production over the remaining mine life is expected to average 400,000 tonnes per
annum. At the same time, molybdenum production
(molybdenum is a metallic element which is most frequently used as an alloying addition in alloy and stainless steels) is expected to range from three million to
eight million pounds per annum, averaging 4.4 million
pounds over the remaining life of the mine.
Looking at the big picture, Canada produced 66 million tonnes of coal in 2004, 6% more than in 2003;
the four million-tonne increase was all from B.C. and
all of the increase was for export. All in all, this is a
small snapshot of a few mines in B.C., but it shows how
digging deep is helping the province climb out of the
1990s slump.
B.C. MINING
B.C. MINING
LANDSCAPING
Coal Front
Western Canadian Coal’s Wolverine mine is
helping revitalize the town of Tumbler Ridge,
with a little help from its friends at Finning
t’s a massive investment in northeastern British
Columbia that will ultimately help boost the standard
of living in developing nations on the other side of the
world. Along the way, it is creating widespread employment in the province, bringing in money from overseas
markets, and playing a major role in the revitalization
of a mining town that for a couple of years faced a very
uncertain future.
In many ways, Western Canadian Coal Corp.’s Wolverine mine near Tumbler Ridge typifies the mining
industry: massive investment with massive benefits.
Certainly the little town of Tumbler Ridge, population
3,500, located 725 kilometres northeast of Vancouver
and a bump and nudge south of Dawson Creek, is feeling those benefits.
TR, as locals call their community, sprang into being
as a single-resource boom town when the Quintette
and Bullmoose coal mines opened in 1983. The bust
came in 2000 with falling commodity prices, forcing
between 1,500 and 2,000 people – half the town – to
seek employment elsewhere. But the following year,
new residents started moving in: retirees, risk takers,
northern workers who do two weeks in and then have
two weeks off, and others whose jobs require extensive travel. They were drawn by the still-new infrastructure in a master-planned community, a vibrant,
outdoor-oriented lifestyle and the appeal of near-new
three- and four-bedroom houses on large lots for as little $25,000.
Economic Development Officer Ray Proulx grew up
in Tumbler Ridge, went to Prince George to earn a B.Sc.
at the University of Northern B.C., then returned home
to work as a tourism consultant. The Wolverine mine
is a big deal to Proulx, and rightly so. It’s an open-pit
metallurgical coal mine that’s scheduled to be in production this July with an initial annual output of 2.4
million tonnes of high-quality hard coking coal, later
increasing to three million tonnes per year, a significant
amount by any standard.
Western Canadian Coal calls Wolverine “the next
generation of coal mines.” The company started its
feasibility studies in 2003 and, by early 2005, had
Environmental Assessment Office certification. Construction and site clearing began in April 2005.
“It’s generated quite a bit of interest and that has
fueled the first significant development here in years,”
www.finning.ca
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DISTRICT OF TUMBLER RIDGE
I
BY STE WART DUNCAN
B.C. MINING
INDUSTRY REPORT
B.C. MINING
B.C. Minister of State for Mining Bill Bennett (top) addresses
employees and guests at Finning’s Kamloops plant in front
of a Cat D10T tractor that was being prepped for Highland
Valley Copper and is just like the four sold to Western
Canadian Coal for development of the Wolverine mine.
BOTTOM (LEFT TO RIGHT): Finning general manager for minINDUSTRY R E P O RT
ing Brent Davis, Kamloops MLA Claude Richmond, Finning’s
LANDSCAPING
Sparwood mining manager Darold Thorp,
Finning B.C. mining sales manager Jim Harrison and Minister Bill Bennett
PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEWART DUNCAN
Proulx said about Wolverine’s impact on TR. “In the
last three months, we sold the last remaining commercial lots in the downtown core. We’re looking at creating more retail space next year and finishing up two
more light-industrial subdivisions. There has been a
flurry of activity. A lot of faith pays off.”
This time around, TR is better balanced demographically, Proulx explained. In the 1980s and 1990s, the
majority of the population “considered 40 old.” Now,
however, the presence of families, retirees and all age
groups make the town “normal” in demographic terms,
said Proulx. “We’re projected to grow to just under
6,000 in three to five years.”
That expected population surge is the result of a
surge in demand for B.C. coal. And so in late 2005, a
group of industry players made a major announcement
at the Finning plant in Kamloops in the shadow of a
state-of-the-art Cat D10T tractor. Western Canadian
Coal had just inked a $32.6-million deal with Finning
for 18 new pieces of Cat equipment – and the ink was
hardly dry when they signed for another $8 million
worth of Cat iron from Finning.
www.finning.ca
The announcement in Kamloops was good news
not only for Western Canadian Coal, Caterpillar and
Finning, but also for the mining industry throughout
the province. Little wonder then that B.C. Minister
of State for Mining Bill Bennett and Kamloops MLA
Claude Richmond were in jovial spirits, peppering
their conversations with Finning employees with a
series of quips and good humour. Thanks to higher
coal and metal prices, Finning employees should be
able to “have a few toys in their driveways,” Bennett
said, “and go on trips now and then.”
Prosperity in the mining industry means greater
prosperity for all of B.C., according to Bennett. Mining is a $5-billion industry in the province, producing
25,000 jobs. As such, it’s expected to remain a bedrock
of B.C.’s economy, and industry experts aren’t predicting a bust following the current overall boom in commodity prices. In other words, mines won’t be shutting
down in three or four years.
Case in point: Teck Cominco’s Highland Valley mine
60 kilometres southwest of Kamloops. One of the largest open-pit copper mines in the world and another
major Finning customer, it has just invested $40 million
in resource development in a bid to remain active until
at least 2013. And in addition to that $40 million, Highland Valley recently spent $26 million at the Finning
store for 10 Cat 793C off-highway haul trucks.
“We’ve removed sales tax on mining equipment to
encourage mining companies to buy here and expand
their operations,” Bennett said, illustrating connections between the B.C. government, Finning and mines
throughout the province. “All industry is important.
But mining is very important.” Bennett commended
Finning for its consistent service to B.C.’s mining sector. “The equipment procurement, the expansion
of their service-sector facilities and the opportunity
for increased employment for British Columbians is
another great example of how mining supports communities throughout British Columbia.”
Finning’s Brent Davis, general manager for mining,
praised company employees for securing such large,
lucrative contracts and making the company so solid.
“Company founder Earl B. Finning said, ‘We service
what we sell,’” quoted Davis, “and we continue that
tradition today.”
B.C. MINING
B.C. MINING
Site prep
at Western
Canadian Coal’s
Wolverine mine
is continuing
with $40 million
of new Cat iron
Finning’s B.C. mining sales manager Jim Harrison, who announced the additional $8 million sale to
Western Canadian Coal, stressed that there’s a lot more
activity in the industry beyond the Wolverine mine.
“Copper hit $2 a pound the other day,” he said. “It’s
unheard of. We have good reason to believe the price
will remain strong over the next three years. Beyond
that, it’s anyone’s guess, but all indictors are positive.”
Harrison also emphasized how Finning is growing
alongside the mining sector. “We’ve just added a new
mining-account manager, Darcy Hill, specifically for
Tumbler Ridge. He’s from Prince George, from outside
the company. It’s a new position and he’ll be one of two
permanently stationed in Tumbler Ridge.” Finning had
earlier added 13 more staff to its Kamloops operations
and expanded staff in Prince George. The company
now has more than 1,100 employees at 23 operations
centres in B.C. alone.
These numbers can only grow as Finning continues
to service what it sells. Western Canadian Coal’s new
Cat packages consists of five Cat 789C haul trucks with
a 190-ton capacity, fi ve Cat 785C haul trucks with a
150-ton capacity, a Cat 385 excavator, a Cat 16H motor
grader, a Cat 992 wheel loader, a Cat 834H wheel dozer
and four Cat D10T tractors. The equipment was delivered during the latter part of 2005 and the first quarter
of 2006 and is being used for pre-production stripping,
as well as mining operations.
The D10T features the latest computer
technology as well as the traditional
power and longevity that Cat is known
for. Features like Automated Blade Assist
and optional Computer-Aided Earthmoving Systems enable the D10T operator to do
more work in less time by maximizing the
machine’s capabilities and power.
Finning shop chargehand Bob Brash, who is also the
customer-service rep in Kamloops, mentioned that one
of the industry-leading features on the D10T is its 646horsepower C27 engine with ACERT technology. “The
C27 is not just more powerful and more fuel efficient
than previous version,” Brash said. “The big thing with
the C27 is that it reduces exhaust emissions to a point
where it exceeds the most stringent government regulations to date. Cat is a leader in this technology.”
To people unfamiliar with the mining industry, a
$40 million equipment purchase probably seems like
a lot of money for pre-production. Yet it’s just one part
of the Wolverine mine’s $300 million in total start-up
capital costs. And the fact that the operation will reap
the benefits of $1.5 billion invested in infrastructure for
northeastern B.C. coal development in the early 1980s
further puts these figures into perspective.
The Wolverine mine will tap into existing rail lines,
an ocean port, the town of Tumbler Ridge, highways
and other facilities. So it won’t be long before the coal
is hauled on the roaring railway from the soaring Rockies to the distant Pacific, then carried on conveyer belts
into the cargo holds of steel-hulled freighters that diesel
their way to hungry foundries in the Far East. There, the
high-heat-producing metallurgical coal will feed the
fires of the world’s two most populous nations, which,
for the past 100 years, have hung between developed
and undeveloped status.
Today, in the first decade of 21st century, China and
India, as well as other countries in Southeast Asia, are
reshaping the world market with modern manufacturing plants. Both countries have rapidly growing automanufacturing industries which require steel. And to
make that steel, they need the heat of B.C. coal.
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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF WESTERN CANADIAN COAL CORP.
LANDSCAPING
Yesterday/Today
THE 769 HAULER WAS MORE THAN CATERPILLAR’S FIRST TRUE
OFF-HIGHWAY TRUCK. KEITH HADDOCK ARGUES THAT IT WAS ALSO
THE BEST-LOOKING HAULER EVER PUT INTO THE FIELD
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF KEITH HADDOCK
Ahead Of
The Curves
In 1963, Caterpillar entered a brand new
product arena by launching its 769 model,
a rigid-frame haul truck with a 32-tonne
capacity. It was the forerunner of Caterpillar’s extensive current truck lineup.
Caterpillar’s truck program actually
began back in 1956, when market surveys
indicated room for an improved, highspeed quarry and construction truck. The
first concept hauler began tests in 1959
and, after two more prototypes and extensive field testing, the 769 hit the market
four years later. It was a completely new
design from the ground up, not based on
any existing model. Caterpillar was indeed
brave to enter the specialized off-highway
truck market considering that its competition already had decades of experience
and well-established markets.
The first 769 was powered by a 280 kW
flywheel power D343 diesel engine and
could attain a top speed of 65 kilometres
per hour. Important features included
independent pneumatic-oil suspension
and oil-cooled disc brakes on the rear
drive wheels as well as an air-suspension
driver’s seat.
I remember seeing my first Caterpillar
769 working as part of the United Kingdom’s motorway construction program
in the mid-1960s. Huge amounts of earth
and rock were moved over long hauls to
construct the network of freeways so
vital to the U.K.’s current economy. I was
impressed at how this 32-tonne hauler,
a giant for its day, seemed to glide over
rough bumps in the haul road. At times
it actually ran well over 50 kilometres per
hour – quite something for a vehicle this
big. Its smooth curved lines could have
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been designed by a race-car designer. In
fact, I still believe the 769 is the best-looking off-highway hauler ever put in the
field. Its cab, hood, fenders and body all
display pleasing curves, a sharp contrast
to the square corners and sharp edges on
competitor trucks of the era.
Upgrades were made to the 769 based
on f ield e xperience. Fly wheel power
increased to 298 kW in 1964, and then in
1966 the 769B appeared with 310 kW flywheel power, still sporting the same D343
engine. The B-series lasted until 1978,
when the 769C sported the new Caterpillar
3408 diesel rated at 336 flywheel power,
with truck capacity holding at 32 tonnes.
But the 769C had moved with the times,
losing its appealing rounded appearance
in favour of the typical “squared off” cab,
radiator and fenders. By 1990, the Caterpillar 769C was rated up to 36 tonnes,
and then in 1995 the current model 769D
replaced it, rated at 36-tonne payload and
363 kW flywheel power from the improved
3408E engine.
1. NICE CURVES: The actual 769 haul truck that
Keith Haddock first saw in England in 1966
2. GOING STRAIGHT: Straight lines and increased
production are hallmarks of today’s Caterpillar
769D rear dump hauler
Read all about the fascinating story of
Caterpillar’s crawler tractor evolution in the
book Classic Caterpillar Crawlers by Keith
Haddock and Eric C. Orlemann. To order
a copy, send $39.95 postage paid to Park
Communications, 505 Hegler Crescent,
Edmonton, Alberta, T6R 1T3, or phone
780-434-2840 for more details.
27
MEETING THE CHALLENGE
Diamonds
in the Rough
A Cat 994 loads a Cat 793
with waste granite
A Caterpillar D8 tractor arrives at the
Ekati site on last year’s ice road
www.finning.ca
The Ekati team has launched a business
improvement project around tire supply
with a focus on haul road conditions
Ice road crew in action
Finning Northwest Territories
manager Ron Drewry
A Cat integrated toolcarrier carts
freight to the “sprung,” where it will
be delivered to various operations
www.finning.ca
Traffic on this year’s winter ice road between Yellowknife
and mining operations further north should be at an alltime high. Problem is, the road will be ready later than
usual due to uncharacteristically warm temperatures. As
of press time, it was looking like mid-February before the
road would be open for light loads.
Finning Northwest Territories manager Ron Drewry says a boost in mining activity accounts for the increase in
traffic, which means maintenance of
the ice road will be critical in light of
potential dangers such as blow-outs,
overflows, wash-outs, pressure ridges,
cracks or worn portages. The relatively
warm temperatures in the Northwest
Territories over the last several years
hasn’t helped.
Back in the mid-1990s, a busy haul
season on the ice road was about 800
truckloads. Last year, that total mushroomed to more than 7,500 loads.
In place for just 10 weeks or so each
year, typically between late January
and early April, the winter road covers
some 475 kilometres over frozen lakes
and tundra. It’s the only way companies such as the Ekati
diamond mine (about 200 kilometres south of the Arctic
Circle) can bring in supplies like Caterpillar equipment,
fuel and tires. Annual diesel fuel requirements alone at
Ekati are about 85 million litres. Other supplies like food
and perishables are flown in by cargo plane on a regular
basis.
Even though supplies will flow in abundance on a safe
and well-maintained ice road, the supply of tires for the
Caterpillar fleet remains a concern. With mining operations picking up speed around the world, demand for tires
has created a worldwide shortage; some companies are
even forecasting a drop in production as a result.
For its part, the Ekati mine looks to keep haul roads
as smooth as silk to keep the rubber on the road. “We’re
assisting them,” says Drewry, “with a business improvement project on the issue.”
29
COMPANY PROFILE: Snethun family
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DARRELL LECORRE
Iva-Jean, Vern, Chad and Tyler Snethun
www.finning.ca
A team approach to farming
and flying is paying off for
the Snethuns
All in the
Family
BY SHANNON SUTHERL AND
A
s Vern Snethun stands at the sink filling the
kettle for tea on a clear December afternoon,
it’s hard to believe anything could interrupt
the peace in that kitchen, on that farm. The
kitchen and dining room overlook the stand
of trees Vern and Iva-Jean Snethun planted
when they were newlyweds nearly two decades ago. Just beyond
the tree line, their two teenage sons, Chad and Tyler, skate during
that all-too-brief window of time just after the school bus drops
them off and just before it gets too dark to see the puck.
A few months ago, though, the Snethun family farm was anything but serene.
A pest outbreak in central Alberta and about 5,000 acres of
wheat, canola, barley and peas kept the Snethuns bustling as
they balanced their two businesses – their farming operation,
and Prairie-Air Investments Inc., an aerial spraying company.
“There’s no doubt we keep busy around here – some years are
busier than others, of course,” says 45-year-old Vern, whose
spraying business was in demand last season to fly search-anddestroy missions for army worms. “You never know what you’re
going to get, though. It’s all emergency work, so when there’s a
disease outbreak, there needs to be five of me.”
Which leaves you wondering what five Vern Snethuns could
accomplish when you consider what just one has done.
It all started in 1986, about 150 kilometres southeast of
Edmonton, a few miles southwest of the town of Lougheed,
Alberta, when Vern and Iva-Jean got married and built their first
home. It was an overwhelming year for the young couple. Sadly,
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Vern also lost his 52-year-old father in 1986, and that put him in
an unanticipated leadership position on the family farm. Fortunately, Vern rose to the occasion, expanding operations and then
launching his aerial spraying operation a few years later. (He flies
a Cessna Ag Truck “work plane” for spraying jobs and has a Cessna 185 as well, for pleasure trips.)
“Vern has just done a tremendous job maintaining that
farm since his father passed away,” says Don Leslie, a Finning
customer account representative who Iva-Jean refers to as the
family’s “other right arm.” “He has more than doubled the holdings,” adds Leslie, “and has done a fantastic job making it run
efficiently and smoothly.” Snethun now farms 34 quarters –
more than 5,400 acres. When his dad passed away, the family
was farming 16 quarter-sections.
Leslie has known the family for more than five years now and
says he’s always amazed at how they all work together, taking
pride in and responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the
farm. It was in 2000 that Leslie sat at the kitchen table negotiating the sale of some Caterpillar equipment to the Snethuns when
Tyler, then eight years old, whispered to his mom, “Can I show
him now?”
Iva-Jean hushed her son until the business at hand was concluded and more casual conversation had resumed.
“Can I show him now?” the boy whispered again.
Iva-Jean smiled at her son and nodded. “Go get it,” she said.
“The boys, who were eight and 10 then, had always expressed
more than an average interest in the farm and the equipment
up to that point, and I had taken note of it, but I hadn’t really
thought much more about it,” recalls Leslie, who sold the family
COMPANY PROFILE: Snethun family
“With the combines,
there are very few
moving parts and that
really cuts down on
your maintenance and
breakdowns. I like the
simplicity of them. I
like the fact that ease
of maintenance and
user-friendly controls
are a priority.”
both their Challenger 670 combines and
their Challenger 95E tractor. “So that day
when his mom said he could bring me
what he had been waiting to show me,
I was surprised to see that he done four
really good drawings of Cat equipment.
The combine was especially good. It really
showed me how involved and interested
the entire family is in the farm.
“Of course, Iva-Jean didn’t want that
to interfere with negotiations,” Leslie continues with a laugh, “so she wouldn’t let
him show me the artwork until after the
deal was done.”
The pictures Tyler drew hung in Finning’s regional sales office for several
years, and the Cat equipment the youngest
Snethun sketched still sits out back. Vern
says Cat machines weren’t all that popular
in the area several years ago, but he saw the
success his uncle and cousin had with Cat
products, so he decided to give them a try.
Fuel savings and decreased compaction
were two of the attractions.
“Less soil compaction and a smoother
ride were just a couple of the advantages
of moving from rubber tires to track,”
says Vern. “The fuel economy is better and so is traction. You can really see
what tire compaction can do by looking
at shovel wear on the air drill cultivator
shovels behind the tractor tires. Those
shovels wear twice as fast as the rest. If the
other shovels are good for 2,000 acres,
those behind the wheels are good for
1,000 acres. Behind tracks, shovel wear is
even across the implement. That’s a pretty
good indicator right there of how much
less compaction damage you are doing
with tracks.” Rubber track tractors tend
to cause less compaction because they
spread the weight of the equipment over
six axles rather than two.
A lighter machine also contributes to
decreased compaction, of course. And it
makes for smoother operations in wet
weather. With the tractor, for instance, the
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INSET COURTESY OF SNETHUN FAMILY
Because he often spends long days in the air,
having Challenger combines that are easy to
maintain makes sense for Vern Snethun
“Last year when I was out there
during harvest, Iva-Jean was up
on top of the combine on a ledge
about 20 feet off the ground,
walking around up there like a cat.
I know lots of men who wouldn’t
have the courage to get up there,
but there she was doing what
needed to be done.”
around up there like a cat. I know lots of men who wouldn’t have
the courage to get up there, but there she was doing what needed
to be done.”
total weight of the equipment is about 3,000 pounds less when
compared with a four-wheel-drive tractor with duals. When
about 34,000 pounds is spread over six axles instead of distributing 37,000 pounds over two axles, the load per axle is reduced
by about 70%. This can make a significant difference not only in
terms of operations, but in terms of production as well, because
it promotes the even growth of crops, since the plants are not
stunted where the rubber tracks have crossed the field.
“From the air, you can always see where tire tracks cross the
fields,” says Vern. You can see quite a lot from up there, in fact,
and there’s no doubt that the view of the land he’s farming is a
pleasing sight to Vern, and he’s fortunate to be able to incorporate his passion for flying into a business.
When asked what attracted Vern to aviation, his wife replies
for him with a sideways glance at her husband, a grin and a
raised eyebrow. “Let’s just say, he has always been adventurous,”
says Iva-Jean. It seems his eldest son Chad might have inherited
a few of his father’s instincts as well; the 15 year old is showing
an interest in aviation, too.
Leslie says Iva-Jean is no shrinking violet either. “The entire
family is active on the farm, and Iva-Jean has always impressed
me with her hands-on approach to the farm,” he says. “Last year
when I was out there during harvest, Iva-Jean was up on top of
the combine on a ledge about 20 feet off the ground, walking
www.finning.ca
Doing what needs to be done is second nature for the Snethuns.
They have been doing it for more than 20 years. The family seems
to tackle their to-do lists with analytical efficiency and a sense of
humour as well. There’s no doubt, though, that they take decision-making very seriously, since they know all too well how
daunting downtime and miscalculations can be.
That’s why Vern says Cat equipment just seems to make sense
for his situation. Time and yields are paramount, and he needs
to be able to troubleshoot easily when time is short and days in
the air have been long.
“With the combines, there are very few moving parts and
that really cuts down on your maintenance and breakdowns,”
he says. “I like the simplicity of them. I like the fact that ease of
maintenance and user-friendly controls are a priority.”
Simple solutions are a focus for Cat, and that’s reflected in the
engineering. “It’s low to the ground, so all the components are at
ground-level,” says Leslie. “They also made use of sight-glass, so
the fluids are readily visible in all the sites. You can virtually do
all the repairs and maintenance with the toolbox in the back of
your pick-up. The combines have half the chains and belts that
you would find in our competition’s combines and that makes
them simple to maintain, repair or even rebuild.”
That kind of accessibility is essential when the army worms
come marching in and harvest is just weeks away. “It can get
crazy around here, but we enjoy it,” Vern says as the winter sun
sets and he pulls out of his yard, heading down a gravel road to
the home-made hangar where his two airplanes are housed. “It’s
just the way it is.”
And there’s no doubt the Snethuns like it that way.
FIELD TEST
The haul road at Line Creek is easier on tires
thanks to the new made-as-ordered edge (right)
Building A Better Blade Edge
Customer need spurs another effective innovation from Cat and Finning
it helps them keep that vehicle on the road longer.”
Nurkowski says Finning’s Sparwood branch, which is located in the southeastern corner of B.C., started working with
the Line Creek mine when the Caterpillar edges used during
a test on the operation’s Cat 16G and 16H graders were not
meeting the needs of the customer due to the size of the crush
being used on the road. The mine was also testing a competitive non-Cat edge to determine which one better met its needs
for a number of factors, including edge longevity and crush
recycling. “Recycling crush on haul roads translates into savings for customers and the competitive edge did provide the
basic performance needed,” says Nurkowski. “However, there
was room for improvement.”
During the tests, which were fi rst conducted in February
2004, staff from Finning and the mine compared a standard
edge from Caterpillar’s Ground Engaging Tools (GET) group
with the competitive non-Cat edge. “The Caterpillar edge
www.finning.ca
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEON NURKOWSKI
K
eeping haul roads at mining operations in prime
condition can provide major paybacks for mining
companies. So when Finning (Canada) started
looking at ways to develop an improved edge for
grader blades, Elk Valley Coal’s Line Creek property was a keen participant in the ensuing test programs and studies.
“There’s a number of cost and safety benefits to maintaining
haul roads properly,” explains Deon Nurkowski, a product support representative with Finning’s Sparwood, B.C. branch. “By
developing a specific edge for grader blades working on these
haul roads, the mining companies can leave more crush on
the road. Which means less spinout for the vehicles using the
road and that reduced tire damage to those vehicles. Currently,
reducing tire damage is extremely important for the mining
industry as world demand has created a supply shortage of
tires, and if a mine can get 200 to 300 more hours out of a tire,
BY BILL TICE
had a gap between serrations of 1.3 inches and the crush they
use on the road ranges from 1.5 to 1.75 inches across,” notes
Nurkowski. “The space between the serrations on the Cat edge
was plugging up with the crush, which essentially created a flat
edge that would push the crush off the road. The competitive
edge had gaps between the serrations of 2.0 inches, which alleviated the problem of the crush plugging up the gaps, but the
mine liked some of the other features of the Cat edge, such as
the depth of the tine, which is 5.5 inches on the Cat edge and
5.2 inches on the competitor’s edge.”
When Nurkowski describes the serrated edge, he compares
it to a comb, where the tine is the depth of the tooth with the
gap being the space between the teeth. The shallower tine on
the competitive edge results in the edge acting as a straight
blade while there is still a significant amount of edge life
remaining. The tests also indicated curving at the blade ends
on both edges due to a significant amount of force put on the
blade when crowning the haul roads, or during other operations that require higher forces at the ends of the grader blade
such as finishing work.
Armed wit h t he likes and dislikes of each product,
Nurkowski worked with Finning and Caterpillar GET product
designers to produce a “made-as-ordered” (MAO) edge, which
is essentially a custom product that he hoped would provide
Line Creek with a blade edge that could offer the best features
of each of the tested products. “Our MAO edge was designed
with a longer lead-in edge of 3.75 inches to address the issue of
curving during crowning operations, and the spacing between
the serrations was increased to 2.0 inches to allow for better
haul road crush flow,” he says. “The depth of the serrations was
kept at 5.5 inches, which prolongs the amount of time the edge
remains serrated.”
When the MAO edges were received at the mine site in January 2005, they were tested again. The edges are eight feet in
length, so one of the Caterpillar MAO edges and one of the
www.finning.ca
competitor’s edges were mounted side by side on the same
16-foot blade. This test was conducted on two separate graders.
One set of the combined edges achieved 219 hours of operation, while the second set lasted for 111 hours, a scenario that
Nurkowski says could be related to operating conditions and
machine operation. “The other key factor here was that material properties, such as the hardness of the metals, could not be
accurately accounted for given that one of each edge was used,”
he says. “However, given the time frame these edges can end
up lasting, it was decided to keep the haul road conditions and
operator inputs as factors equal to both edges.”
The tests put the Caterpillar MAO edge ahead in several
areas. “The wider 3.75 inch leading edge on the Cat edge kept
its form, allowing for a straighter edge over a longer period of
time,” explains Nurkowski. “Along with this, the deeper tine
height resulted in the Caterpillar edge acting as a serrated edge
for an extended period, resulting in longer edge life and leaving more crush on the road.”
Steve Warr, an engineer-in-training at the Line Creek operation, inherited the project in October 2005. “The material
properties for both edges are similar,” he says, “but the Cat
edge has more wear availability because of the deeper tine,
meaning we can use it for longer before hitting a flat edge.”
Warr says he is also completing cost analysis studies comparing the two edges. “The Finning edge might be more expensive up front, but if it lasts longer, we have to make less edge
changes, which may actually save us money, depending on
whether we do our edge changes during a time when the grader
is working, or during scheduled maintenance times.”
At press time, Elk Valley Coal’s Coal Mountain mine near
Sparwood was trying out 40 of the Caterpillar MAO edges
from Finning and Nurkowski says there have been enquiries
from a number of other mines. “We are currently working on
increasing sales of this edge,” he says, “which will move the
MAO cost down and will give us a better position when comparing cost per hour.”
35
INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHT : OILSANDS UPDATE
Boom 2.0
Cautious optimism, not excess, is the
flavour of the day in the oilsands
D
uring the oilpatch’s stunning 1980s freefall, one
bumper sticker was particularly popular on vehicles owned by people who remained in Alberta’s
depressed economy instead of migrating to British
Columbia or Ontario in search of work. “Please
Lord,” it read, “just give me one more oil boom,
and I promise not to piss it away this time.”
Heaven sent or not, the good times have returned, especially to northeastern Alberta, where more and more companies
are turning oilsands into sweet crude. The signs of the rising
price of West Texas crude can be spotted in Fort McMurray,
from fast food restaurants advertising $14 hourly wages for
36
burger flippers to blinged-out, 24-inch rims on Escalades. But
even with these excesses, the sequel to the 1970s economic
explosion seems more subdued. And even with the price of oil
cresting above $60, most of the oilsands industry’s major players speak in remarkably measured terms – as if they expect the
dark storm clouds to roll over the horizon at any moment.
Mike Glennon, the executive director for the Athabasca
Regional Issues Working Group (RIWG), sees the industry’s
prudence as well-founded, both as a matter of practice and
given the historical precedents. While Glennon is a recent émigré to Fort McMurray, he has heard horror stories about the
1980s from locals whose credit ratings still bear the scars of
www.finning.ca
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF SUNCOR ENERGY INC.
BY WILL GIBSON
the collapse. “There is still a hangover from the ’80s and many
people have seen the bad times with the good,” says Glennon,
whose group acts as the industry’s voice on a series of regional
issues. “And while the price of oil makes the oilsands pretty
enticing at the moment, the large companies that are making
this investment to get involved are sophisticated planners.
They are looking at a 30-year window with their plans.”
In addition to historical precedents and long-term thinking, there are a couple of blotches on the industry’s otherwise
spotless prospects that limit the bullish talk by executives. The
first is the drum-tight labour market, which has been blamed
for significant cost overruns on major construction projects.
And the industry’s labour pains look to even intensify after the
contractors finish their final welds on several new industrial
installations.
The Calgary-based Petroleum Human Resources Council
of Canada estimated that the number of non-temporary workers employed by oilsands companies will double, to 17,000
by 2012. By that time, Canadian Natural Resources Limited’s
$10-billion Horizon project, Imperial Oil’s $6.5-billion Kearl
Lake mine, Husky’s $10-billion Sunrise project, Total SA’s $9billion Joslyn Project and the $5-billion Fort Hills partnership
between UTS Energy Corp. and Petro-Canada will either be
operating or under construction. Considering that the industry already has difficulties recruiting and retaining employees,
human resources headaches seem inevitable.
Given Fort McMurray’s isolation, the oilsands industry has
pushed the Alberta government hard to improve local infrastructure. This is an essential step towards easing the growth
pains of a population that has doubled in less than a decade.
The provincial government has responded by announcing
more money and opening up more Crown land for development in an attempt to ease skyrocketing real estate prices that
have experienced South American-style hyperinflation. Still,
Royal LePage real estate agent Susan Lore says, “We have not
seen enough land released by the provincial government, to
keep up with demand.”
With the price of a double-wide trailer topping $300,000,
most newcomers who don’t come from the Toronto or Vancouver areas experience sticker shock. This has led to a growing
“shadow population” that commutes from other communities,
particularly Edmonton. The industry’s search for labour has
even reached beyond Canadian borders.
While industry broadens its search for workers beyond
Canada, it is also attracting interest outside North America
among investors and potential buyers of the synthetic crude
produced from bitumen. Paris-based Total SA, one of Europe’s
largest oil companies, bought a 78% stake of Deer Creek in
September for $1.7 billion. It was the second foray into northeastern Alberta for the French company, which is an equal
partner with Houston-based ConocoPhillips in the Surmont
project. Total, which also has oilsands production in Venezuela, expects to produce 200,000 barrels a day at Deer Creek’s
www.finning.ca
Heavy equipment, as well as human hands,
are needed to turn the oilsands into crude
Joslyn Project, which eventually will include a surface mining
operation, according to the plans.
More media attention, however, has surrounded Chinese
investments in the region. Last April, China National Offshore Oil Corp. purchased 16.7% of MEG Energy Corp., and
China’s state-owned Sinopec acquired a 40% stake in start-up
Synenco Energy Inc.’s Northern Lights project this past June.
Enbridge Inc. also signed an agreement with PetroChina Co.
Ltd. to build a $2.5-billion pipeline connecting the oil lands to
the west coast of Canada. The deals created some high-profile
American media hand wringing, but RIWG’s Mike Glennon
sees the worldwide interest as a positive sign. “There wasn’t
this kind of international interest in the past, but the technology used by the industry has been proven,” he says. “It also
reflects the lower cost to produce bitumen.”
While Horizon, Kearl Lake and Fort Hills will be open pit
mines, where oil sand is removed by giant shovels and trucked
to a processing plant where it is processed into synthetic crude,
part of the Joslyn Project as well as Sunrise will rely on the
steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) technique, where
steam is pumped into the ground to soften the tar-like bitumen, which then flows to the surface. “It is a lot less labourintensive,” Glennon says about SAGD, “and doesn’t involve as
much heavy equipment.”
Makers of heavy equipment, however, should not despair
about their sales prospects in northeastern Alberta. Between
companies buying new diesel equipment that conforms to
tougher new emission standards as well as future expansions
at open-pit mines, Glennon believes plenty of heavy iron will
be required in the region in the future. “Nobody is going to go
broke up here,” he says, “whether they are selling heavy equipment or hamburgers.”
37
Jennifer Silva (Flint), Len Mark (Finning chargehand)
and Paul Bechard (Finning rental fleet manager)
www.finning.ca
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BLUEFISH STUDIOS
DIVISION PROFILE: Rental and Used Equipment
Recently amalgamated Rental and
Used Equipment division gives
customers many options
RUE Grit
BY ROSS HENDERSON
L
ast year, Flint Energy Services Ltd. had about
150 pieces of heavy equipment on a pipeline
construction site when a key machine went
down. The ill-timed glitch brought progress on
a huge Shell project to a screeching halt.
Flint’s equipment co-ordinator, Jennifer
Silva, called Finning in Edmonton immediately. Less than four
hours later, Finning’s rental fleet team in Calgary had a replacement machine at the Limestone site, about 100 kilometres northwest of the city, recalls Silva. Finning Calgary personnel then
repaired the company’s downed iron and returned it to the worksite within two weeks.
Responsive and thorough service like this is why Calgaryheadquartered Flint, one of the larger oilfield construction firms
in North America with 7,000 staff and more than 3,000 pieces
of equipment, has regularly turned to Finning for rental equipment over the years. Silva says the sizable and diverse Finning
fleet delivers a big payoff where it counts – in the thickness of her
company’s wallet. “It saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in
downtime,” she says about Finning’s rapid response to the Limestone pipeline breakdown. “It kept us going.”
To take customer service to the next level, Finning recently
merged its used equipment and rental operations to form the
50-employee Rental and Used Equipment division, which is
known as the RUE group for short. Edmonton rental fleet manager Paul Bechard says the combined team provides customers
with more rental and purchase options, and a wider range of
used inventory, in addition to higher quality rental machines
and improved availability.
Typically, the RUE group has about 350 rental and 500 used
units available, ranging from mid-sized tractors to large mining
equipment, wheel loaders and forestry equipment (such as skid-
www.finning.ca
ders and log loaders) as well as scrapers and articulated dump
trucks. Another 350 units will be added to the rental fleet in
2006. Last year, the RUE team co-ordinated nearly 2,000 rentals, while Finning’s sales force sold approximately 1,600 pieces
of used equipment, making Finning the largest used equipment
dealer in North America.
RUE’s organizational makeover streamlines customer service
and keeps rental and used machines a step up in quality. “A lot
of customers will rent a machine for a period of time and then
want to buy it,” says RUE operations manager Gord McDougall.
“We wanted to make that an easier transaction for them. One
of our strategies is to make older rental equipment available for
sale; this keeps the rental fleet updated and more reliable, and
provides customers with a broader selection of high-quality used
equipment.” Typically, rental machines are no more than three
years or 5,000 hours old. In fact, they often appear brand new.
That’s why Flint Energy Services rents most of its heavy equipment from Finning, usually on a six-month term. “For us, in
construction, a new D8 costs about $800,000 to purchase,” says
Silva. “And you’ve got to depreciate that unit. Therefore, it’s more
cost-effective to do short-term renting. Because it has the largest
fleet, Finning is usually my first call. My number one priority is
service; they can provide service that a smaller company can’t.”
Another option that RUE provides is consignment, a service
that’s grown in popularity over the years. Finning sold more than
400 consignment machines on behalf of customers last year.
“It’s an excellent alternative,” explains McDougall, who notes
that consignment products are promoted by almost 200 Finning
salespeople, are advertised in industry publications, and offered
worldwide via www.finning.ca and www.catused.com.
McDougall describes the consignment process this way: “It’s
like an auction where the seller has control over the selling price
39
DIVISION PROFILE: Rental and Used Equipment
From Dubai, With Umbrella
Cat-certified
technician Marc
Buckley changes a
filter, one of many
tasks handled by
the RUE team
and the buyer has a lot more time to research, view, inspect
and decide on the purchase than the 30 seconds to a minute
you get at an auction.”
Longtime Finning customer John Wilson, the president of
H. Wilson Industries, agrees. His Fort McMurray general contracting company runs about 40 pieces of Cat iron, performing work for Syncrude and Suncor and developing municipal
subdivisions.
“There’s rarely a surprise at Finning,” says Wilson. “But
when you buy at an auction, you really don’t know what to
expect – the motor could fall out of a machine the week after
you buy it and everyone would just shrug their shoulders.
When Finning sells for you on a consignment basis, you have
a lot more choice in terms of what you’re getting value-wise.”
Wilson counts on the value he gets at Finning. “A couple
weeks ago we bought a 140H grader and it had about 3,000
hours on it,” he reports. “I think we paid $228,000 for it. If
you were going to buy a brand-new, latest, greatest 2005 140H,
you’d probably be looking at about $350,000.”
Finning tracked down Wilson’s used grader from another
Cat dealer where it had been used for municipal work, an
application that’s generally easier on the equipment. “I know
equipment fairly well, and it was clean,” says Wilson. “If you
didn’t know the difference and didn’t look at the hour meter,
you’d think it was brand new. We look carefully at the equipment we buy and Finning inspects and repairs it very thoroughly before they pass it on to you.”
The RUE team encompasses five Finning branches throughout Alberta and British Columbia – in Calgary, Edmonton,
The weather is relatively mild for a mid-December morning in
Edmonton. Rental and Used Equipment division equipment
sup er viso r Ed Nedeljak
inspects a machine that’s
just arrived at Finning’s RUE
reconditioning shop on the
western outskirts of the city.
The Caterpillar 14H motor grader is
one of six purchased recently in Dubai,
United Arab Emirates, by RUE’s international sales
team. After the long journey from the southeastern tip
of the Arabian Peninsula, the machines are
being prepared
for a new test – a tougher test, one would
think – here in
the colder climate of Western Canada.
The Dubai grader
stands out from other units in the shop:
an umbrella covers the
operator’s seat. That’s one of the tasks
the experienced Edmonton crew will tackle. They will be equiping the Arabian unit with a new cab – and a heater, naturally –
and performing other significant reconditioning work to make it
ready for a Finning customer.
Last year, the team of Cat-certified technicians throughout
Western Canada dedicated to the RUE group performed initial
inspections and service work, ranging from routine maintenance
all the way up to complete overhauls, on more than 3,000 rental
and used machines. Of course, the same treatment was applied
to the machine from Dubai. Indeed, the customer can now relax
under an umbrella of peace of mind, if you will, assured that the
unit is battle ready for our harsher weather.
Grande Prairie, Surrey and Prince George – as well an international
sales group which deals with customers the world over. An entourage of customers from Kazakhstan recently landed in Calgary, for
instance, to look at a Caterpillar D10R that was completely rebuilt
by Finning.
Working alongside the RUE group at each location is a dedicated team of Cat-certified technicians who recondition and repair
machines in the RUE fleet, ensuring they’re brought up to a quality
standard using genuine Cat parts. Machines are also appropriately
modified or guarded for specific applications.
RUE customers can also rely on any of the numerous Finning
(Canada) branches throughout Western Canada for parts and service support, a step ahead of competitors who rent or sell from a
single region or location.
To provide even a broader range of options, the Finning (Canada) team of used equipment buyers searches the world for good used
machines, focusing primarily on used equipment from other Cat
dealers. “Like us, other Cat dealers have high standards for maintenance and repair,” says RUE equipment purchaser Jim Chomyshen.
“The equipment from those dealers is generally high quality.”
To check out what’s available from Finning’s RUE group, visit
www.finning.ca or call 1-888-FINNING.
www.finning.ca
Bill’s Business
WHEN WORK RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES START TO PILE UP, IT’S TIME TO
DELEGATE. DAVID DICENZO EXPLAINS HOW BILL GETS SOME PEACE OF MIND
BY SIGNING A SUPPORT AGREEMENT WITH FINNING
At Your Service
The sun was setting. With each passing
minute, a scrambling Bill Bako knew he
was running out of time. His D7 dozer
needed servicing, so Bill headed to the
Finning parts department for some oil
and filters, knowing full well that he only
had a bit of daylight left. It seemed to be
the theme of his life lately – there simply
weren’t enough hours in the day.
As Bill loaded the materials into his
truck, his Finning rep Paul pulled up.
“Hey Bill, what’s up?” Paul asked.
“Oh, hi Paul,” Bill responded. “Listen, I
can’t really chat right now. I have to service
the D7 ASAP. But we’ll talk soon, OK?”
“Not a problem,” Paul said. “I completely understand. I’ll call you tomorrow.
I want to run something by you.”
“If you can track me down,” Bill said
with a half smile.
Getting hold of Bill hasn’t been easy.
Work was plentiful, a blessing to be sure.
But with the additional jobs came growth.
Between supervising his ever-expanding
crew, looking after clients and taking care
of all the preventive maintenance (PM)
on his fleet, the pressure on Bill has been
building. No time for shinny, or relaxing
with Brenda. Bill’s life revolves around his
iron, even though it seems like just yesterday that he purchased his Cat 320CL excavator to start the business.
“Bill, you seemed pretty stressed when
I saw you,” Paul said the next day.
“Yup,” Bill responded. “I’m sorry I had
to rush off like that, but it’s been getting
crazy around here and keeping up is tough.
I had to get the D7 ready for a job. With all
those machines, preventive maintenance
is becoming a big issue.”
“I might be able to help out,” said Paul.
“Have you thought about the possibility of
www.finning.ca
hiring Finning to look after all the preventive maintenance for your fleet? It would
mean one less thing for you to worr y
about.”
“I’m not sure,” Bill said. “Wouldn’t
that be expensive? I’d be concerned that
my costs will get too high and the profits
shrink up?”
“Well, that’s the thing: we can develop a
Customer Support Agreement (CSA) that’s
based specifically on your needs. You can
look after as much or as little of the preventive maintenance as you see fit.”
“I guess I could take a look,” said Bill.
A s Bill drove home af ter anot her
grueling day, he wondered if it was in
his best interest to spend more money. It
occupied his thoughts as he sat down for a
quick bite and caught some hockey highlights before going to bed.
“I spoke with Paul today and he suggested that I should look into a CSA to
service the fleet,” Bill told Brenda.
“Listen to what he has to say,” Brenda
said. “Paul’s never steered you wrong.”
Paul got to work on a proposal, meet-
ing with Finning’s Equipment Management Solutions department to hammer
out a plan for Bill’s D7, 320CL and CP563.
After going through the proposal, Bill was
impressed but had a question.
“Tell me about this Global Maintenance System?” he asked.
“This is a great product,” Paul said.
“Global Maintenance System (GMS) uses
GPS to track the location and a low orbiting satellite network to report your hours
of use. Finning’s Equipment Management
Solutions department, along with the local
branch, schedules all of the servicing.
GMS can also be configured to advise you
if the machine is started outside of normal
working hours and will give a warning if
any major event has occurred.”
“That’s incredible,” Bill said. “But I’ll
be perfectly honest, Paul, I’m still worried
about the money. What happens if my
work slows down and I have this massive
bill to pay at the end of the month? It just
might not make any sense for me.”
“Fair enough,” Paul said. “But Finning
only invoices for the hours you use the
machine each month. If work slows down,
it’s not a concern. No key in the ignition
means no maintenance fees.
“Besides, the cost of all scheduled preventive maintenance is for the duration
of the contract and is accounted for in the
hourly fee, so you’ll be able to better forecast your maintenance costs.”
“Well, Paul, let’s do it,” said Bill.
A few weeks later, Paul visited Bill at a
jobsite. Bill looked a little more composed
than the day they ran into each other at the
parts department. Still busy, but better.
“So how’s the CSA been working for
you?” Paul asked.
“Great,” Bill said. “In fact, there’s a
technician on site right now. The PM service has been top notch and I really like the
fact that you get a detailed checklist afterwards. I don’t even have to worry about oil
sampling now.”
“So you’re happy with it?”
“I had time to play hockey this week,”
Bill said. “You tell me.”
41
Count On Us
Hands-On Leadership
That was company founder Earl B. Finning front and centre
with the pipe, apparently out in the field inspecting a piece
of used equipment, perhaps in the 1950s. Again, that’s as
much as we know on this end. Perhaps one of our more
experienced readers has additional details to offer. If so,
send them to jhoward@finning.ca.
www.finning.ca
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Canada-wide recruitment drive hits the highway

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