Caterpillar - Finning Canada

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GROUNDBREAKERNEWS &REVIEWSGROUNDBREAKERCOMPILED AND WRITTENBY JIM VEENBAASGetting Biggerto be BetterWhen the Finning (Canada) service centreopened in Mildred Lake near the SyncrudeCanada Ltd.’s plant north of Fort McMurray inthe 1970s, things were a lot smaller. The biggesttrucks could fit into the glove compartment ofthe monster machines that roll into the centrefor maintenance these days. Finning expandedthe Mildred Lake shop in June of 2004 andsuper-sized the building. The shop easily accommodatesthe 400-tonne behemoths thatnow dominate the operations of the big oilsandsdevelopers.Three bays were added and each is big enoughto safely accommodate Cat 797s. Moreover, two50-tonne cranes were installed to hoist the heavymachines. As well, a stand-alone wash bay and atrack press were added.“This really allows us to improve the deliveryof our service and the effectiveness of that service,”says Brian Shaw, Finning’s oilsands managerin Fort McMurray. “When you’re workingon a truck the size of the 797, you need to havea proper crane and you need a building largeenough to lift up the giant box inside.”Long Distance HelpThe expansion project was also needed to accommodatethe 200% increase in repair volumeat the service centre in the last five years. “Wecouldn’t bring the 797s into the shop unless wehad the body and the outside duels off,” saysRandy McDonald, Finning’s regional managerfor branch operations. “Now we have a placeto assemble the 797s. When the temperature is-30°C, it’s not very efficient to work outside.”In addition to the new shop space, there is20,000 square feet of new warehouse spaceequipped with the latest storage and retrievaltechnology. Finning will use the high-densitystorage system to house the large volume of replacementparts needed to accommodate the increasedactivity. “This is a huge improvement onthe parts side – better than what we had in termsof square footage and ability to access and shipthe parts in a timely fashion,” says McDonald.As the leadhand mechanic at the FinningCustomer Support Centre, Ken Stewart fields callsfrom all kinds of operators across North America.But he nearly fell out of his chair when he pickedup the phone Feb. 2 and discovered he was talkingto a farmer from Puerto Rico.“He was calling from a small island off ofPuerto Rico. He was using an old D4C tractor, itmust have been built in the ‘60s, and he wantedto know what kind of fluid to fill the gear box with,”says Stewart. “I couldn’t believe it. It was 9 p.m.and I’m getting a call from Puerto Rico. We getan occasional call from Alaska, but never that faraway.”He listened to the caller describe his problem.With experience in heavy equipment repair,Stewart knew the tractor needed transmissionfluid and guided him through the process of fillingup the fluids.“He didn’t want to damage anything and theydidn’t have much on the island where he was living.This guy was doing his regular walkaroundmaintenance and he didn’t have the service manualanymore and he just wanted to make sure itwould be ready for the next day,” Stewart says.“He found our Internet site and gave us a call.He couldn’t believe someone was still on call atthat time of night. We helped him out and his tractorwas working as good as ever.”6 TRACKS & TREADS • Summer 2005 www.finning.ca
GROUNDBREAKEROrange CountyChoppers Buildsa Cat MachineCaterpillar has long been associated with some ofthe biggest, toughest, most-rugged machinery inthe world. Now those same qualities have beenbuilt into the latest Cat machine to hit the ground –a new street bike designed by the boys fromOrange County Choppers.The Cat Chopper is the latest creation fromPaul Teutul Sr. and his sons Paul Jr. and Mikey.The family builds some of the world’s most famousbikes for its television show American Chopper,which can be seen twice a week on the DiscoveryChannel. The Cat Chopper, one of the most powerfulbikes ever created by OCC, is decked out inCat’s distinctive yellow and looks as tough as oneof the company’s 797 mining trucks. With sleeklines, powerful bars, a massive back tire and fender,the Cat Chopper will leave a lasting impressionwhen people see it prowling the highways.“Being around the construction industry before,we know that the Cat brand carries a legacyof quality, strength and toughness ... the samethings we now strive for at OCC,” says Paul Jr.,the chief designer and fabricator. “That’s why wewere so excited to have an opportunity to build theCat Chopper.”In order to draw inspiration for their design,the crew from OCC toured Caterpillar’s Track-TypeTractor plant in East Peoria, Illinois. They even operateda 124 tonne D11R Carrydozer during thetour.“Touring the plant, seeing the quality that goesCAT TOUGH: PAUL TEUTUL SR., PAUL TEUTUL JR.into every aspect of the machine build, and meetingthe people who make it all happen gave methe inspiration I needed to create a bike thatCaterpillar employees, dealers and customers canbe proud to call their own,” says Teutul Jr. Peopleacross North America tuned in to watch the twopartseries in April as the family put its skill andcreativity to work, transforming the power of Catinto a motorcycle. If you didn’t have a chance tocatch the action on the tube, Discovery ChannelCanada will run the two-part series again on June14 and June 21.Caterpillar has big plans for the chopper aswell. The bike will hit the highways and tour 30 Catdealers across the United States starting in May.Between July 15 and 17 the machine will make astar appearance at the Edmonton Grand Prix.www.finning.ca Summer 2005 • TRACKS & TREADS 7
Page 1: Field test: MT tracked tractors sho
Page 4 and 5: The Finning FocusA New Identity, an
Page 8 and 9: GROUNDBREAKERMACHINIST IAN MACKAYPr
Page 10 and 11: The Tech ReportTHE DAYS OF THE CAT
Page 12 and 13: COMPANY PROFILE :: Teck Constructio
Page 14 and 15: COMPANY PROFILE :: Teck Constructio
Page 16 and 17: EQUIPMENT PROFILE16 TRACKS & TREADS
Page 18 and 19: EQUIPMENT PROFILE continued“My vi
Page 20 and 21: Safety FirstBRINGING A PILLOW AND B
Page 22 and 23: SPECIAL REPORTHUMAN RESOURCESSPECIA
Page 28 and 29: MEETING THE CHALLENGEAirborne Deliv
Page 30 and 31: EQUIPMENT PROFILE30 TRACKS & TREADS
Page 32 and 33: EQUIPMENT PROFILE continued“Weyer
Page 34 and 35: FIELD TESTMulti TaskingB Y J I M S
Page 36 and 37: INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHTMINING IN BRITISH
Page 38 and 39: COMPANY PROFILE :: Marnevic Constru
Page 40 and 41: COMPANY PROFILE :: Marnevic Constru
Page 42 and 43: Count On UsMay 31, 1960Customer sup

Caterpillar - Finning Canada

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