Wajax is marking a milestone at its Sudbury branch, with the opening of a new, 42,500-square-foot facility on the outskirts of the city.
Currently celebrating 160 years in business, the Canadian distributor offers the sale, rental and after-sale parts and service support of equipment, power systems and industrial components for industries including natural resources, construction, transportation, manufacturing, industrial processing and utilities.
The company previously served Sudbury-area clients from three different divisions – equipment, power systems, and industrial components – all operating independently. But two years ago, after undergoing a restructuring process, Wajax opted to consolidate the three divisions into one unit, said Kyle Doherty, Wajax’s regional sales manager for Northern Ontario and branch operations manager for the Sudbury location.
“What we’re trying to do is become what we call our ‘One Wajax Initiative,’” Doherty said. “It just allows us to go to the market as a bigger group.”
Now housed in a repurposed building in the Walden Industrial Park in Lively, the new location features 10 bays for service and repair work, two 10-ton cranes and a five-ton crane, along with office space, a training room, boardrooms and a more open, welcoming customer service area.
Seeing Sudbury as an area for future growth, Wajax wanted to replicate in central Ontario the success of the full-service model it already has in place in both eastern and western Canada, Doherty said.
Historically, each of the divisions served specific markets, he noted, but joining together means the potential for new customers and markets to follow.
The equipment division tended to service mainly forestry and construction, but it’s now taking on more work in mining, he noted. Similarly, most customers for the industrial components division came from industrial plants, but the company is now eyeing new opportunities in forestry.
“So now we can offer synergies between all business units and we can be a better partner with our customers when it comes to all their needs, whether it be industrial, or equipment, or the repair business,” Doherty said.
The company’s also invested in its internal systems, acquiring new software to keep closer track of customer data.
Since moving into the larger space last December, Wajax has hired six new employees, bringing the current total workforce to 28, and Doherty said the company isn’t finished hiring.
“We are growing, and we have more plans for that once we hit our milestones and achieve what we need to achieve,” he said. “We’ll continue to add the bodies and the skills that we want to go to market with.”
Management recently spent a week in Toronto undergoing leadership training, which was followed up with customer service training for staff.
Doherty said it’s all part of the company’s plan to make the business more customer-centric.
“We want to have a space in the city serving our customers where we are proud of our name, we’re proud of the Wajax logo, we’re proud of what we can offer our customers, and we’re proud of how we help them achieve their goals,” Doherty said.
“A building like this allows us to do all that.”
