Superior service and superior support
FEBRUARY 2024
THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
Daequip is one of the leading designers and manufacturers of innovative and high quality heavy equipment attachments. Since forming in 1989, the company has grown steadily in size, reputation, and capability – they now offer a variety of attachments for all makes and models of compact, excavators, wheel loaders, crawler dozers and articulated dump trucks. They also manufacture and install machine guarding and hydraulics such as thumb installs, cab guards, cat walks, rock guards, and belly pans for all makes. Not only do they offer clients a wide variety of alreadyengineered attachments, they can also design and build to their clients’ specifications. All of their products are made in their plant – currently located in Langley, British Columbia, and soon to be located in Abbotsford – and can be shipped anywhere in North America. “We have over 30 years of experience in the manufacturing of attachments and accessories,” says Ed Lingel, president of the company. “We have decades of experience working directly and indirectly in these industries and we have the ability to bring clients expert advice, products and services, which will save them time and money.” “By working closely with our clients, each of our products are developed and expanded to meet the growing needs of many industries today,” he adds. “We have a high quality, innovative product range that is backed by a Daequip one-year warranty so customers can be assured that they are covered for their purchases.” “Our products are designed for clients who want a high quality yet cost-effective investment to add significant value to their equipment, projects and their business, which will help increase their efficiency and create high end results.” FEBRUARY 2024
THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
Daequip was originally founded by Dean Edwards in 1989. For the first decade or so, the company was a small shop based in Mission, before moving to Maple Ridge and eventually to Langley. In 2012, they expanded and moved to their current location in Port Kells Industrial Park. Throughout their history, Daequip has serviced the local market primarily through contractors and small dealers, with their leads generated primarily by referrals and word of mouth. In the spring of 2015, Ed Lingel purchased the company with a vision to grow and expand the product line and customer base. Ed began his career working in a family precast concrete business. After selling that company, he was headhunted by a large attachment manufacturer, where he worked as a sales rep for several years, travelling the United States and selling attachments to dealerships. When that company was sold, he decided to move on and take a position with a large OEM equipment distributor. Daequip was one of that company’s suppliers, and over his 13 years there, Ed formed a relationship with them. “That relationship started when I got a call from one of my customers and they demanded that I had to buy Daequip products for their machine,” he recalls. “From there, over the course of several years, I became one of Daequip’s biggest supporters, because the quality was so good and the service was so good.” When Dean decided to sell the company, Ed was his first call, as he had previously expressed FEBRUARY 2024
interest in the business on multiple occasions. It was a risk for Ed, because he was coming from a secure job as a major accounts manager at a large company, and he didn’t have any debt – but he believed in Daequip so much that he secured several different loans and went all in. Fortunately, his bet paid off, and under his leadership the company has grown by leaps and bounds. When he took over, the company had five employees – now they have 40, and they have grown service markets all across Western Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and throughout the US. “When I purchased the business, it was like an older house that needed a good renovation,” Ed recalls. “The bones were solid, the foundation was there, but it really needed to be gutted and rebuilt – and that’s what we did.” Later this year, Daequip growth streak will continue as the company expands into a much larger facility located in Abbotsford on Queen Street, just off the Mt Lehman Exit. Ed says that move will enable the company to offer more services on their larger property. Today, Daequip’s customer base is predominantly OEM equipment dealers outfitting new machinery with Daequip products. At the same time, the company also services and supports large contractors, small contractors, and end users. Ed believes that all of those customer types are drawn to Daequip by their reputation: “The Daequip brand has grown to be recognized as a premium product and is often requested from equipment owners by name when they are purchasing new machinery,” Ed says. THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
“We have worked very hard at establishing ourselves as a premium business partner to all of our customers large and small. Often we hear that our service and support is superior to that of our competitors and we work really hard to maintain that.” Ed credits that feedback to Daequip’s proactivity when it comes to product development, relationship building, and customer service. He says that in his time there, they have have never been a company that rests on their laurels – instead, they have always strived to get better at every facet of what they do. “Having been in this business for over 30 years, we rely on product development, relationships, and customer service,” he says. “This industry is very demanding and fast paced, but the reality is that most of customers just want to be treated fairly. Over the years we have continually strived to improve our products, listen to our customers and support the products and services we sell, and with that our customers have come to expect good service, good support, and a good product. In return they reward us with continued business and lots of referrals.” Over the years, Daequip hasn’t just formed longstanding relationships with customers – they have also formed lasting relationships with employees, subcontractors, and suppliers. Currently, as previously mentioned, the company employs roughly 40 people, and Ed says many of those people have been with Daequip for over a decade. He also says many of their suppliers have been working with them just as long. FEBRUARY 2024
“Because we are family owned and operated business we really focus on good work culture at Daequip,” he says. “We offer a supportive and positive workplace that is built on meaningful work, open communication, core values, and most importantly health and safety. We encourage all employees and management to engage in positive and open communication, along with a good work life balance.” “We also have a great network of suppliers whom we work with on a daily basis,” he adds. “We rely on the suppliers to help us succeed so we do everything we can to maintain those relationships. Most of our core suppliers have been with us for 10-plus years and even some as long as 25 years. One example of a longstanding supplier is Terra Nova Steel, a company that has been servicing the steel industry in the Pacific Northwest for almost 40 years, and working with Daequip for more than 25 of those years. In that time, they have developed an extremely knowledgeable and skillful team of machine operators, technical sales and support staff, and they have been continuously learning and embracing new processes and technologies in order to get better at what they do. These days, they are known for their quick turnaround times, their material availability, and their ability to help customers like Daequip get their jobs done right the first time. They exemplify the kind of reliability and flexibility that Daequip prioritizes for in their partners. THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
FEBRUARY 2024
Constant striving Recently, Daequip applied for their first patent, for which they have received ‘patent pending’ approval. That patent is for a new hydraulic wedge coupler, which they hope will help change the industry perception of hydraulic wedge couplers in general. For over 25 years, Ed explains that the hydraulic wedge coupler has been the standard style of coupler system in Western Canada, as dealers prefer that design due to its versatility. Over the years, Ed says manufacturers have consistently been trying to iterate on that design and make it stronger and more robust, but an issue has always been how unforgiving the design was when it came to operator error. With their new patent-pending design, Daequip has strived to finally solve that issue and thus mitigate downtime and expensive repairs. “We are exceptionally proud of this new coupler,” Ed says, “as THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
the industry has struggled for years in offering a new design that is easy to use and forgiving of operator error. The project was challenging because we were stuck working with an existing design that cannot be changed or altered for compatibility reasons so coming up with something new really took some brainstorming and overcoming traditional thought process.” “Over the course or trial and error, and several design changes, we all agreed on a design that we think will hopefully become the industry standard,” he adds. “We currently have several prototypes out working successfully and will be moving all future orders to the new design.” “This project has been extremely rewarding and we are looking forward to introducing the product to the market place.” Moving forward, Ed says that Daequip will continue “constantly striving” – not just for innovation, but also for growth and expansion. “With the acquisition of our new facility, we expect that over the next decade our business levels should double or even triple as our product line and customer base grows,” Ed concludes. “Having secured a long-timehome with room for growth will ensure that the Daequip brand will be around for years or decades to come.” “Our growth plans include expanded product lines and with the new larger facilities and we will focus on developing a market strategy to target a new audience and expanding even more into our adjacent markets. There is no limit on the size that we would like to be.” “Our vision is to continue to grow and become a major player in North America and become one of the preferred attachment suppliers in Canada and the United States.” FEBRUARY 2024
For more on Daequip, their story, their complete range of products and services, and their latest news – and to contact their expert team today – visit https://www.daequip.com/ THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
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