A Junttan rig
Junttan Canada’s roots are deeply embedded in service and support to the deep foundation industry. Whether shipping parts, dispatching service technicians or renting and selling equipment, the company takes pride in getting its customers back up and running.
About 80 Junttan piling rigs currently operate across Canada, and all of them are supported by the company’s national headquarters in Lacombe, Alta.
In the deep foundation industry, product support is paramount. The Junttan Canada team provides parts, service, operator training and new equipment sales for all Junttan piling rigs in Canada, ranging from the smallest PM16 to the largest PMx28.
“Junttan is a leader in hydraulic pile driving equipment,” said Cory Daumont, vice president of sales and operations at Junttan Canada. He leads a 10-person team – including five service team members – in Lacombe, supplemented by a satellite facility with service trucks based in Sainte-Hyacinthe, Que., and another service truck in Vancouver.
Alberta is home to most of Junttan’s Canadian-based rigs, thanks to infrastructure and oilsands projects, while the next biggest market is Quebec. Daumont says different rig models are operated across the country.
Parts & service focused
Junttan’s Canadian roots go back to 2007 when its products were sold and serviced by Canadian Pile Driving Equipment Inc. (CPDE) of Lacombe.
In the spring of 2020, Junttan acquired CPDE and officially transitioned the company into Junttan Canada on Jan. 1, 2022. The Canadian company benefited from Junttan Group resources and support to further strengthen its Canadian service offering.
Daumont says that the company’s founding principles did not change even though the name did.
“Our philosophy has always been that we are parts and service focused, thanks to the founder of CPDE, Bruce Patterson,” he said during an interview with Piling Canada. “Parts and service are our main objectives; all technicians are aware of that. That’s what has made us so successful, and that’s the basis that drives equipment sales and rentals.”
When asked to describe the company’s process for dealing with equipment failures, Daumont paused for a moment.
Junttan Canada technician Jasper Graham
“Honestly, there aren’t many [equipment failures]. In 2018, for example, there were two instances, but those were accidents that happened while moving rigs. We don’t really have failure issues. I think it speaks to the fact that our equipment is manufactured so well, and we have good training and support. I can’t remember one scenario where a customer’s rig was down because of a failure where we couldn’t find a solution.”
He says Junttan Canada assists its customers with significant equipment overhauls.
“When pile driving rigs first came out, their life expectancy was 20,000 hours. That’s based on the assumption of 1,500 to 2,000 hours per year. What we’re seeing now is some of them are exceeding 30,000 hours and still going strong.”
Junttan Canada has a full-service shop in Lacombe, but most repairs are done at the customer’s facilities or in the field due to the size of the equipment.
“We have a very strong team here with a high retention rate,” said Daumont. “It takes a considerable amount of time to train our technicians. Once they are trained, they are generally here for a long time.”
Junttan Canada’s service team has a combined 50 years of piling industry experience.
Parts and service manager Garrett Newton – who has been in the industry for more than a decade – takes care of sending parts out to Junttan Canada’s 40-plus customers. Many times, they are sent via overnight airmail.
“We have one of the largest parts inventories of all branches, aside from the head office in Finland,” said Daumont. “It minimizes downtime. If a customer needs a part, they seldom have to wait.”
Junttan Canada building
Junttan Canada technicians often travel to a cusstomer’s site for service calls
Sales & rentals
Parts and service account for a large portion of Junttan Canada’s revenue. The remainder of the business is divided between equipment rentals and machine sales.
Junttan – which was founded in 1976 and built its first rig in 1979 – has earned a reputation for superior, reliable products that are backed by timely and professional support. In Daumont’s opinion, that’s why Junttan Canada has so many repeat customers.
“Parts and service sell rigs,” he said. “Customers deal with us because of how we’ve supported them in the past.”
In November, Junttan Group CEO, Tommi Lehtonen, travelled to Alberta and accompanied Daumont on several customer visits. The pair heard positive comments about the Canadian team.
“I was glad to meet so many Junttan customers and hear that they are very happy with our local support,” he wrote in an email to Piling Canada. “Our team in Canada is great, and, as always, our people are the most important part of our business. We have a great starting place to develop our business further. Naturally, we are not complacent and we work every day to earn our right to serve the industry.”
Good service begins with solid relationships, says Daumont.
“We are on a personal level with our customers. It’s about relationship building. When this company was founded as CPDE, it was built on a parts and service background. It’s our reputation in the industry that precedes us and that provides the basis of our success. There is a service culture here, and everybody loves what they are doing.”
Photos courtesy of Junttan Canada