In the long-term, the hope is that once Black Diamond
becomes firmly established in Sudbury and Mississauga, the
company will further extend its reach across Canada and
into the U.S. However, the company is currently quite satis-fied
in taking a steady and measured approach to expansion
in order to avoid the treacherous pitfalls of growing too fast,
too soon.
Changing minds
There are a number of challenges that still face Black
Diamond in bringing its brand to Canada, primarily centred
on changing the traditional North American mindset towards
“Made in China” products. While many still believe that the
quality of steel coming from China is inferior to the steel of
Western markets, this couldn’t be farther from the truth in
regard to a company like Black Diamond and its parent com-pany.
Changsha Heijingang Industrial has put no end of effort
into fine-tuning its manufacturing processes and procuring
steel internationally, from places like the U.S. and Sweden, to
ensure that its rock drilling and pneumatic tools perform as
well as, if not better, than similar tools now being used here
in Canada.
With this in mind, Black Diamond is currently conducting
tests with prospective Canadian customers in order to show-case
the high quality and superior performance of its tools;
and the response from industry has been very positive. The
results from the testing done so far clearly demonstrate Black
Diamond’s timing to be better and more responsive than
many similar products, as well as the excellent durability of
the bits themselves, which often outperform the competition.
“Once the potential customer takes the initiative and says
that they will do some testing, then it is really just the matter
of them seeing our products in action,” said Lafontaine. “We
will ask that they record their own timing of the penetration
rate and measure the performance so that they can see for
themselves what they have on their hands. And then they can
see that there is more to Black Diamond than just better pric-ing;
they also have the opportunity to receive a high quality,
high performance product.”
Not just a company, but a family
The motto that helps guide Changsha Heijingang Industrial
in everything it does is simple: A cheerful life is a long life.
This saying drives a company-wide culture that is further fos-tered
by the owners, Yang and his family; one which Black
Diamond Canada works to incorporate into its day-to-day
operations, whether that is in how it deals with its customers
or in how it approaches safety.
“The first time I visited the manufacturing plant in China,
I was fully expecting what we here in North America imagine
a Chinese factory to be. But what I discovered was the com-plete
opposite,” said Lafontaine. “Everyone – from the person
cleaning the facility, all the way up to the management – is
extremely welcoming and it’s like a big family. This attitude is
reflected in the workmanship and innovation of the products
we make.”
Black Diamond’s Sudbury branch will be celebrating its
official opening later this spring when the owners will be
coming out to welcome the new location into the fold.
COMPANY PROFILE
PILING CANADA 19
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