Founded in 1957, Irving Equipment Ltd. is Atlantic Canada’s premier provider of crane rental, heavy lifting, specialized transportation, pile driving and rigging.
Irving Equipment (part of the J.D. Irving, Limited group of companies) has since built a strong reputation for expertise in industrial, commercial, infrastructure and residential projects, and has played a crucial role in shaping the infrastructure and industrial landscape of Atlantic Canada.
Since its founding, the company has steadily expanded its equipment fleet to meet the evolving demands of the construction and industrial sectors. Today, Irving Equipment operates one of the largest fleets in Atlantic Canada, including cranes with capacities ranging from eight to 770 tonnes, a variety of self-propelled modular transports, and more than 200 pieces of support equipment, such as aerial platforms, scissor lifts, compressors and welders. This means that, no matter how large or complex a project may be, customers can count on the company to deliver flexible, safe and cost-effective solutions.
What’s more, Irving Equipment also maintains full in-house maintenance capabilities, including the ability to rebuild its own equipment.
“For example, our technicians rebuilt a 500-tonne Liebherr all-terrain crane just a couple years ago, and we’re currently rebuilding a 300-tonne crane,” said Victor Murty, equipment group manager. “Our experienced engineering team also handles in-house lift planning and rigging studies. For pile driving, we conduct all necessary engineering studies, such as capacity checks and load bearing assessments for marine structures, and manage our customers’ logistical challenges. We take pride in being a one-stop shop for our clients.”
Headquartered in Saint John, N.B., Irving Equipment operates additional facilities up the New Brunswick coast in Moncton and Miramichi, as well as in Dartmouth, N.S. While Atlantic Canada may be a relatively small market, it is highly industrialized, offering opportunities within the construction and infrastructure sectors – such as a 1998 refinery upgrade, completed by Irving Equipment, that required approximately 8,000 piles and hundreds of metres of sheet piling.
A dedicated workforce
Beyond its equipment and expertise, Irving Equipment is defined by its people. The company employs over 125 certified local operators and more than 20 factory-trained technicians. Their loyalty, skill and dedication are key to the company’s success.
“The people who work here are very passionate,” said Irving Equipment manager, Josh Snyder. “They care deeply about each other and the industry. Irving Equipment is generational and there’s multiple generations who work here – someone works here, their nephew also works here and their brother or sister works here – it’s a very family-oriented company.”
Murty agreed, “We have individuals in our pile driving fleet who’ve been with us for over 25 years – just in pile driving. I’ve been to more than my fair share of retirement parties here for employees who’ve been with us for up to 45 years. It just goes to show how committed and loyal our people are to the company, and that is something we deeply value.”
Giving back
This strong sense of community extends beyond the workplace. Irving Equipment is actively involved in local initiatives, including support for Bobby’s Hospice and participating in the annual Christmas parade. Its parent company, J.D. Irving, Ltd., also created Irving Nature Park – a 600-acre area to help protect the environment featuring beaches, trails and play areas open to the public.
The Fundy Quay development project
An exciting project currently underway is the Fundy Quay development, a multi-phase, mixed-use initiative by Fundy Harbour Group. At full build-out, the Fundy Quay is zoned to include five buildings totalling approximately 69,700 square metres (approximately 750,000 square feet), with 677 residential units, over 400 internal parking spaces and over 76,000 square feet of vibrant ground-floor commercial and retail spaces.
The Fundy Quay project also includes a new seawall, interactive and accessible public spaces, and an extension of Harbour Passage. According to the Fundy Harbour Group website, the development will “bring additional residential density to the Central Peninsula and animate the waterfront on a 24/7 basis through increased activity and public space improvements, such as Harbour Passage and through leveraging improvements to the adjacent market slip public space.”
“I’ve been to more than my fair share of retirement parties here for employees who’ve been with us for up to 45 years. It just goes to show how committed and loyal our people are to the company, and that is something we deeply value.”
Victor Murty, Irving Equipment
Some of the exciting new features of the public space include an outdoor winter rink, four-season restaurant patios, a new stage and entertainment area, splash pad, a vibrant vendor plaza, tidal steps and rock pool fountains, and an outdoor library lounge. The public spaces and seawall portions of the project were supported by funding from the Government of Canada, the Government of New Brunswick and the City of Saint John.
Irving Equipment was tasked with the piling scope, installing nearly 250 piles ranging from 45 to 85 feet deep. Due to the depth, approximately two-thirds of the piles required splicing. To complete the work, the team used a 120-tonne crawler crane and three diesel hammers on site: one International Construction Equipment (ICE) I-46 and two ICE I-30s.
A challenging project
As the project is located on the Saint John waterfront, the surrounding soil conditions presented challenges for developers. Boreholes revealed centuries of infrastructure buried beneath the surface such as brick, wood and steel. Initially, the developer proposed using drilled caissons to address the conditions. However, Irving Equipment reviewed the plans and offered a more cost-effective alternative.
“We’ve done pile driving here before and we know the soils – we know what is and isn’t possible,” said Snyder. “Working closely with a couple of geotechnical firms, the developer and the construction manager, we proposed using H-piles instead. We got boots on the ground, did the research and confirmed with the consultants that H-piles could be a cost-effective solution.”
The uptown location added another layer of complexity to the project. Saint John refers to their downtown core as “uptown” – a name rooted in history, as it sits “up” from the waterfront where ships arrive in port. This necessitated Irving Equipment to ensure proper traffic controls were in place to move equipment safely to site, as well as consider noise mitigation strategies for residents in the area during working hours. Irving Equipment also made sure to keep the environment top of mind.
“This is a very public spot with a lot of people around at any given time – and a lot of eyes on the work we are doing,” said Snyder. “So, just like with every project, we stayed on top of safety, environmental protection, and co-ordination with the other trades and contractors on site. This meant frequent meetings and real-time decision-making in the field to ensure everything ran smoothly.”
Phase One of the project is expected to be complete later this year, soon to be followed by Phase Two, of which Irving Equipment plans to be a part. “It’s rewarding to know we’re helping to revitalize Saint John’s waterfront and draw more people to the community. It’s great to continue being a part of that,” said Snyder.