Customized Partnership Leads to Project Success with Engineering Firm
11 February 2020
What started as a heavy equipment rental contract developed into a full turn-key delivery model
Finning worked with Integrated Sustainability, a full-service engineering and construction firm, to construct an industrial freshwater reservoir project for a major oil and gas company in Alberta.
“Integrated Sustainability was looking to lead their own construction, and we were tasked with providing options for a pilot project,” says Jeremy Pautler, Finning sales rep. “What started as a straight rental evolved into a full turn-key solution.”
Managing the project
With a timeline of only three months, the project involved moving 150,000 m3 of dirt in 21 days.
“We were able to combine our programs and resources under one contract with a single point of contact to make it easy for them to do business with us,” said Jeremy Pautler.
Leveraging equipment through technology
The project involved 19 pieces of Cat® equipment from dozers and excavators, to graders fully loaded with 3D grade control and VisionLink technology as well as a project-dedicated technician to maintain the equipment and on-site fuelling through 4Refuel to maximize uptime.
“Their extensive knowledge and technology expertise on the design and engineering side gave them the motivation and confidence to move forward, trust in our expertise on the equipment side, and take that next step of executing on what they are creating,” said Nathan Smith, Heavy Rents for Finning.
Turn-key solutions
Finning provided everything from the equipment and technology, to full fleet management, maintenance and on-site fueling to maximize uptime.
“I went to Finning because I like Caterpillar, and I know the product, service, and capability they can provide,” said Gary Smolik, manager of construction for Integrated Sustainability. “But when we found out what the technology offer was and what it had the capacity to do, combined with having our maintenance and cost concerns addressed, it was a winning combination.”
Using VisionLink to manage the project remotely
“Finning oversaw the fleet management piece, making sure we kept the iron working, handling all repairs and maintenance, on-time services like fueling and oil sampling, and swapping out machines when we needed to maximize uptime,” said Smith.
Hitting grade easily and consistently
The team was able to hit grade every time with no re-works using 3D Grade Control on their equipment, helping to further increase efficiencies on-site.
“The 3D grade control gave us the capability to go to the final grade right out of the gate, allowing us to execute in a reduced time frame and accelerate our earthworks, completing the work in days versus weeks,” said Gary Smolik, manager of construction for Integrated Sustainability.
On time and on budget
Technology was a huge enabler for this project, but the collaborative effort from Finning and Integrated Sustainability was crucial to complete the reservoir on time and on budget.
“The software also allowed us to see data in the moment, cycle times, and payload and make real time decisions with no loss in production. It allowed me to provide updates with actual, current production numbers; we were able to measure actual costs, so we knew we were on budget.” Said Smolik.
Looking to rent or buy equipment for your business? Finning and The Cat® Rental Store has custom solutions for all types and sizes of projects. Talk to our team today about getting the equipment you need.
Finning is the world's largest Caterpillar dealer, selling, renting and providing parts and service for equipment and engines to customers across diverse industries, including mining, construction, petroleum, forestry and a wide range of power systems applications. We operate in Western Canada, South America, and UK and Ireland.