Start your engines: 6 massive Canadian equipment dealers
Holes don’t dig themselves. These dealers makes sure builders have the tools they need to get things done.
Is there anything more iconic to the construction sector that a big excavator moving some dirt?
Behind all that heavy machinery are the suppliers that make sure those machines get where they need to be and stay running. Canada is no slouch when it comes to the heavy equipment sector. In fact, it’s home to some of the largest equipment dealers in the world.
The following list includes just a few major heavy equipment players that call Canada home.
Cooper Equipment Rentals
Established in 1972, Cooper Equipment Rentals Limited is a full-service construction equipment rental company, servicing contractors across Canada. With more than 70 branches in six provinces, Cooper specializes in the rental of compact, aerial, heavy construction, pump and power, climate control and trench safety equipment. They also have their sights set on future technology, recently announcing an exclusive partnership with risk-mitigation technology platform Brickeye, a leading construction technology company focused on risk mitigation applications. Cooper is now the sole rental provider of LumiNode and LumiSense systems for ambient monitoring applications across the country. These advanced remote monitoring devices track ambient temperature and humidity on sites.
Finning Cat
B.C.-based Finning‘s history goes way back. Just last year, the company celebrated its 90th anniversary. Started by Earl B. Finning in a shed near Vancouver’s Canadian National railway station, the company has gone on to become the world’s largest Caterpillar dealer with operations in Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. It also employs more than 13,000 people worldwide. Locally, they are working to train the next generation of heavy equipment operators. They recently announced a partnership with a First Nations Group to provide mobile simulators with operator training programs.
Ault Industries
When Jackson Ault saw that that parts of Quebec were not getting their equipment needs met, he did what any good entrepreneur would do. He learned to speak french and moved to the region, founding Ault. The company is an exclusive distributor of McCloskey International, Lippmann, Superior, Ecoverse and McCloskey Washing Systems. They have grown into McCloskey International’s and Lippmann’s largest dealer in the world. And this past November, Ault was acquired by Alta Equipment Group Inc. for $36 million as part of the group’s expansion into Canada.
SMS Equipment
SMS Equipment was formed in 2008 by the consolidation of three Canadian Heavy Equipment companies (Federal Equipment, Coneco Equipment and Transwest Mining Systems). Their team strategy has paid off. 15 years later, they are one of top heavy equipment dealers in the country and the largest independent Komatsu dealer globally. Today, SMS has 2,600 employees at 42 locations from Anchorage, Alaska, to Paradise, Nfld. the Komatsu PC8000-11 is the largest surface mining excavator on the market.
Equipment Sales & Service
Another elder on this list, Equipment Sales & Service Limited (ESS) was founded in an Ontario automotive garage in 1946 by Bill Willis. 75 years later they have kept it in the family. The company is now in its third generation as a private family-owned business. Today it operates 12 branches across Canada, representing multiple OEM lines supporting the construction, mining, forestry, foundation and drilling industries. The company is the longest distributor of Link-Belt equipment in the world, one of the largest aftermarket suppliers of construction parts in Canada, the largest Berco dealer in Canada and the largest Esco wear parts dealer in North America.
Brandt
The Brandt Group of Companies — headquartered in Regina, Sask. – is a privately owned manufacturing and distribution company that serves a growing international audience in industries such as agriculture, construction, forestry, rail, mining, steel, transportation, material handling, and energy. The company boasts more than 6000 employees and more than 180 locations in Canada, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. More than just a major player in the heavy equipment world, Brandt is one of Canada’s largest privately owned companies. Just this winter, Brandt celebrated the grand opening of three state-of-the-art facilities in Moncton, Fredericton, and Edmundston in New Brunswick.
