Roy and his team recognized that the highest quality foun-dation
equipment was being manufactured in Europe. Today,
ECA carries foundation equipment from several BAUER
Group subsidiaries including KLEMM Bohrtechnik, RTG,
BAUER-Pileco, MAT and Prakla. That relationship started
with a $5-million check written by Roy to Professor Thomas
Bauer in 2004. It was a fun memory for him and a pivotal
moment for ECA as a firm.
ECA’s annual trips to Germany during Oktoberfest each
year have become coveted among the firm’s loyal custom-ers.
Each year, it funds and organizes the trip, which includes
BAUER and KLEMM factory tours, job site visits and an
authentic Oktoberfest experience in Munich for up to 20
customers. The ECA team relishes the camaraderie with
customers and giving them a front-row seat to watch its
manufacturers in action.
Crawling north into Canada
ECA was on the leading edge of the Canadian expansion by
acquiring Special Construction Machines of Toronto, Ont.,
in 1999. The firm immediately sold several large-diameter
drilling rigs, but really got traction in 2004, when picking up
the BAUER line. ECA retained Special’s 16-year veteran Ray
Kemppainen and named him branch manager, a position he
holds to this day.
ECA knew Canadian soils were often non-cohesive and
required cased holes.
“BAUER manufactures a product that revolutionized the
use of segmental casing and that’s how we picked up the huge
market share we have in Eastern Canada,” said Roy. “It was a
natural fit to bring this technology to the Canadian market
and the timing was perfect.”
ECA Canada covers a huge territory, distributing some
product lines only in Eastern Canada and others across the
entire country. Its most popular products are BAUER BG
drilling rigs and accessories, BAUER tooling and casings,
KLEMM anchor drill rigs and accessories, KLEMM tooling
and casings, HPSI vibratory pile drivers and Dawson exca-vator
mounted vibratory pile drivers and ground release
shackles. Population surges fueling demand for high-rise
condominiums have recently turned Toronto and Quebec
into a hotbed of activity for ECA’s BAUER BG drilling rigs.
ECA deepened its commitment to the Canadian market
in 2012, by building a new facility stocked with its full line of
equipment to house 16 employees and more than $4 million
in parts. It has supplied many high-profile projects, the most
recent of which is the Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit
(LRT) project in Midtown Toronto, where Deep Foundations
Contractors is running several BAUER and KLEMM drilling
rigs. Other projects of note have included the Toronto-York
Spadina Subway Extension, Toronto Subway Expansion,
Muskrat Falls Hydroelectric Dam, Burgoyne Bridge
Replacement and Montreal’s Champlain Bridge Replacement.
ECA plans to maintain a steadfast commitment to Canada.
The only expected change will be to eventually increase its
presence in Quebec.
Selling with integrity and giving back to the industry
When asked about the three keys to ECA’s success, Roy has
three words: people, integrity and service. His fondest mem-ories
involve good times and friendships with customers
and employees.
ECA has an assertive sales team of 26 employees con-stantly
on the move pursuing new business, but they’re
known by customers for taking a subtle, helpful approach to
selling equipment.
ECA views customers as partners.
“Our approach isn’t to make money on the sale. It’s to help
our customers make money,” said Dutton.
Roy adds that ECA sells high-end products to a very spe-cific
customer.
“We deal with more sophisticated buyers who understand
the advantages of quality,” he said. “You have to believe in the
quality that’s there, and we’ve proven that time and again, so
most of our sales are repeat business.”
This philosophy carries over to how ECA
services equipment.
“We’ve always had a policy: we fix equipment first and
then we worry about the money,” said Roy. “In other words,
we focus on getting the customer up and running regardless
of who is responsible for the machinery being down.”
Staying current with evolving technologies on the mar-ket’s
most sophisticated foundation equipment is ECA’s
biggest challenge. It requires highly competent employees,
close manufacturer relationships and ongoing training.
ECA’s in-house trainers in the areas of drilling, pile driving
and small-diameter drilling, are coached by its manufac-turers.
They, in turn, conduct training for fellow employees
and customers.
At a time when many trade associations lament over
declining participation, ECA has multiple employees giving
back to the industry. You can find them serving in virtually
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COVER STORY
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