A decade ago, three Canadian heavy equipment dealers agreed to merge into one company, creating SMS Equipment.
Effective May 12, 2008, Federal Equipment, Coneco Equipment and Transwest Mining Systems combined their business to create a company that would expand to more than 30 branches across Canada, one in Alaska and one in Mongolia.
“Our company has gotten to where it is today for one reason; our people. Every day they show us there’s no such thing as can’t,” said SMS Equipment President and CEO Mike Granger.
“Many times, there seems to be an uphill climb or a wall ahead of you, and other people will look at it thinking they can’t do that, but at SMS Equipment there’s no such thing. Our people consistently prove it. We might not take the straight line to our objective, but with some thought, energy and effort, there is always a way to accomplish the task.”
The Alberta-based company has also grown to become one of the largest Komatsu dealers in the world, and the largest in Canada with coverage spanning coast-to-coast and as far north as Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
“In Canada, we’re the largest Komatsu dealer and overall one of the largest worldwide in both territory and volume,” said Nikki Dembowski, team lead, marketing coordinator for SMS Equipment.
Although SMS Equipment is celebrating 10 years in business, its roots dig much deeper into heavy equipment in Canada. Federal Equipment was formed in 1952, while Coneco opened in 1966. Transwest Mining Systems was born in 1986.
Before the merge, each company represented various segments of the heavy equipment industry and the associated manufacturers, from construction to forestry to utilities and mining. Alongside Komatsu, SMS is also a dealer of Wirtgen, Kleeman, Vögele, Hamm, Fecon, Terramac, Indeco and Sandvik, to name a few.
“Each of the three companies had their various lines,” Dembowski said. “When we merged, we definitely worked with the best of all lineups.”
As well, SMS has implemented Advanced Technologies to manage the growing segment of new technology for heavy equipment operators.
“We’re going to continue to pioneer customer-focused advanced technology, and I am very proud of the team’s collaborative effort in developing an identity to drive our efforts into a new era of thinking,” Granger said. “Advanced Technologies encompasses all of our industries’ technologies and allows us to be forward-thinkers of what could come next. There is so much to look forward to here at SMS Equipment.”
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The technological changes in equipment became obvious through the company’s recent photo contest, held in celebration of the 10-year milestone.
“We were trying to gather whatever experience you’ve had with our equipment and looking to highlight that,” Dembowski said. “Just to see the way equipment and technology has evolved is really interesting.”
Alongside its 10th anniversary, 2018 also marks a year of growth for SMS Equipment. This year, the company expanded or upgraded its locations in Anchorage, Alaska, Hinton, Alberta and Williams Lake, British Columbia.
SMS Equipment is also building a new corporate office in Acheson, Alberta as well as expanding its remanufacturing facility. Construction of the new head office is now underway, and the building is expected to open in about a year and a half.
“We have been growing and we need to accommodate that growth,” Dembowski said.
