Manufacturers in the U.S. have long been key partners for Canadian deep foundation contractors, providing equipment, innovation and technical expertise that have driven productivity and safety in deep foundations north of the border.
One such manufacturer is American Piledriving Equipment Inc. (APE), which has supported the Canadian market through localized service, research and development and a strong understanding of the Canadian jobsite for more than 30 years.
Headquartered in Seattle, Wash., APE is currently a global leader in deep foundation construction machinery and is well known for innovation and reliability. APE designs, manufactures and ships all its own equipment directly to contractors, thereby ensuring quality control and responsive service. The company also produces the world’s largest pile drivers and has revolutionized the industry with patented technologies, such as advanced vibratory hammers, hydraulic impact hammers and items of particular interest to Canadian customers, such as the Polar Penetrator drill bit.
The company serves a wide range of industries across Canada, including (but not limited to) energy, marine, transportation and utilities – basically wherever deep foundations are installed, APE will be there. “APE serves any sector where deep foundations are needed and, because pile driving is essential to nearly every infrastructure project nationwide, you won’t have to look far to see APE equipment in the field,” said APE’s Canadian regional manager, Eric ‘Wiggy’ Legault. “APE has finished every single project we’ve ever started, and we have also finished a hell of a lot of projects started by someone else.”
Following increased cross-border interest in its products, APE opened an Edmonton, Alta., branch in 2013, cementing the company’s commitment to directly serving the Canadian market and meeting the needs of Canadian contractors where they live. The company chose the Edmonton location to better support the province’s heavy construction and energy sectors, as well as to bring APE closer to its marine-sector customers further west in British Columbia.
“While we have projects all over Canada, Edmonton was the natural place for us to start up our first branch,” said Legault. “That’s where the bulk of our business in Canada comes from, with more than 50 per cent going to the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, so it just made sense.”
The Silverback advantage
From coast to coast to coast, there are a multitude of soil types in Canada – from hard granite rock to wet, soupy clay requiring pile support. Regardless of what lies beneath, APE helps clients install finished piles that deliver design capacity effectively. Silverback is APE’s design philosophy, technology platform and innovation framework that enhances the company’s vibratory pile drivers, making them safer, more efficient and more durable for extreme jobsites, such as underwater or in the far north. With Silverback, APE products are designed for the Canadian marketplace through robust engineering that can handle even the harshest conditions.
“With boots on the ground, we can see firsthand how we can design better in the future. We thrive on obstacles and Silverback is how we improve.”
Eric ‘Wiggy’ Legault, American Piledriving Equipment Inc.
“All of our Silverback technology is designed based on what the customers need and what their requirements are,” said Legault. “With boots on the ground, we can see firsthand how we can design better in the future. We thrive on obstacles, and Silverback is how we improve.”
One of APE’s most valuable contributions to the Canadian marketplace has been its Polar Penetrator technology, which is designed specifically to be paired with APE’s unique HD Drilling system and Quickloc drill casing. Polar Penetrator is invaluable for drilling deep foundations in permafrost, tundra and Canadian Shield conditions, and has driven thousands of piles in extreme cold without failure.
“One of the problems with drilling underground is when you encounter permafrost,” said Dan Collins, president at APE. “Whenever you drill anything, it causes heat. If you’re drilling in rock, that’s not such a big deal. But when you’re drilling into permafrost, that heat melts the ice and turns the hole to slush. So, we’ve developed Polar Penetrator, which – when you drill – turns permafrost into a frozen vapour that’s pushed out with the rest of the air to leave an open hole, all without heating it up. Polar Penetrator is the difference between getting the job done or having a hole filled with slush that freezes over as soon as you stop drilling.”
Another area of innovation that has a special place in the Canadian market is APE’s 100 per cent biodegradable hydraulic oil – an ideal solution for some of Canada’s most environmentally sensitive areas. “In Canada, it seems as though you are only a mile from a river or stream on any given pile driving project,” said Collins. “All of our equipment that have hydraulic pumps to make things turn and drive require hundreds and hundreds of gallons of hydraulic oil to operate. By choice, APE’s main selection of hydraulic oil comes from vegetable oil instead of the industry standard, petroleum-based oil. Accidents happen and hydraulic hoses rupture, so the use of our biodegradable hydraulic oil allows contractors to meet Canada’s strict environmental regulations, particularly in marine environments where a spill can cause the most damage.”
APE also uses aluminium bearing covers derived from Silverback technology to function as radiators on its equipment, actively cooling the vibratory hammer’s bearings to increase run-time and improve bearing life. “Our radiant aluminium bearing covers provide 50 per cent longer periods of running time and 30 per cent more driving force, which is astronomical,” said Legault. “It’s become the most popular hammer in North America, and I can’t keep them in stock –a good problem to have.”
A shifting trade policy
APE manages parts and service for Canadian clients through a direct business model that involves shipping its own equipment directly to customers. Recent supply chain challenges have engaged the company to manage complex demands by implementing forecasts into APE’s inventory balancing systems. This helps the company ensure it will have the right equipment on hand when its Canadian clients need it most.
“It’s challenging, but it’s something that we have to do to keep our infrastructure rolling at an efficient pace,” said Legault. “And to date, I have yet to have any problem getting parts. Even today, I had a customer looking for parts for their 15-year-old hammer. I made the call, said we needed some bearings, and we had the parts out to the customer’s jobsite by two o’clock this afternoon.”
Over the last year, the manufacturer-contractor relationship between Canada and U.S. has become more complex due to recent tariffs. These tariffs have also challenged APE, especially when it comes to satisfying increasingly complex country-of-origin rules. “While we make most of our products in the U.S., the accessories – like drill bits – can be supplied from anywhere, including Canada,” said Legault. “This means, where we used to be able to cross the border without any hassle, it’s now a big hassle. And if we have accessories that need to be made for a project in Alberta, we have to consider that they can never be used on another project in the U.S. without paying a healthy tariff.”
Despite the challenges, however, the U.S. manufacturer-Canadian contractor relationship is just as important – if not more so – than ever before. Without the U.S.’s support network, the Canadian construction landscape would experience significant and increased costs, project delays and potential slowdowns in development, especially for projects that rely on U.S. materials, equipment and specialized services.
What’s more, the Canadian construction industry’s current integration with its southern neighbours means that a collapse of the U.S. support network would force Canada to rely on less integrated supply chains, potentially disrupting ongoing and future projects and sectors across the board, whether residential, commercial, industrial or infrastructure. “These are the types of projects in demand right now, so we need to keep on doing what we’re doing for the time being,” said Legault. “We need to let this geopolitical nightmare fade off into the night, and hopefully it happens sooner rather than later.”
Driving forward
APE will continue to focus on the Canadian market, strengthening its national presence, expanding its support capabilities and introducing cutting-edge technology that directly benefits Canadian contractors. “The demand for infrastructure, energy and marine industrial development continues to rise, and APE Canada is here to ensure that our customers have the equipment, the expertise and the reliability needed to meet that demand,” said Legault. “We’re committed to bringing the latest advancements, including lighter, more efficient equipment, and our goal is to keep Canadian contractors at the forefront of pile driving performances.”