“In 1989, we hauled process equipment out to a customer’s
location and arrived to find out the pile driving had not been
completed. The customer mentioned to Dave that he should
get into the pile driving business because there was a need for
someone who could provide a reliable service.
“There was limited competition in the piling sector at that
time, so DFI shifted focus from transportation to foundation
construction and began a rapid expansion over the next few
years to meet the demands of its customers.”
Dyck says that early on it became apparent that the
equipment available in the piling market was unreliable,
inefficient and unable to withstand the rigors of pile driving
in harsh Canadian conditions. With innovation being a key
strength at DFI, and decades of experience in the field, the
solution was to build the equipment in-house. The first RGZ
model crane was designed and built in 1993, paired with a
DFI purpose-built leader, drop-hammer and follower.
“Dave saw a need in the market and employed people
that were capable of providing solutions to initial challenges,
and it evolved from there,” said Thompson. “That’s one of the
great things about Dave; he has always invested back into the
company to further develop our equipment and capabilities.
Dave has the vision and desire to not just provide the service,
but to also push the boundaries and set the standards for the
rest of the industry.”
Equipment made to measure
In the years following, the company’s RGZ line of cranes
expanded from truck chassis-mounted units to crawler
cranes in 1996, ranging from 35- to 50-ton capacity. This
equipment has allowed DFI to take on projects in rough terrain
conditions that others simply couldn’t handle.
Today, DFI is still building their own equipment.
Thompson notes DFI just completed two new builds; a 50-ton
track-crane and a 45-ton truck-mount crane, both equipped
with RGZ hydraulic pile driving equipment. The units have
been turned over to the operations group for deployment on
upcoming installation projects.
Facility operations manager, Chris Whitford has been
with DFI for 21 years, starting out as a heavy-duty mechanic,
becoming a foreman and working his way up from there. “DFI
is very quick to give people opportunities, room to advance,”
he said. “Everything is built from scratch. We have our own
designers, a welding shop and a CNC machine shop. We paint
our equipment on-site in our paint booth and auto body
shop. We have a team that completes assembly followed by
COMPANY PROFILE
DFI Unit One – a restored W-900 Kenworth
12 Q3 2019 www.pilingcanada.ca
/www.pilingcanada.ca
