pile hammers in North America. As an apprentice at the shop,
Kemppainen was primarily responsible for repairing, rebuilding
and setting up diesel pile hammers; repairing and setting up
vibratory pile hammers; and building piling leads. Before
long, he was promoted to SCM service and parts manager as
a recognition of his competency and dedication to his job.
In 2000, SCM was purchased by Equipment Corporation
of America and became ECA Canada Company, at which
point it became more involved with foundation drilling
equipment. In 2004, the company became a dealer for Bauer
and its daughter companies, such as Klemm and RTG.
“Then, in 2007, I left to work for another company for
two years as a travelling mechanic; setting up and repairing
equipment across Western Canada, Mexico, and Panama,”
said Kemppainen. “During this time, I was able to gain invaluable
experience from the different job sites and received extensive
training from Bauer in the U.S. and Germany; before returning
back home to ECA Canada as a product support manager.”
In the fall of 2009, Kemppainen was promoted to branch
manager for ECA Canada where he remained until his
January promotion to vice president.
Overcoming challenges, building opportunities
Throughout his career, Kemppainen has faced a number of
challenges. Fortunately for him, he considers overcoming
these challenges as being one of the best parts of doing what
he does. One project in particular stands out as being especially
memorable for its complexity. His crew was required to lower
a Bauer BG 20 H drill rig into a shaft approximately 60 feet deep.
“Because of the size constraints of the shaft, the rig needed
to be standing up in its drilling position when we hoisted it,
as normally you would lift the rig when it was folded down as
if in transport configuration,” said Kemppainen. “We managed
to pull it off without a hitch, I was extremely proud of our
team for figuring it all out.”
Kemppainen also greatly values having been involved with
his customers as part of the Toronto Transit Commission’s
York/Spadina subway expansion back in 2011-12 and, more
recently, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT project; both because of
the huge scope of work involved. He is now looking forward to
the tackling the 67-kilometre Réseau Express Métropolitain
transit project in Montreal, Que., which is of an even
grander scale.
An evolving business
In his three decades as part of this industry, Kemppainen has
witnessed tremendous change. In just 20 years, Equipment
Corporation of American and ECA Canada have grown from
a mid-sized company employing 35 people to more than 85
strong, with a reach that extends from Florida, all the way
to Ontario. The branch in Uxbridge, Ont., started with only
three people when first acquired and today has 14 employees
housed in a new facility that was built in 2012.
From his vantage point as a former mechanic, the skills
required to become a technician in this industry have grown
exponentially. Diesel pile hammers, vibratory hammers and
mechanical drills are all fairly simple mechanical and hydraulic
equipment, yet modern drill rigs have multiple onboard
processors that use Controller Area Network communications.
PERSONNEL
BG20H lowered into the shaft and ready to work
70 Q3 2019 www.pilingcanada.ca
/www.pilingcanada.ca
