On the Cover - Finning Canada

'Tis the SeasonBY HILARY ANAKA,FINNING EDITORCelebrate safely and reach out to other peoplewho are not as fortunateHow can you tell the holiday season is upon us?The influx of party invitations, the wish lists fromthe children in our lives, the carols taking over theradio waves and the long lineups in the malls – theseare all pretty good indicators that the special time ofyear is here.Amidst the pressure of finishing things up at workbefore the holidays and the stresses of the season inour personal lives, we can quickly lose sight of twoof the most important thingsWe can all give back, whetherwe approach giving alone,as a family, or with a groupof coworkers.this time of year – safety andgiving back.Whether it’s the dauntingtask of putting up Christmaslights after the snow flies or theamount of driving we’re doingin poor weather conditions and low light, the riskof injury is greater at this time of year. As we’re distractedby the to-do list, the busy schedule that needsto be juggled and the pressure to make the most of itall, we open ourselves and our loved ones to danger.Take the time to consider the risks in your holidayroutine and do your best to remove them so you andyours can enjoy your time together.With a dose of perspective, these typical holidaystresses we’re experiencing pale in comparison to theexperiences of people less fortunate than us. Somedon’t have a roof over their heads, food to put on thetable or a gift to give their children. They need ourgenerosity now more than ever. We can all give back,whether we approach giving alone, as a family, orwith a group of coworkers.The Finning family is getting out in the communitieswhere we live and work and we are “paying itforward.” Our executive team is leading by exampleand supporting an Edmonton school's underprivilegedstudents, while other groups are undertakingfood and clothing drives, contributing to Christmashampers and wrapping toys for charity. These simpleacts capture the essence of the season and mean somuch to people on the receiving end of kindness.On behalf of the Finning family, best wishes to youand yours this season. Please celebrate safely.4 Winter 2012www.finning.ca

WINTER 2012 Volume 53, No. 4PUBLISHERRuth Kellyrkelly@venturepublishing.caFINNING EDITORHilary Anakahanaka@finning.caASSOCIATE PUBLISHERJoyce Byrnejbyrne@venturepublishing.caEDITORMifi Purvismpurvis@venturepublishing.caEDITORIAL ADVISORSJeff Howard,Michelle LoewenART DIRECTORCharles Burkecburke@venturepublishing.caASSOCIATE ART DIRECTORAndrea deBoerASSISTANT ART DIRECTORColin SpencePRODUCTION COORDINATORBetty-Lou SmithPRODUCTION TECHNICIANBrent FelzienCIRCULATION COORDINATORJennifer Kingcirculation@venturepublishing.caLOST AND FOUND: In 2013, as Finning enters its 80th year in business,we have been doing some reminiscing. And there is nothingquite like a walk down memory lane. We love getting your oldFinning and Caterpillar images in the post and by email. So if, ina fit of winter cleaning, you open the shoe boxes inhabiting yourbasement and closets to find something that counts as Finning orCat memorabilia and you want to share it, please contact us at theaddress below. Items may include pictures, pins, badges, documentsor other tributes to days gone by. If we publish a photo of yourmemorabilia, we’ll send you some cool Cat swag.ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVEAnita McGillisamcgillis@venturepublishing.caCONTRIBUTING WRITERSRobin Brunet, Caitlin Crawshaw, Craille Maguire Gillies,Keith Haddock, Cailynn Klingbeil, Lindsey Norris,Tricia Radison, Lisa RicciottiCONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ILLUSTRATORSStuart McCall, Shawn Talbot, Chip Zdarski, Colleen ZwarichTracks & Treads is published to provide its readerswith relevant business, technology, productand service information in a livelyand engaging manner.Tracks & Treads is published forFinning Canada byVenture Publishing Inc.10259-105 StreetEdmonton, Alberta T5J 1E3Phone: 780-990-0839Fax: 780-425-4921Contents © 2012 by Finning Canada. No part of this publicationshould be reproduced without written permission.PM #40020055Tell us what you thinkTracks & Treads would love to hear from you. Tell us what you thinkof the magazine’s stories, columns and look, so that we can improveit and make it a more interesting read.Send your comments to editor-in-chief Hilary Anaka by email athanaka@finning.ca or the old-fashioned way to: Hilary Anaka, Tracks & Treads,Finning Canada, 16830 – 107 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T5P 4C3www.fi nning.cawww.finning.ca Winter 2012 5

The Name GameAll Mini Machine Services, an earthworksrental equipment and excavating company basedin Delta, B.C., was the winning company for thissummer’s Name on NASCAR contest. Weeks afterhis all-expenses paid, week-long trip to Charlotte,North Carolina, Steve Borden, All Mini’s CEO, wasstill buzzing with excitement. “This was way overthe top,” Borden says, adding how he met the pitcrew and drivers and had the opportunity to hangout in the Cat suite, an upscale lounge for VIPs.The contest started with companies that ownedyellow iron entering two categories: fleet of 25and over or fleet under 25. With nine pieces, AllMini entered the latter category, uploading thecompany’s name, the total pieces of Cat Equipmentit owned at the time, a short description of All Miniand a picture to winattheworkshop.com/race.When entries closed on August 3, 2012, thee-mail voting began. Only one vote was allowedper e-mail address per day from August 3 throughAugust 17.Borden says they went to work, accessing their networks, begging friendsand family to vote online. By the time voting closed Friday, August 17, at 5p.m., All Mini had garnered almost 7,000 votes out of 16,000 in the under-25-pieces category. Borden and five employees were the lucky recipients ofthe prize to watch Nascar on October 13 and see the company’s name andlogo emblazoned on Caterpillar’s No.31 Sprint Cup car. It’s the first timethat NASCAR allowed a sponsor to put a customer’s logo on the side of acompeting car.“I’ve gotten a lot of exposure from it,” says Borden, a long-standingCaterpillar fan.Ekati to the (Mine) RescueBHP Billiton’s Ekati emergency responseteams earned high honours recently – first classat the 55th yearly Mine Rescue Competitionin Yellowknife, NWT. In June, 2012, Ekati sentboth surface and underground teams to thecompetition, hosted by The Workers' Safety andCompensation Board, which challenges northernmines to enter.Ekati had a great showing. The NWT & NunavutChamber of Mines reports that the mine’s teamswon in the following categories: Overall Surface,First Aid, Surface Written Test, Surface Smokeand Surface Obstacle/Extrication. The Ekati teamincluded Peter Devolder (captain), vice-captainGlynn Normore, Darryl Klochko, Ryan Erickson,Donald Hebden, Gordon Frowen and NavidTaherdin.In September, the diamond mine, locatedmore than 300 kilometres north of Yellowknife,also sent a team to Donetsk, Ukraine for the 8thInternational Mine Rescue Competition. A greatexperience, the team met and learned from morethan 20 emergency response teams from aroundthe world.More at EkatiEkati has welcomed its first 3900D. The mine recently purchased a3900D HaulMAX truck – the first of its kind in Canada. The truck is currentlyhauling kimberlite, the host ore for the mine’s legendary diamonds, fromEkati’s Misery pit to the ore processing facility on site.The owners and operators of the new truck, which is manufactured inTasmania, Australia, will evaluate it for safety, travel cycle times, payloadcapacity, maintenance performance and driver fatigue warning systems.Stay tuned for more!6 Winter 2012 www.finning.ca

Devastated by FireTwo-WheelersDevastated by FireWorkManagementTrioHaving trouble making the most of yourtime at the office? The fact is, you want tospend less time with your computer andmore time on site and with your customers.Now you can app your way to better officeproductivity with these tech tools.RescueTimeMac or PC, Free or $6/monthEver wonder where your dayhas gone? RescueTime tracksthe amount of time you spenddoing productive things (likeresponding to e-mails from clientsor writing reports) and how much time youwaste (Facebook and puppy videos). With apremium account, you can also set goals andhave RescueTime block distracting websites tokeep you on task. www.rescuetime.comSimple, well-executed plans offer the best results … and the mostfun, in the case of residents in the Town of Devon (a.k.a. Bike Town Alberta).Students in the Mountain Bike Club at Riverview Middle Schoolproposed to town council, more than a year ago, to build a mountain bikeskills park in the Voyager Park. Their proposal was accepted and the towncouncil awarded $45,000 to the team to kick off the project. The councilalso issued a challenge to the young people to go further and raise moreto support the initiative. The middle schoolers did, and won $25,000towards the park project through a contest Kraft and TSN hosted. Finningcaught word of this youth-led initiative and decided it was a perfectopportunity to help a thriving and hard-working community.Roy Cooper, general construction rep for Finning, thought it would begreat to donate the use and time of the iron for the cause.“I went to our different departments to secure the machines,” Coopersays. “Then I went to my customers and said, ‘Hey, this is what it’s about,can you help?’” Plenty of Cat iron was involved, including a backhoe and924K wheel loader, and loaner equipment transported directly to Devonby Finning customers Direct Transport Services and Big Al’s Transport.Finning played a huge part in the bike park’s completion and officialopening date of September 8, 2012 where it was christened RiverviewBike Park. The Town of Devon showed thanks by polishing up a Cat skidsteer and backhoe and parking them beside the brand-new bike park forpicture opportunities.OmniFocusMac, $39.99; iPhone or iPad, $19.99You have a million things onthe go and your to-do list won’tcut it. OmniFocus, inspired byproductivity guru David Allen’sbook Getting Things Done, is a taskmanagement app that puts others toshame. Keep track of your projects, includingwho you need to call and where you need tobe, with OmniFocus’s easy-to-use features.www.omnigroup.com/omnifocusGoogle DriveMac, PC, iPhone and Android, FreeGoogle Docs is dead, long liveGoogle Drive. In April, Google saidgoodbye to their online Docs app,rolling it into the digital officesoftware suite/storage solution,Google Drive. Somewhere betweenMicrosoft Office and DropBox,Google Drive lets you read and editdocuments, spreadsheets and presentations,and access them from any computer or yourmobile device. It comes with 5GB of freestorage. drive.google.comwww.finning.caWinter 20127

Stuck for Gifts?Look to the Heavy Duty Gear Store forthe tough-to-buy-for yellow iron lover onyour list, whether it's a he, she or just wee.Nothing naughty, only nice.CT660 Fleece Caterpillar BlanketYou haven’t seen it all until you’ve seen this cosyfleece blanket, emblazoned with a picture of thenew Cat CT660 on-highway truck. Measuring 60"wide by 45" tall, it will warm your engine.Price: $19.99Worker BearSay hello to the cuddliest and hardestworking teddy you’ll ever meet. With ahandsome plastic Cat hardhat and a soft-toytool belt, he is ready to work.Price: $23.99Caterpillar Construction ExpressA toy appropriate for a kid over five, this trainwould also look great on the Cat aficionado’sbookshelf or desk, too. The set includes14 feet of track, working headlights, andthree Caterpillar construction machines. Acollector’s item, quantities are limited.Price: $49.99No. 31 Action Platinum Series 1:24 ScaleModelJust like the real thing, this collector’s model fromthe NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is a mini replica ofNo. 31 Cat Global Mining Chevrolet that clincheddriver Jeff Burton a top-10 place on the half-mileoval. A die-cast of the one-time-only paint scheme,it’s Burton's No. 31 Chevrolet down to every lastdetail.Price: $89.99For more great gift ideas, head to heavydutygear.caStocking StuffersIf Santa needs a littlehelp filling stockingsthis year, check outthese fun Cat items.A Cat yellow ceramicmug for $11.99,a kids big truckt-shirt for $11.99,Cat safety-themedplaying cards for$5.99, or a Cat blackand gold sierra knifefor $19.99.8 Winter 2012 www.finning.ca

Walk a Mile in Her ShoesIn the fall, Finning president Andy Fraser fearlesslyled 25 men from Finning, all of whom donned heels to raisemoney for a YWCA event called Walk a Mile in Her Shoes.On September 11, the guys turned up at Churchill Squarein downtown Edmonton to the surprise and entertainmentof passersby. Aside from rocking the look, their effortssupported the YWCA’s family violence recovery andprevention programs.“We set a team goal to raise $25,000, and thanks to theefforts of our employees and the generous support of ourdonors we surpassed it,” Fraser said at the event.On-highway truck manager Harold Denenfeld receivedan award for most money raised by an individual and theFinning team won for most money raised by a group.“Mention the name ‘Finning’ and one immediatelythinks of a tough industry. These men were willing to stepoutside that image, have some fun and raise awareness andmoney that will directly benefit women and children in ourcommunity,” YWCA CEO Jackie Foord told Finning. “Theycertainly led the way and perhaps we’ll see others in theindustry join them next year.”Nothing like throwing the gauntlet down.New Truck at WorkSome of the first CT660 trucks from Caterpillarare at work in sunny Alberta. The CT660, a classeightvocational truck, was unveiled by Caterpillarin 2011. The initial units are rolling off the lot andone of the first CT660 customers, Highway RockProducts, is hauling 35 tonne loads of gravel forland development in major road works projects inAlberta.Highway Rock Products is hauling with threetrucks complete with dump bodies and quad wagongravel trailers, all relying on the Caterpillar automatictransmission for flawless power delivery. The CT660has many, many application possibilities: there arethousands of ways to configure the chassis.“The primary feature customers like about thetruck is the Caterpillar automatic transmission,” saysFinning’s Richard Crookes, major account managerfor on-highway products at the Edmonton truckfacility. “But everyone really likes the cab featuresand the operator environment.”For the most part, customization is done closeto the delivery region. The CT660 is available for sale in three locations, Calgary,Edmonton and Surrey. Each area has access to customization suppliers familiarwith their local market. CT660 models are on the sales lot at all three spots.Currently, Finning is about 14 weeks from order to handing you a key so you candrive off the lot.www.finning.caWinter 20129

BY JEN JANZEN, CAILYNN KLINGBEIL AND MIFI PURVISBy the Numbers2,000Distance in miles of “The Coldest Journey”,a winter traverse of the Antarctic led by SirRanulph Fiennes and Peace River-raised heavyduty mechanic Spencer Smirl, who has workedfor Finning since 2003Number ofcustomized CatD6N tractors thatwill tow speciallyengineeredcabooses across2the Antarctic5Number offrost-bittenfingerstipsSir Ranulph removedfrom his left handwith a power sawin his backgarden1,000Length in miles of the February’s Yukon QuestInternational Sled Dog Race betweenWhitehorse and Fairbanks, Alaska£10 millionAmount “The Coldest Journey” will raise forSeeing is Believing, an international charitythat works to eliminate avoidable blindnessand visual impairment across the world15,000Number of people who attend the annualNumber of people who attend the annualHokitika Wildfoods Festival in New Zealand, whichfeatures fritters and ice cream laced with huhugrubs, punga fern, worms and sheep’s testicles2.52.5Length,ininches, of thealmond-tastinghuhu grubswhen fullgrownYears the FrostbiteMusic Festival has beenheld in Whitehorse in33February1Rank of Whitehorse amongCanadian cities in terms of dryness-51.2Record low in Celsius forWhitehorse in February10 Winter 2012 www.finning.ca

BY KEITH HADDOCKWherever There's MiningCaterpillar’s new line of draglines boasts a richheritage of three prominent manufacturersWALKER: As the world’s first walking dragline, this Monighan 1-Tof 1913 swung a one-yard bucket. Bucyrus acquired the Monighancompany in 1934 and added walking draglines to its product line.NICKNAME: “Big Muskie”, the world’s largest dragline at 14,500tons, dwarfs a pair of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers at an Ohio surfacecoal mine. The bucket holds 220 cubic yards of overburden, thebiggest ever suspended on a boom.Caterpillar’s recent purchase of BucyrusInternational Inc. places the company in an enviableposition to supply and service all types of the world’smining equipment. Highly-specialized Bucyruswalking draglines include some of the largest mobileequipment ever to move on the planet.The first dragline was the brainchild of Chicagoexcavation contractor, John W. Page, who needed amachine to dig below its own level and cast thematerial well clear of the excavation. In 1904, heconstructed a wooden-boom derrick to operate abucket suspended by ropes. The bucket dug when theoperator pulled it toward the machine, and dumpedwhen he hoisted and swung to the desired location.Following its success, Page started building the newtype of excavator for saleto others. He arrangedwith Monighan MachineWorks of Chicago tosupply the machinery,while Page supplied hispatented bucket andstructural steel parts.Monighan became amajor force in walkingdragline manufactureand years later, in 1934,the company would bepurchased by Bucyrus.Bucyrus entered thedragline business in 1910by purchasing themanufacturing rights ofthe Heyworth-NewmanDragline Excavator fromdrainage contractor,James O. Heyworth, whobuilt and employed hisown machines in theChicago area. The nextyear, Bucyrus introducedthe Class 24 as theworld’s largest draglinecarrying a 3 1/2-cubicyard bucket on a 100-foot boom. A full rangeof similar modelsfollowed including, in1912, a Class 14, the firstBucyrus excavator to be equipped with crawler tracks.The last existing Class 24 stands fully restored at theReynolds Alberta Museum, Wetaskiwin, Alberta.These early Bucyrus draglines were of the nonwalkingtype, mounted on skids and rollers, crawlers,or on rails. They did the job they were intended to do,and hundreds were sold up to the 1930s. But theirlimited mobility was an obvious restriction. A vastlyimproved system of moving bulky draglines wasinvented in 1913 by Oscar Martinson, chief engineerat Monighan. The ingenious device employed a pair oflarge shoes, one on each side of the machine, movingin unison to raise and propel the machine in a walkingmotion. Knowing a good idea when they saw one,Bucyrus management gained full control of Monighanin 1934, and walking draglines became one of theirkey products. Many early Monighan design featuresare still apparent in the walking draglines of today.In the 1960s, the era of giant surface miningmachines, Bucyrus and its main competitor MarionPower Shovel built machines of a size that no othercompany has yet exceeded. Most famous of all was aBucyrus walking dragline weighing some 14,500 tonsand known as “Big Muskie.” It swung a whopping 220-cubic-yard bucket on a 310-foot boom, and went towork in 1969 as one of the largest mobile earthmovingmachines the world has seen.Bucyrus further increased its market share byeventually purchasing two of only three competitorsin the walking dragline industry. In 1988, it purchasedBritish company Ransomes & Rapier Ltd. who, in the1960s, had built some of world’s largest walkingdraglines and had pioneered lightweight booms withtubular gas-filled structural members. In 1997, after113 years of rivalry, Bucyrus purchased the MarionPower Shovel Company. Marion was established in1884 as the Marion Steam Shovel & Dredge Companyand grew into one of the foremost manufacturers ofshovels, walking draglines and drills.Through these and other strategic acquisitions over theyears, Bucyrus was not only able to employ the best designfeatures from these companies’ designs, but also placeitself in a position to support 90 per cent of the westernworld’s walking dragline population. The combinedheritage of three long-standing companies in the walkingdragline field, Bucyrus, Marion and Rapier, is now part ofCaterpillar Global Mining, elevating the company to theenviable position of serving the world’s existing draglinefleets and also marketing new machines.www.finning.ca Winter 2012 11

TipsOPERATORSThe Middle GroundIn the quest for accuracy, AccuGrade delivers,but won’t break the bankBY LISA RICCIOTTI“Everyone wants to dance with the mostattractive people,” says Ed Picher, a technology sales andservice representative with SITECH Western Canada.And in the world of earthmoving machines, everyonewants to take a fancy control system with GPS for aspin. But are they forgetting the wallflowers?“The demand is just crazy for GPS,” Picher says. Andhe should know. By adding a high-tech system to theirmachines, operators can accurately grade or excavate asite and stay within centimetres of site specs – withoutthe use of traditional stakes or a grade-checker. The siteplan, including design surfaces, grades and alignments,shows up as a 3-D image on a screen inside the cab, givingoperators fast, easy-to-understand feedback.Picher is happy that operators have embraced thehigh-tech benefits of GPS, but he worries about anunintended consequence of its popularity. While GPSis attracting all the attention with its flashy 3-D screens,the conventional 2-D laser-based reference systems arebeing forgotten. “Last year I sold about 40 GPS unitsand only two laser systems,” says Picher. And that’s ashame, because the laser systems work great – for alower sticker price.A 3-D GPS system typically runs $50,000 to $60,000.A conventional 2-D laser-based system, such asSITECH’s AccuGrade Laser Reference System, is availablefor $10,000 to $20,000. Like GPS, lasers increaseoperator productivity and work quality, and eliminatethe need to assign staff to grade-stick duty. Caterpillarestimates that using an AccuGrade System can increasethe accuracy and productivity by as much as 50 per centover traditional methods.“It’s all about maximizing efficiencies and loweringoperating costs while getting it right the first time,”Picher says. The laser system has a range of applicationsfor construction earthwork projects that require tighttolerances and high production, ranging from roads toairport runways, landfills, building pads and agricultureterraces. One caveat if you’re considering an upgrade:laser works best on relatively flat terrains or those witha consistent slope. For operators in hilly locales withunpredictable dips and rises, GPS is the better choice.Daryl Michell, president of Michell Excavating,discovered that adding an AccuGrade laser system toone of his Cat machines has put his business on a morelevel playing field – literally. The family-run business hasoperated successfully for 50 years, but as Michell found more of his recent projectscame with very precise grading requirements, he decided it was time to increase hisoperators’ accuracy.“We were using the man-and-a-stick method,” says Michell. “That means a lot oftime running around. When we got municipal contracts to create new soccer andbaseball fields in Nanaimo and Victoria, we felt it was time for a different approach.Both fields required very precise work, and with the laser system, we can grade withina quarter-inch of a plan.”Making the switch from manual to machine control was a smooth and easyprocess. “It only took our operators a few hours to get the hang of it and they reallylike it,” Michell says. One of the biggest fans of the new laser system is his son. Next,Michell will put his new AccuGrade laser system to work constructing a BMX trackin Red Deer.“Let’s not forget there’s another option between going all-out GPS and the oldschoolstakes-and-grade-checker approach,” says Picher. “A laser-based referencesystem is a great solution.”So even if you can’t afford the most high-tech, prettiest GPS systems on the market,don’t overlook the less flashy laser option. It’s not 3-D, but it still offers high performancein an affordable package. And it could mean the difference between keeping yourbusiness’s dance card full and sitting on the sidelines watching high-accuracy projectsgo to competitors with upgraded equipment.HOW DOES ACCUGRADE WORK?Using advanced laser technology, machine-mounted components and an off-board lasertransmitter, AccuGrade Laser Reference System provides precise elevation information on anin-cab (2-D) display to achieve accurate blade position. As a result, operators can improveeffi ciency and get to grade faster and in few passes.12 Winter 2012www.finning.ca

MANAGERSBuildEngagementKeep workers on your shopfloor safe, content andproductive with hands-onmanagement strategiesBY CAITLIN CRAWSHAWIt’s a fact often repeated in managementliterature: most employees leave their jobs because oftheir managers.This won’t be welcome news for new managers hopingto build engagement on the shop floor. After all,whether you’ve been promoted from within, or werehired from another company, it’s not easy buildingrapport with employees you’re managing. And, in anindustrial environment, you’ve got challenges that themanagers in white-collar environments don’t.“In a manufacturing environment, you have lesstime to interact with employees. Workers might bedown in a mine or working with loud equipment,” saysAdam Reeve, human resources director at CanadianHR consulting firm Ceridian. “This just means the timethey have is more valuable and they need to make themost of it.”Managers in blue-collar work environments also dealwith safety issues that their office-dwelling colleaguesdon’t. After all, workers may spend their days usingdangerous equipment, volatile chemicals, or machinesthat pose risks to their safety.But, while the stakes are high and the challenges arevery real, a new manager can successfully build engagement– with the right strategies.Reeve argues that managers should do all they can tominimize distractions. Often, new managers bog downin administrative duties, reducing the time they have tomanage people. But software solutions by companieslike Ceridian can allow employees to trade shifts or requestvacation days, freeing up the manager’s time. “It’slike online banking – but for your work,” he says.Kevin Burns, a Calgary-based workplaceexpert, agrees that the real job of a manager isn’tadministrative. “I’m a big believer that management ispeople work – not paperwork,” he says. To that end,he encourages new managers to spend as much time as possible on the shop floor.While you don’t want to distract workers, it is important to get to know them. “It’sknowing more than the job function – it’s knowing the person,” he says.A manager’s attitude is also critical to building engagement. Burns argues thatnew managers need to ditch the m-word: motivation. “Can I motivate you to doanything? Not really. But, I can inspire you to do something,” he says. “I think thebiggest challenge for new managers is believing they have to motivate their people.”Instead, he urges them to ask workers how they want to be managed. Ask how oftenan employee wants to meet with a manager, how much feedback they’d like, andwhether they prefer speaking on the shop floor or away from peers. Doing so demonstratesyou trust and respect your team, and is likely to pay off big, says Burns: “Ifyou manage me the way I asked you to, why would I want to go anywhere else?”It can be difficult for new managers to resist the urge to assert their authority.However, a manager’s first job isn’t to police workers, but to enable them to do theirjobs. “As a manager, you work for them,” says Burns. Part of engaging staff meanscreating a safety culture that protects – and involves – workers. Staff need to be empoweredto identify where safety protocols could be improved and to help enforcethose rules. “It’s got to be bottom-up, grassroots, managers and front-line workingtogether,” he says.Workers are far more likely to follow safety regulations they helped design thanrules thrust upon them, says Burns. This can also help reduce the “us versus them”attitude that sometimes exists between front-line workers and management, saysBurns. “If you can build a safety strategy that everyone’s happy with, and gets youthe results you’re looking for, it doesn’t matter who’s in the management chair.”TOP 5 TAKEAWAYS:1) Get to know the employees you’re managing. Understanding their career ambitions andpersonal lives is key to getting the most from them.2) Create an inclusive safety culture that values the input of workers and their well-being.3) If you’re not familiar with your employees’ jobs, do some research to understand their careeropportunities and help them advance.4) Don’t manage from your offi ce – spend time on the shop fl oor.5) Create systems to deal with administrative hassles to free up time for people, not paper.www.finning.ca Winter 2012 13

YESSIR: Sir Ranulf Fiennes has been calledthe greatest living explorer.KEEP IT GOING: Mechanic SpencerSmirl will keep the expedition moving.TOPS: The rack on the iron foldsout to make a moveable garage.14 Winter 2012www.finning.ca

COLDESTJourneyFinning service is key to keeping iron running –even on a historic trip to AntarcticaBY CRAILLE MAGUIRE GILLIESIn January 2012 mechanic Spencer Smirl wentthrough the most challenging job interview of his life. At thetime he worked at the Ekati diamond mine in the NorthwestTerritories – two weeks on, two weeks off. Then he heardabout an opportunity that would change his life.Smirl was one of five applicants who wanted to representFinning on a winter crossing of Antarctica with British explorerSir Ranulph Fiennes. It would be a 14-month journey, eight of thosemonths in near darkness at temperatures that could drop as lowas-90˚C. There would be no chance of rescue for months and it waspossible they would fail. Smirl was all in. But first he had to passthe test.Smirl travelled from Canada to the Finning plant in Cannock,England. Along with another mechanic, he accompanied expeditionmembers 30 hours to Arjeplog, a former silver mining areain northern Sweden, where ex-military men put him through twoweeks of rigorous physical and psychological tests. “They triedto make it as stressful as possible,” Smirl recalls. The goal was todetermine whether he was not only a top-notch mechanic, but alsohad the creativity, strength and stamina to make what by now hadcome to be known as The Coldest Journey.He got the job, but his hardest work was still to come.The Coldest Journey began decades ago when Fiennesfirst thought of crossing the continent in winter. It was there, onthe Ross Ice Shelf, that Captain Robert Falcon Scott died in 1912,after finding that Norway’s Roald Amundsen had beaten him tothe pole. And it was there that Sir Ernest Shackleton was headedwhen he died of a heart attack in 1922. Antarctica has become amythic place, almost twice as big as Australia, and covered almostcompletely in ice. No one had ever completed a winter crossingwhen it is blanketed in darkness. Fiennes’ expedition wanted to bethe first, but the technology of the time didn’t match their ambitions.They bided their time.Sir Ran, as expedition members call him, had gone to extremesbefore. He completed the Northwest Passage in 1981 and was theoldest person to summit Mount Everest, at the age of 64. Someof his expeditions, such as travelling alone across the North Pole,have failed. Along the way he came to be known as the world’sgreatest living explorer. But he still hadn’t made that last remain-www.finning.ca Winter 2012 15

The Coldest Journeying polar challenge, and he knew if he didn’t someone else surely would.Then, four years ago, expedition partner Dr. Mike Stroud brought up the questionof Antarctica. There were rumours that a Norwegian party was planning anexpedition. The Norwegians had beaten Shackleton as first to reach the South Pole;Fiennes didn’t want them to beat him in his bid for a winter crossing.There was one catch: without reliable transportation, the British Foreign andCommonwealth Office wouldn’t grant the expedition a permit. “Mike and I hadbeen using the machinery of our legs and nothing else, and we can haul 500pounds,” Fiennes told Tracks & Treads. “That’s what we’re good at doing. But theforeign office made it clear that no Brit would be given a permit to go there inwinter.” No ships or airplanes can access the region all winter, meaning if the teamdidn’t succeed – a distinct possibility – they would perish. “They wouldn't have letus go until we proved we could be self-sufficient for a year until the short summercame around,” says Fiennes.To get the permit, the expedition needed machinery that could provide shelterif they were, well, snowed in. That’s where Finning came in. Fiennes quickly realizedthat the Caterpillar D6N was possibly the only vehicle that could do the job.Yet two tractors would cost more than a $1 million and need to be extensivelymodified to make this first-ever trans-Antarctic journey. It was an impossibleexpense for the volunteer-led expedition, which is expected to raise close to £10million for the British charity Seeing is Believing. Fiennes remembered that 40years earlier he’d worked with Bowmaker Plant, a company Finning took over inthe early 1980s, so he contacted a rep in the U.K. to see if the company could help.The answer was yes, and Finning design engineer Andy Thomas was tasked tomake customizations to the D6Ns. It took two years but he modified the machinesto enable them to take the six-person expedition all 4,000 kilometres.Spencer Smirl’s coldest journey began more recently. Smirl, who willturn 30 on the expedition, grew up in Peace River, B.C. “We didn’t have a wholebunch of money growing up, so the outside was a cheap and easy place to play,”he says. “It was a giant playground.” In summers he motor biked with his brother,learning a bit about mechanics in the process. He spent the long Peace River winterssnowboarding and skiing and came to prefer winter.In the summer of 2003, when Smirl was working at a highway truck dealership,he ran into a high-school friend who had apprenticed for Finning in Edmonton.The friend later told him about a first-year apprenticeship. Smirl applied, got thejob, and eventually worked his way around northern Alberta – sometimes drivingup to 500 kilometres a day to service equipment. During winter, temperaturescould drop as low as -50˚C, giving him an early apprenticeshipin maintaining equipment during extremetemperatures. He went on to join the Finning branch inCalgary, where he assembled large-haul mining trucks,before heading the Ekati mine, more than 300 kilometresnorth of Yellowknife, N.W.T.After that trip to Sweden in early 2012, Smirl spent 15 weeks in England preparingfor The Coldest Journey. He’s been subjected to -58˚C temperatures in a coldchamber, installed modifications and updates to the dozers, and squeezed in a bitof crevasse training. Amid the trans-Atlantic training and prep trips, Smirl seemslaid-back and prosaic about the journey. “Everyone who knows me well can tell it’skind of suited for me.”Chances are, if Smirl had been around when Fiennes first thought of the expeditionhe wouldn’t have volunteered. “You could have done this 25 years ago, but youwould have needed a crazy mechanic to go out with you,” he says. “I wouldn’t havedone it.” Advances and customizations, such as a large tent that will keep the dozerswarm in Antarctic temperatures will make his job easier.“Finning has gone above and beyond anything that the expedition asked ofthem,” Smirl says.The expedition will depart from a base camp en route to McMurdo Sound,Captain Scott’s base a century ago. It will take six months in near total darknessto travel 4,000 kilometres. The furthest anyone has ever gone across AntarcticaCHILLIN: Spencer Smirl (circled) takesa break with the team in Sweden.In northern Sweden, ex-military men putSmirl through two weeks of rigorousphysical and psychological tests.in winter? A mere 96kilometres.Smirl’s job is to driveand maintain the dozers–another mechanicwill drive the second – itwill take eight hours to cover roughly 35 kilometresper day. There’s time allowed for maintenance onthe machines, which will tow more than 55 tonnesof equipment (including 155,000 litres of jet fuel),a caboose filled with scientific equipment to studywinter ice depths and provide climate data, and asecond caboose to house expedition members. (TheTelegraph, a newspaper in Britain, described the latteras the team’s “life support system.”)Smirl’s perfect Antarctica day will begin withstarting dozers, turning on heaters, attending a teammeeting and freeing equipment that's frozen to theground. Once the cabooses are hooked up, they willgrab their lunches and drive non-stop all day. (Fiennesand expedition co-leader Anton Bowring will ski infront of the D6Ns, using radar to find crevasses.)16 Winter 2012www.finning.ca

SPENCER SMIRLTEAM U.K.: (Left to right) Brian Newham, Ian Prickett,Tristam Kaye and Sir Ranulph Fiennes.“The biggest thing is to be diligent at the end of the day,” Smirl says. “I’llhave to open all the panels and inspect that machine more than I’ve inspectedanything in my life.” Weight limits also affect how many parts and tools hecan bring. “Out there we need to catch stuff early, the smallest little leaks, theweirdest little noises.” In addition to daily checks, he’ll carry out scheduledmaintenance every 250 hours, a task that involves spinning all the filters andinspecting them for contamination. He’ll check clutch pressures and cycletimes. “Normally you’d wait for something to break, but out there it’s my lifeon the line. Catching something early is the difference between failure andsuccess.”While Smirl is keeping the expedition on course, Bowring will organizemarine activities to contribute to polar research on climate change. Meanwhile,the rest of the team are offering themselves up as guinea pigs to see how theirbodies adapt to the cold. At night, with the dozers under their custom “teacozies,” the team will write blog posts, upload scientific data and update theirjournals. (Smirl has kept a journal since he was selected for the expedition.)Then the next day Smirl and the team will get up and do it all over again.Every single day, for six months.The Coldest Journey expedition will wind up about 1,300 kilometres fromthe South Pole, in February 2014. Then the team will board a ship to make thetwo-month journey home. “I won’t mind the boat ride,” Smirl says, “but it willbe nice to get home.”INTO THE COLDThis won’t be the fi rst time Caterpillar track-type tractorshave journeyed to Antarctica (Finning UK supplies theBritish Antarctic Survey with D5Ns), but it might be thecoldest call they've had into service. Finning spent twoyears and thousands of hours customizing the 22-ton D6Nsthat will be used in The Coldest Journey.The tractors started their customization at a top-secretengineering workshop in rural England. There, lead engineerAndy Thomas designed a horseshoe-shaped crevassearm and crane. Thomas and his team created castellatededges on the tracks so it can grip the ice. The cabs wereinsulated and canopies were added to hold a customthermal tent to protect the mechanics. (During testing, twohours of idling raised the temperature inside the tent from-35˚C to 35˚C.)With temperatures expected to drop to -70˚C, the dozerswere modifi ed to protect drive belts and batteries, and tokeep aviation fuel from freezing. Key modifi cations includeadding Wabasto diesel heaters to keep the engine coolantat a pre-set temperature, heat exchangers for the fuel andhydraulic tanks, and a heating plate for the batteries.After customization and testing, Finning engineers werestill fi ddling with parts only weeks before the trip. Afterall, they’re the linchpin in a mobile vehicle landtrain thatincludes two cabooses (one scientifi c, one shelter), spareparts and enough non-freezable fuel to survive the journey.www.finning.ca Winter 2012 17

WEEKEND WONDER: A part-time landscapinggig just wouldn't stop growing.18 Winter 2012www.finning.ca

Great Employee,Great CustomerMike Tupper credits his years at Finning andhis inside knowledge of the iron for aidingthe phenomenal growth of his companyBY ROBIN BRUNET / PHOTOS BY STUART MCCALLSince the late 1990s, Mike Tupper has grownhis North Vancouver-based business, TupperLandscaping, from a weekend venture of layingpavestone walkways to providing full-turnkey residentialdemolition and servicing as well as commercial excavation.These days, he has a fleet of more than 30 machines,most of them Caterpillar, plus a carefully selected staff of16 at his disposal.It’s a remarkable achievement at a time when other contractorsare still recovering from the economic downturnand hedging their bets about the future. But Tupper, 38,is easy-going about his success. “All I wanted to do waswork, and the business has flourished beyond my wildestexpectations,” he says. “I never envisioned I’d evolve fromlandscaping to commercial excavating, and in many waysI have Finning to thank.”Indeed, while many entrepreneurs rely on Finningfor equipment, service and advice, Tupper’s experienceis far more intimate: he joined Finning at the age of 19,following in the footsteps of his father, Robyn, who spent43 years at Finning as a heavy duty diesel mechanic. “Thetechnical know-how as well as the extensive safety trainingserved me extremely well,” he says.Tupper and his crew are currently busy with a host ofprojects, including excavation for several new high-risecommercial/residential facilities in downtown Vancouver,as well as turnkey work for multi-million dollar WestVancouver properties. Although he can handle the mostdemanding of projects, Tupper notes that it took “a decadeof hard work before I secured my first turnkey job fouryears ago, demolishing a building, excavating, pouring inthe gravel, slab prep, and then providing all the servicesafter the new building is erected. It took that long toestablish trust with the developers and prove to them mycrew could operate under the strictest of safety standards.”Finning Canada sales manager Steve Cook, a longtimefriend and former colleague, notes that Tupper’sbackground makes for an interesting relationship. “Heknows the equipment market inside and out, plus he’squalified to perform preventive maintenance and he'sadept at training his operators,” he says. “All of this hasgiven him a distinct business advantage.” After a pausehe adds, “But for all of his expertise, it’s not uncommonfor him to phone me at night seeking a second opinion.”As a teenager, Tupper was attracted to Finning.“Dad would come home and tell me stories abouthis day, and I would occasionally visit him at the oldVancouver headquarters on Station Street,” he says.The idea of fixing heavy machinery that was used forlogging and mining struck Tupper as important andexciting. “Also, Finning was the place where Dad metmy Mom, Christine: she handled the paperwork necessaryfor Caterpillar machines to be transported acrossthe border.”After graduating high school, Tupper began hiscareer in 1993, changing oil in the truck shop. Hemoved on to the Marine division, gained experiencein power generation, and even learned the intricaciesof shipping engines to remote locations.But on weekends, a casual pastime of cutting grassand pulling weeds to earn extra money was unexpectedlyand rapidly turning into serious business: “Beforelong I was laying pavestone walkways, then clientswanted me to build retaining walls, and then I neededto buy a mini excavator – and in 1998 the work was sovoluminous I decided to register as a company.”Tupper kept his day job and spent evenings coordinatinglandscaping projects with the help of two colleagues.“Good word of mouth made the business grow,but in 2002 it had grown to the point where I was forcedwww.finning.ca Winter 2012 19

Great Employee, Great CustomerDIGGING IT: Tupper's rep Steve Cook has suppliedmore than a dozen machines in 10 years.to make the hardest decision of my life and leave Finning,” he recalls. Tupper’s trepidationabout striking out on his own was compounded by the fact he had recentlypurchased a home.Work increased steadily, and Tupper soon linked up with Steve Cook, the outcomeof which was 13 Caterpillar purchases over the next decade. “Mike had a mini-excavatorand I worked with him to show him what was available through Cat,” Cook recalls.Of these units, Tupper regards his 301.8, 304 and 305.5 mini excavators to be his keymachines, as well as a full-size 330 hydraulic excavator that he says “cost me a lot ofsleepless nights in terms of the money I was investing.” A variety of tandem dumptrucks and other machines completed Tupper’s inventory.With the right equipment and expertise, Tupper and his crew can handle up to15 projects at any given time (turnkey projects can easily last a year, given the natureof high-end residential construction), and although maintenance is provided by anin-house mobile mechanic, Tupper still relies on Finning for parts. “I’ve built arelationship of mutual trust with people like Steve, which is virtually impossible todo with competitors and yet is critical when equipment breaks down and parts arerequired immediately,” he says.Earlier this year, Tupper focused his attention on commercial excavating incollaboration with Power Shotcrete Shoring Ltd., and as a result he works six daysa week and spends the seventh “handling paperwork with my wife Brooke.”The routine is made somewhat easier now that the couple’s twin daughters, Avaand Sophie, are in kindergarten, but the long hours have prompted the easy-goingTupper to consider the future. “Time has flown, and the question is how much I cangrow Tupper Landscaping before I start losing control,” he says. “I don’t want that tohappen. I’m too hands-on – another Finning legacy.”No matter what lies ahead, Tupper is grateful for his success. “If it weren’t forFinning I wouldn’t be here, and whether I perform maintenance on a truck or do asafety check at a jobsite, you can trace my expertise back to the wonderful trainingand mentorship I received from people who are the best in the business,” he says.“Finning’s influence on me will never go away.”BEST BET: When Mike Tupper hung up ashingle, he knew where to turn to for iron.20 Winter 2012www.finning.ca

BY CAILYNN KLINGBEILStick to ItA simple and effective safetyprocedure catches on withFinning's customersWhen Finning field mechanic Sean Mowez first stuckmagnetic lockout tags on a machine he was testing for Canfor atits sawmill in Mackenzie, British Columbia, his coworkers wereconfused.“They had never seen them used before so they wanted toknow what the heck was going on,” Mowez says. “They said,‘What do you have there on the side of your machine?’ ”Mowez explained the purpose of the live lockout tags, howthe magnetic signs are put in a conspicuous location on themachine to alert others that the machine is being tested and isnot available for general use.“For everybody at Finning it’s a very obvious thing. We all usethe tags to show that the machine is locked up but it’s still live,”Mowez says. He notes there are many safety issues present if heis repairing a big machine. At a glance, not everyone would realize he is working onit. “People could jump in and drive away,” he says.A crucial part of the sign is the magnetic backing, which allows it to easily bestuck to machines with no fastening required. “It’s a neat thing, these live lockouttags, as you can stick them pretty much anywhere on the machine,” Mowez says ofthe safety procedure. “They let people know the unit is being tested and live testingand adjusting is going on. It’s a very visible sign to others.”Mowez has worked for Finning for seven years in various locations, and currentlyuses his truck as his office as he services various sites in Mackenzie and northernBritish Columbia. He carries many tags with him and uses them wherever he works.But while Finning employees are familiar with the tags and thier use as a simplebut important means of communication, Mowez said employees at the Canfor site inMackenzie weren't so familiar with them. Once Mowez had explained the procedure,however, Canfor staff liked the idea so much that they soon adopted it as their own.“The guys in the shop really liked it and the foreman came up and asked me aboutit, and if he could borrow it,” Mowez says.Dan Szekely, mobile shop and log yard supervisor at Canfor, says the Finning taghas been worked into Canfor’s procedures.“We were in the process of updating our lockout procedures for our mobile equipment.We didn’t have anything really good for live lockouts,” Szekely says. “Sean ishere helping us out frequently with our Cat gear, and I figured if anyone has a goodupdated procedure for live lockout on mobile, it’s Finning. So I asked him his proceduresand he showed me the tags.”When Mowez showed Szekely the tags Finning uses, Szekely thought they wouldbe perfect for Canfor’s purposes. Canfor soon commissioned some tags, with thecompany changing the Finning logo to Canfor’s, and they have since worked the livetesting tagging system into its safety procedures.“It’s functional and efficient,” Szekely says. “Itdoesn’t take a lot of time, it just works. With othertags you’re fastening them on, with this one you’reslapping it to the machine. It’s so simple and whenyou’re done you just peel it off. It’s working quite wellfor us.”Mowez believes that every Finning employeeshould be using the tags no matter what site they areworking at. “It’s been great,” he says of the project’suptake. He’s happy he’s been able to share the simplebut important safety procedure with a new site.TOP 4 BENEFITSFinning’s live lockout tags are proving themselvesvaluable for staff and now customers, too. Here’show they’re working:CLEAR AS A BELL The uniform signs serve as a clearmeans of communication to others that the machineis live and that a tech is working on it.MAGNETIC EASE Techs can slap the magnetic signseasily onto numerous spots on any machine.SIMPLICITY While other tagging systems requirefastening, the magnetic design is efficient and simpleto apply to a machine.PORTABLE, TOO Finning mechanic Mowez notesthat the tags are easy for him to carry around to thevarious sites he works at.www.finning.ca Winter 2012 21

THE MORE THINGSCHANGER.E. Postill and Sons has evolved over fourgenerations of ownership but the things thathave led to success have stayed the sameBY TRICIA RADISON / PHOTOS BY SHAWN TALBOTIt’s not uncommon for Linsey Postill-Johannson to get requests from repeat customersto come back and do another project, like a driveway.What is uncommon is that every once in awhile acall will come four decades after the initial project wasdone – by her grandfather Russ.“They tell me R.E. Postill did such a good job lasttime. Last time was so long ago!” laughs Linsey. “Butthey call us and they depend on us, so we go and do agood job for them again, and hopefully they’ll call usnext time.”That’s the kind of attitude that Postills have takensince 1944, when R.E. Postill and Sons was founded byRussell Eugene Postill and his five sons in Coldstream,B.C., a small community on the outskirts of Vernon.Linsey is the fourth generation Postill to run R.E.Postill and Sons, along with husband Jamie Johannson.They bought the business in 2011 from Linsey’s father,Brian. In the mid-1970s, Brian had taken over fromhis father Russ, who had bought the business from hisfather in the 1950s.With each owner, and in response to changes inthe marketplace, R.E. Postill and Sons has changed.Initially the company did underground work, drainagesystems and water systems. Over the years it developedthe Silver Star Mountain Resort and subdivisions, and22 Winter 2012www.finning.ca

FAMILY BUSINESS: (L-R) Jamie Johannson,Linsey Postill-Johannson and Brian Postill knowthat the family that works together, stays together.www.finning.ca Winter 2012 23

The More Things ChangePIT BOSS: A summer job delivering gravel preparedLinsey Postill-Johannson for management.did underground work for cities and municipalities. From the late1990s until 2007 underground work stopped and the focus shifted tothe gravel operation, excavations and earthmoving.Today the company specializes in producing gravel productsfor commercial customers, the City of Vernon, the District ofColdstream, and the public; trucking and delivery; excavation and siteprep; and site servicing for commercial andresidential properties. Their underground isthrough Postill Nixon Earthworks, a partnershipbetween R.E. Postill and Sons andNixon Earthworks, owned by Braden Nixon.“My dad thought that Braden was keenand hardworking, and saw an opportunityto expand with Braden’s help,” says Linsey of the partnership, whichwas formed in 2007 and takes the company full circle, back to thework Linsey’s grandfather had been doing.With the evolution of services, other changes have taken place.Most notably, R.E. Postill and Sons is no longer run by a son.Linsey didn’t plan to get into the construction business. But she acceptedher dad’s offer to teach her to operate a Caterpillar 966 loaderin the gravel pit the summer after she graduated from high school.That summer and the next were spent loading trucks and feeding thegravel crusher. Then she earned her Class 1 license and did graveldeliveries in town for a couple of summers during her summer breaksfrom the University of Alberta. In her third year of university shedecided that although she would complete her pharmacology degreeshe would not pursue a career in the field. Instead, she went home torun the family business.Linsey’s experience in the pit proved invaluable when she decidedto come back as manager to prepare for ownership.“She didn’t just show up and start in the office as the boss. Sheactually has done the stuff that our crew is doing and that’s how youearn respect in this type of business. Then the guys know you aren’tasking them to do anything you wouldn’t do,” Brian explains.Linsey and Jamie share management duties, with Linsey focusingon the day-to-day operations and Jamie spending more time onproject-related work. In July, they made their first major equipmentpurchase, a 980H wheel loader with a seven-yard bucket.“This is the new Cat Performance Series bucket,” says KennyMcMullen, product support sales for Finning in Vernon. “It hasgreater load and carry, and it leads to optimized performance withthe machine, increased productivity and lower fuel consumption.”The bucket holds two yards more than the buckets on the 966s R.E.Postill and Sons owns. More importantly, its design – it’s curved in ahalf-moon shape – reduces inefficient spillage.The machine joins a fleet that includes two 966H wheel loaders,one 966G wheel loader, a D8R dozer, a 320D LRR excavator, a 320CLRR excavator, a 236B skidsteer, two D250E rock trucks, a 980Gloader and a 3406 genset that runs the crushing plant. All five graveltrucks also have Cat engines. There’s also a 320B excavator withalmost 17,000 hours on it that just had its undercarriage changed forthe first time. According to Jamie, that would typically have to bedone every 5,000 to 6,000 hours.“That’s one thing about Caterpillar equipment; it’s made to berebuilt,” puts in Brian. “A lot of times we will trade around the10,000-to-12,000 hour mark for new but the odd time we’ve opted torebuild and get some more hours out of it. You can do that with Catequipment.”The company has been purchasing equipment from Finning sincethe days of Russ, Brian’s dad. People have changed; for instance Briandealt with retired branch manager Randy Blaker for many years andLinsey and Jamie now work with McMullen. The relationship continuesto be strong and trusting, with Jamie citing reliability as thekey reason the new generation has chosen to follow in the previousgeneration’s footsteps when it comes to their equipment.It’s been a period of transition for R.E.Postill and Sons but they’ve managed itA loyal staff keeps things humming smoothly by sticking to the tried-and-true.and some employees have worked for Brian believes that the company’s successlies in part in taking a conservative attitudeto business, cutting back when thethe company for their entire careers.economy takes a downturn and owningtheir own backyard – they don’t worry about trying to go outsidetheir area of about 100,000 people. A loyal staff also playsa role; some employees have worked for the company for theirentire careers.McMullen credits the thriving nature of R.E. Postill and Sons tothe fact that it’s a homegrown business that supports the community,another thing that hasn’t changed.“Brian used to be mayor of Coldstream and they are active in thecommunity,” he says. “The family name is how they get their business,because of who they are, how they treat people, and the qualityof their work.”24 Winter 2012www.finning.ca

BY LINDSEY NORRISPHOTOGRAPHY BY COLLEEN ZWARICHA Kamloops companyleverages quality equipmentand workmanship tobecome a leader in plasticpipe fusion in B.C. minesThe head office of Kamco Installations Ltd. sits alongsidea gentle curve of the Thompson River. For an industrial space,it’s a quiet spot, flanked by hills dense with sagebrush, with a fewnondescript vehicles in the parking lot and a sign out front that proclaimsthe occupants purveyors of steel and pipe. In fact, Kamco has little to dowith steel nowadays, though with a work schedule that includes many ofthe major mine sites in the province, they might be excused for an outdatedsign. They have been busy.The company, which has had between one and 50 employees at variouspoints over the past four decades, is both small and nimble. Mike Farinastarted the business in 1974, with one piece of equipment and 15 yearsof experience. “I started with a single stinger crane,” he says. He grew thewww.finning.ca Winter 2012 25

Good WorksFORWARD THINKER: Mike Farina,Kamco owner, takes the comapny ina new direction.company over time, taking on general contracting jobsas well as industrial pipe contracts, such as waterlinesin Vancouver and the Tobiano Water Treatment Plant.Now in his 70s, Farina is notinvolved in the day-to-day operations,“though I don’t think I’ll everretire,” he says.Today, Kamco scarcely resemblesthe small operation Farina starteddecades ago. The office on theriver, which formerly occupied a single room in a largebuilding, expanded to take over the entire space, andsoon Kamco added a second building on the property.Now, most of the work takes place off-site at destinationsscattered across the province and concentrates onpipes, but not the steel variety.Kamco specializes in large bore HDPE pipe, or polyurethanepipe. Farina gives much of the credit for thecompany’s shift to Len Zwarich, Kamco’s site manager.Zwarich first joined Kamco in 1994, and has sinceworked for the company on and off. He has a backgroundin plastic pipes from geothermal projects.“We have also done steel piping at mine sites, so mines aren’t new to us. But mostare going to this poly pipe now,” Zwarich says. “They have a longer life and are a littlemore flexible.”While many companies offer smallbore plastic piping, Kamco is equippedto install pipes up to 48 inches in diameterand four inches thick. They’re oftenused at mines for pumping the tailingsto the tailings pond. When the sand settles,another line pumps the water back to the site to be reused. “We call the tailings‘liquid sandpaper,’ because it’s like a sand slurry, and it wears pipes out,” says Zwarich.Many industry insiders now prefer plastic pipes over steel because the heat fusionprocess creates a strong bond between joints. When two pipes are fused together, it’salmost impossible to tell where the weld is.As polyurethane pipes are newer on the market than steel, Zwarich’s backgroundand Kamco’s nimbleness offered the chance to earn a foothold in British Columbia’smining industry.“We were on a jobsite doing steel pipe, and someone saw the work we were doingand needed HDPE pipe. I’d had experience with it before, so it just fell into place,”Zwarich says.As polyurethane pipes are newer on themarket than steel, Zwarich’s background andKamco’s nimbleness offered the chance toearn a foothold in mining.26 Winter 2012www.finning.ca

ROUND THE BEND: Kamco's new focus is onplastic pipes instead of steel.That bit of serendipity earned them contracts atsome of the largest mine and construction sites,from Highland Valley and New Gold in Kamloops toCopper Mountain in Princeton and,most recently, in Mount Milligan, acopper and gold mine 150 kilometresnorth of Prince George.In 2005, the company stoppedall operations in the structural steelindustry. Not long after, Zwaricharranged to buy three used excavators from theKamloops Finning branch and decided to focus onplastic pipes. Ever since, Keith Barron, who managesthe Kamco account at the Kamloops Finning branch,notes how quickly the company added to its Catcollection.“They are a longtime customer, but used to be areally small account. They had just one piece of iron,”says Barron. “But over the past five years they’vereally grown. They’ve bought dozers, excavators,everything.”The current Cat fleet includes: a 330BL excavator, two 336EL excavators, a 312BLexcavator, a D7R tractor, a D5G tractor, a 299C CTL and a 322BL excavator. TheCaterpillar equipment follows Zwarich to every new project, as the availability ofFinning branches can keep the equipment maintainedeven when far from home.“When we were doing Copper Mountain, I gotmost of my parts out of Surrey because they hada drop box in Princeton; I could call them in theevening and the next morning, the parts would bethere,” Zwarich says. “At Mount Milligan, I have atruck coming up to service the 336 this week. The loaders, the trucks: everything isCaterpillar, so Finning probably has 20 guys up here right now.”But in addition to the convenience of Finning branches, the Cat machines are amobile advertisement for Kamco on each jobsite. The company may have changedfocus, but the business principles that Farina established still apply: if work is donewell, more work will follow. To maintain their reputation, they need quality equipment,and Zwarich says Caterpillar is the answer.“We pride ourselves on the work we do; that’s one of the reasons we stay with newequipment and good equipment,” he says. “Once people see our work, they pass theword on.”Many industry insiders now preferplastic pipes over steel because theheat fusion process creates a strongbond between joints.www.finning.ca Winter 2012 27

NEW DAY FORMININGFinning completed the acquisition of the Bucyrussupport business. Industry insiders are celebratingBY KEITH HADDOCKIt’s been a long time coming. On October 1, 2012, FinningInternational Inc. completed its acquisition of the formerBucyrus distribution and support business in its dealershipterritory (across Western Canada) from Caterpillar. This representsthe final stage in the company's phased acquisition, and followssuccessful completion earlier this year of similar transactions forFinning in South America and the U.K.28 Winter 2012www.finning.ca

When Caterpillar Inc. finalized its acquisition of Bucyrus International Inc.in July 2011, Finning management was excited to have an opportunity to add theformer Bucyrus products to its mining equipment portfolio, and to purchase theBucyrus facilities in Edmonton and Fort McMurray. “This is a great opportunityfor Finning. We intend to be a full-line supplier to our mining customers, andnow are able to offer complete solutions from the start to the final reclamationof a mine site,” says Hilary Anaka, external relations manager and member ofthe Bucyrus Integration Team.The Bucyrus acquisition brings to Caterpillar an expanded range of miningequipment and the rich heritage of one of America’s most innovative and famousindustrial equipment manufacturers. Caterpillar and Finning are well awarethat these specialized machines require a different approach when it comes tosales and service, and their acquisitions mark the beginning of a new era forthe two companies.www.finning.ca Winter 2012 29

New Day for MiningTraditional Caterpillar products cover a wide range of models foreach industry they serve. Finning expects to sell and service manyhundreds of each model. In contrast, Bucyrus products are sold inmuch smaller numbers but have a much higher unit value. In the caseof walking draglines, the company is happy to sell just one or two peryear. “Our current most expensive machine is a 797F haul truck atapproximate $7 million in value,” Anaka says. “Now, with multi-milliondollar machines and, in the case of a dragline at more than $150million per unit, it’s a whole different culture. But with the help ofCaterpillar and former Bucyrus employees, Finning intends to makethe inevitable learning curve as smooth as possible.”SHINY NEW TOYSBucyrus products new to Finning include legacy company electricmining shovels, the largest available today, a full range of drills fromthe smallest to the very largest, and walking draglines that encompasssome of the world’s largest earthmoving machines. In addition, theBucyrus-acquired former Unit Rig brand of electric drive haul trucks,large hydraulic mining excavators (previously known as Terex/O&K),and a full range of underground mining equipment from DBT ofLunen, Germany, also come with the package.The new gear will mean new service techniques and packages.“Finning has long been aware of O&K hydraulic excavators and understandsthe need to market this outstanding product. Some Caterpillardealers have been servicing these machines for years, but the Bucyrusdeal brings these products to Finning and we are very excited about theprospect,” says Brian Shaw, general manager, Drills, Shovels & MiningSystems. Shaw is also responsible for Bucyrus integration into Finning.“The introduction of Caterpillar’s electric drive 345-ton 795F AC fouryears ago was the first step toward the company’s goal to capture a majorportion of the electric truck market. Now, the addition of Unit Rigfrom Bucyrus helps us reach that goal faster,” Shaw says. “Caterpillaris able to take the best design features of both brands and will eventuallyincorporate them into one superior product.” Shaw explains thatthe company is looking past today and imagining serving the miningindustry into the future. The staff is up for the challenge. “We wantedthe electric product line to cover different mining situations not possibleat present. But we know that our sales force needs training to assistcustomers in making the right choice,” Shaw says.At Fort McMurray, 40 former Bucyrus peoplewill supplement Finning’s 1,000 employeesin the oil sands. This collaboration will growthe level of service that Bucyrus customershave received.A MEETING OF MINDSA large population of Bucyrus mining machines is at work inWestern Canada and, without exception, machines are located whereCaterpillar equipment is already supported by the Finning organization.Finning personnel working on these sites are familiar with bigshovels and draglines but have not been directly involved. That’schanging.“The 230 former Bucyrus employees that joined Finning Canada onOctober 1st bring valuable knowledge to our company,” Anaka says.“Their positions will remain largely unchanged and their expertisewill be an essential asset going forward.” She describes the integrationof the long-established Bucyrus organization into Finning as a majortask that will take time as both sides come together. Former Bucyrusemployees, for example, will receive training that focuses on Finning’sorganizational methods. “With help from Caterpillar,” Anaka says,“Finning expects to grow the level of service that Bucyrus customershave received.”Finning is readying a top-notch service team and is in the processof reorganizing its many sales and service outlets. “The reorganizationis location specific,” Shaw says. “Local facilities are being handled differentlydepending on product type and population in their area.” Hesays that because of the large population of Bucyrus shovels in the oilsands and the significant dragline population in central Alberta’s coalmines, Fort McMurray and Edmonton branches will be given highpriority for integration. “The existing Bucyrus Edmonton facility willcontinue as a service, rebuild and manufacturing centre for draglines,rope shovels and drills,” Shaw says. The company will base a fieldservice operation in Edmonton, too, and the Finning West Edmontonbranch will be set up for service and support for the large hydraulicexcavators.“At Fort McMurray, 40 former Bucyrus people will supplementFinning’s 1,000 employees in the Alberta oil sands,” Shaw says. “Otherbranches receiving priority are Kamloops, Williams Lake, Sparwood,Prince George and those in the Edmonton area, which also havenearby shovel populations.” Finning has plans to train personnel toservice the products common in each area, and will be posting for additionaltechnical support positions. For example, since Prince Georgehas a shovel population, that branch will “own” support for thosemachines. The former Bucyrus personnel will supplement existingnew Finning people being trained in the new iron. Factory trainersfrom Caterpillar will beef up the new program.“Three new technical support groups will be established, in muchthe same way as those now supporting trucks, dozers, etc.,” Shawsays. “One group will specialize in electric shovels and drills, a secondgroup will serve large hydraulic excavators, and the third group willlook after draglines.” Each group will increase the use of technologyin assessing needs and issues. Shaw says it’s possible that draglinesmay be handled as a separate entity in the future, but for now there’llbe expert help available locally and direct from the factory.The doors are now opening for Finning, through its Caterpillarrepresentation, to offer customers sales and service for every type ofmining equipment. Yellow iron will be at work all over a mine site,underground and surface.30 Winter 2012www.finning.ca

FRIENDLY TAKEOVERBY KEITH HADDOCKWith its takeover of Bucyrus International,Caterpillar gained one of America’s innovative andmost famous industrial equipment manufacturers.The company’s 136-year history brings to Caterpillar and Finningan unmatched heritage of mining and construction equipmentmanufacturing, including some of the largest excavatingmachines available today. Here are some Bucyrus highlights.1927MERGE TIME:Bucyrus merged withthe Erie Steam ShovelCompany, America’sleader in small excavatorsup to one cubic yardcapacity and becameBucyrus-Erie Company.1981ELECTRIC:Bucyrus-Erie 395-Bcommissioned the firstelectric mining shovel toincorporate variable-frequencyAC drive (Acutrol)technology.1925 GIVE ROPE: Bucyrus introducedworld’s first heavy-duty crawler-mounted electric quarry and miningshovel, forerunner of today’slargest ropeshovels.1930 JOINT VENTURE:Bucyrus established a joint venturewith Ruston & Hornsby Ltd., theforemost excavator manufacturerin Great Britain. Ruston-BucyrusLtd. built 35,000 excavators atLincoln, England up to 1985.1969 BIG DRAG: The world’slargest dragline, Big Muskie (Bucyrus-Erie4250-W) started work with a 220-yardbucket, 310-foot boom,14,500 tons operatingweight.FIRSTS: The fi rst Bucyrus shovel was built to the designs of JohnThompson for the Toledo & Central Ohio Railroad in 1882.1988 RARE COMPANY:Bucyrus bought the assets ofRansomes & Rapier Ltd. of England,one of only four manufacturers inthe western world to ever havebuilt walking draglines.1910 DRAG TIME: Bucyrus producedits first dragline, mountedon skids and rollers, after it boughtHeyworth-Newman. The followingyear it bought competitor VulcanSteam Shovel Co. and AtlanticEquipment Company.1933 HERE’S THE DRILL:Bucyrus Entered the drill marketby acquiring Armstrong Drill'smanufacturing rights. With rootsback to 1868, Armstrong broughtto Bucyrus all types of mobilewater, oil, and blast hole drills.1962 BIG SHOVEL: The world’slargest shovel, Bucyrus-Erie 3850-Bstarted diggingfor Peabody CoalCompany.1996 GOING GLOBAL:The company changed itsname to Bucyrus InternationalInc. to better reflect a globalpresence.1880 ALL ABOARD: BucyrusFoundry & Manufacturing Co. wasestablished at Bucyrus, Ohio. Itscharter was to carry on the businessof a foundry and manufacturer ofmachinery and railroad cars.1904 CANAL CARVER:Bucyrus received an order forsteam shovels from the buildersof the Panama Canal. By itscompletion in 1914, Bucyrus hadsupplied 77 steam shovels.NEW TOOL: The Bucyrus 5-yard capacity 120-B of 1925 was the world’s fi rst heavydutyquarry and mine shovel, forerunner of today’s largest electric rope shovels.1934 THE WALKING DRAGLINE:Bucyrus bought walking dragline builderMonighan Manufacturing Corporation.Monighan president, Oscar Martinson,inventor of the walking dragline in 1913,became president of Bucyrus-Monighan Company.1942-5 WAR TIME: Two thirdsof Bucyrus-Erie production wasdevoted to Second World Wargovernment orders. Almost allwere for Bucyrus-Erie standardproduct line.1997 to 2009 BUY OUTS:Bucyrus bought Marion Power ShovelCompany. (In 1965, Marion had commissionedthe heaviest ever mobileland machine, the 15,000-ton Captain,a stripping shovel.) Also bought: DBTGmbH of Lunen, Germany, and Terex.1882 STEAM AHEAD:The company built its firststeam shovel for the Toledo &Central Ohio Railroad, based onthe designs of John Thompson, therailroad’s manufacturing manager.1893 GROWTH SPURT:Bucyrus moved to SouthMilwaukee, Wisconsin,which remains CaterpillarGlobal Mining’s main manufacturingplant. The companychanged its name toThe Bucyrus Companyin 1895.1936CRAWLIES:Bucyrus-Erielaunched a line ofcrawler tractor equipmentincluding dozer blades,winches, rippers, rollersand also a line of pull-typescrapers. Tractors werediscontinued in 1954.BIGGEST EVER: Giant stripping shovels built in the 1960s have never been exceeded in size. The Marion 6360 “Captain”shovel was the largest with a 180-yard dipper and operating weight of 15,000 tons.2011 FINALLY TOGETHER:Bucyrus finalized agreement forCaterpillar to purchase BucyrusInternational Inc., includingservice and distribution facilitiesand manufacturing rights to allproducts.www.finning.ca Winter 2012 31

Portrait: Eva WebberEva Webber is busy allthe time and that’s howshe likes it.A 34-year resident ofFort McMurray, she’s aheavy equipment operatorby trade. She also hasexperience on the maintenanceside of things, aswell as a stint in accountspayable. These days, she’sa sales coordinator atFinning in Mildred Lake.“It’s a friendly place towork and I really enjoy it,”she says of Finning. Justback after some enforcedtime off due to a skiinginjury, she says she’sespecially happy to be atthe office.Her typical day, ifthere’s such a thing, seesher searching parts forcustomers, reconcilingpaperwork and parts, doingorientations, going tomeetings, and much more.In her downtime,she loves to ride herHarley – an activity sheintroduced her husbandto – and camping withhim and their two kids, 11and 14.“I love skiing andsnowboarding, but thatwill have to wait until nextyear,” she says. “This winterI’m doing physio.”32 Winter 2012www.finning.ca

www.finning.ca Winter 2012 33

Count on UsSNOWS OF YOREIt just doesn’t snow like it did in yesteryear.Here’s an archival image of a Caterpillar dieselD7 with a 7A bulldozer as it opened Highway3, west of Coleman, Alberta on a winter’s dayin 1950.Roads had been blocked for four dayswith snow drifts up to 15 feet deep.On this particular day, winds blew in gustsof up to 85 miles per hour and temperaturesdropped as low as -38ºC.34 Winter 2012www.finning.ca

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