Canadian connection
About 87 per cent of DFI membership is in North America. Of
that number, 11 per cent are member companies headquartered
in Canada.
“Additionally, several other corporate members have offices
in Canada – making our Canadian representation much larger,”
said Engler. “Our Canadian members benefit from the fact that
we are a global institute and that all DFI members gain knowledge
about foundation design and construction issues from
experts across the world, making them better informed professionals
and global industry contributors.”
One long-time Canadian member is Dean Construction
Company in LaSalle, Ont. As one of the foremost deep foundation
and marine construction companies in the Great Lakes
Region, Dean Construction has been a DFI member since 1987.
“My father joined DFI with an eye towards expanding Dean
Construction’s technical abilities into areas past straight pile
driving which, in fact, has happened,” said Marc Dean, vice
president of Dean Construction.
A family-owned business that can trace its beginnings back
to 1926, Dean stresses the importance for other companies in
the industry to not just join DFI, but to also attend the conferences
and seminars.
“Join a committee that’s relevant to your business and keep
your eyes and ears open,” he said. “There is a huge wealth of
knowledge to tap into. Keeping up with what the vendors have
to offer has been a benefit, too.”
Bengt Fellenius, Dr. Tech, P. Eng, who is based in Sidney,
B.C., has been a DFI member for 40 years and helped create the
Steering Committee.
“DFI has become more than the Steering Committee had
hoped for,” he said. “It provides the means for people from
different backgrounds to come together and discuss their differences
and similarities; it is a forum for sharing experiences
and to learn from each other; and it is a source for information
needed by those outside our industry.”
He says that after four decades, he has found that the lasting
benefit has been the social aspect of making friends amongst
colleagues who may or may not be dealing with the same issues.
“In short,” he said, “Get off your behind and come in!”
Committees and groups
DFI’s 18 technical committees and three working groups form
the backbone of DFI, says Engler.
“It is their role to focus on the unique issues of major
methods and technologies within deep foundations and excavation,”
she said. “To keep in touch with the ever-changing
technology of the industry, we depend on our technical committees
to keep members and the industry up to date with the
state of practice through publications, guidance documents,
peer-review of papers in the DFI Journal, educational events
and committee reports in Deep Foundations magazine.”
In 2011, the DFI Committee Project Fund was established to
provide funding of technical committee projects that advance
the state of practice and understanding of deep foundations
and provide a usable deliverable.
“The fund has generated great interest, discussion and
activity in the committees,” said Engler. “To date, DFI has
funded close to $500,000 in projects proposed by 12 technical
committees. The deliverables include analytical tools, design
guides, journal articles, project reports, databases and surveys.
All projects involved significant in-kind contributions or joint
funding with allied associations, furthering DFI’s industrywide
collaborative efforts.”
Major achievements
DFI has celebrated many successes over the past four decades.
One is the continued growth of its membership from 18 corporate
members and 100 individual members in 1976 to 433
corporate members and 2,439 individual members at the end
of 2015.
There has also been a strategic expansion of DFI internationally.
In 2005, DFI Europe was established, followed by DFI
Middle East in 2010 and DFI of India in 2013.
Another achievement has been the growth and activities of
the technical committees and working groups that are actively
involved in advancing the wide range of technologies and techniques
in the deep foundations industry.
“Last year, we established two new committees that
strengthen our commitment to a diverse and multi-disciplined
membership,” said Engler. “The Manufacturers,
INDUSTRY PROFILE
A look back at
DFI’s 12th annual
conference in 1987
in Hamilton, Ont.
44 Q1 2016 www.pilingcanada.ca
/www.pilingcanada.ca
