Photographed Above: MCC’s Chuck Davidson (far left) and Brent Hutton (far right) with FGFT staff: Brian Nash, VP of Sales; Robert Pike, Corporate Services Manager; Jim Peters, President and Lisa Suche, Purchasing Manager
It’s not every day that our staff get to ride in a fire truck – but we did just that as part of a recent tour at the Winnipeg facility of Fort Garry Fire Trucks, a new member that joined the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce last year.
Fire trucks, custom-built pumpers, aerial ladders, water delivery tankers and other fire-fighting equipment built by the century-old local company can be found in cities, towns, municipalities and First Nations all across Canada, the U.S. and beyond. We were impressed by witnessing how the trucks are built, and also the way the company’s engineers customize the design of each truck to every customer’s specific requirements using sophisticated computer programs that generate intricate 3D models.
FGFT engineers their vehicles with harsh environments and road conditions in mind, and has designed and built trucks for specific uses such as fighting wildfires or saving lives on rivers or ponds. For example, they custom-built rescue trucks for the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service a few years back, specifically to make water rescues faster, safer and warmer for rescuers.
The company hosted MCC’s President and CEO Chuck Davidson, Brent Hutton, Director of Business Development and Member Relations and Sherry Kaniuga, Marketing and Communications Specialist for a peek at their facility in late December.
Some fun facts we learned on our tour:
- FGFT builds about 80 to 100 trucks each year
- They have more than 70 base models to choose from, with 10,000+ options for customization
- Most customers order one or two trucks, but some large cities buy a dozen or more vehicles at a time
- While FGFT has built trucks in many colours, most customers want red – and they have 256 shades of red paint to choose from!
- A fire truck has a life span of about 20 years, or can be upgraded as new safety standards are introduced
- It takes about two months to actually build a truck, but the process from order to completion, including engineering and procuring parts, can be between six and 18 months
- The company has about 300 staff – including some newcomers to Canada – with at least 30 working on the build floor at any one time
- The company started in 1919 as a rubber manufacturer, and they still have a rubber division that creates custom-designed steel and rubber molded products, hi-rail wheels for railways and rubber tarp straps, and also works with the mining and printing industries, installing rubber liners in tanks and remanufacturing press rollers.
Getting out and visiting our members gives us a valuable glimpse of not just what you’re all about but also a chance to connect face-to-face to discuss your priorities and concerns, and ways we can support your business. Would you like MCC to visit your business? Get in touch with us!
Thanks to Fort Garry Fire Trucks for the tour and for recognizing the value in being a member of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce!