English
Why a new start-up chose Doosan equipment
Spring 2014
To dramatically exceed expectations in its first year, Titanium Contracting Inc. had to pull together all the necessary building blocks to launch a construction company: identify potential jobs, win bids, work efficiently, and have skilled employees and productive equipment. And, as it turns out, taking a different approach to some aspects of the business wasn’t such a bad idea either.
“As a firm that focuses on municipal services work, we like to handle jobs that are a bit outside of the realm of what a lot of other contractors are comfortable doing,” says Stephen Foster (pictured left), vice president of the Toronto company. “Specialization helped us almost triple the first-year goal we set for ourselves.”
Busy first year
Titanium Contracting completed a variety of projects during its first year in business. Among them:
- Demolished multiple structures during winter while protecting wells and utilities. Moved 200,000 liters of groundwater for off-site disposal.
- Relocated 200,000 cubic meters of clean soil and brought in new soil during construction of new runways at an airport. Followed stringent regulations of government agencies.
- Built sound barrier fence at bus terminal, then installed landscaping at the site while carefully implementing a traffic management plan.
- Installed 1 kilometer of noise barrier fencing along a regional road in Waterloo, Ontario. Due to grade constraints, the wall included the installation of a 1.5-meter high retaining wall.
- Reduced phosphorus level in lake that was affected by significant algae growth.
Water experts
Titanium Contracting sets itself apart by its ability to work at water-related sites. “It’s the type of project that other firms tend to avoid,” says Foster, who has an affinity for working with water from his training as a hydrogeologist. “On jobs, such as building roads, you can control most variables. You add water, everything changes. There’s more risk. Is it a controllable risk? I like to think so. But maybe others don’t.
“In our short history, we’ve become very good at dealing with situations where construction takes place in and around water. That niche has helped boost our reputation and allowed us to generate additional revenue.”
Choosing best equipment
As a new company with plans to bid on a variety of jobs — including some that were fairly complicated — Titanium Contracting decided early on to look for reliable and productive equipment. That search took them to Top Lift Enterprises, the Doosan dealer in Stoney Creek, Ontario.
A visit to their Doosan dealer and to the Doosan Real Operation Center helped the company decide to purchase two crawler excavators — a DX420LC-3 and a DX235LCR. Both were productive contributors to Titanium Contracting’s success. Foster explains:
“The DX420LC-3 — even with added accessories such as a mechanical thumb, FOPS, quick coupler and auxiliary hydraulics — is the perfect size for transporting,” he says. “Our goal is to avoid paying for overweight permits. As we travel throughout Ontario, we would have had to get five to 10 different permits. It would have been a nightmare. A $3,300 move could turn into a $7,000 move. Along with being the right size for transporting, the DX420LC-3 has the power and precise controls that allow us to lift and place a 12-ton culvert, which is one of the most common jobs we do. Overall, it’s a great machine.
“The DX235LCR, with its near-zero reduced tail swing, works well in many applications, especially when space is limited. At road construction sites, where traffic congestion is often an issue, the machine enables us to either sit in one lane or on the shoulder without significantly impacting traffic. We no longer have to close two lanes when working. It’s also great for installing noise barrier fences.”
Both excavators rate excellent on fuel efficiency. “I’ve been surprised at the differences between brands,” Foster says. “We closely track fuel usage and, for a fact, the Doosan machines do quite well.”
Foster believes that when purchasing equipment, it’s important to find out what the operators like. “I’ve found that when guys are given a machine that they like, they want to take better care of it. Otherwise it tends to age prematurely. With the popularity of the Doosan excavators among our operators, I expect the machines to age slowly.”
