You could say CanLift is a very powerful company.
But as an independent giant in the Canadian industrial and commercial equipment supply sphere, CanLift Equipment Ltd. prides itself on being—and would rather be seen as—a close-knit, family-run outfit specializing in providing customers with the best deals in earthmoving, material handling, and airlifting equipment available for sale and rent in the country.
Primarily serving the construction and manufacturing industries, the company is known for its personable, face-to-face approach to business and warm welcomes. Established by siblings Marko and Johnny Dragicevic, Managing Partners; childhood friend Ryan Fitzgibbon, Director of Technology and Marketing; and Jacob Fuller, this Burlington, Ontario-based operation celebrated its fifteenth anniversary on May 14 this year.
A good start in a bad year
Jumping into the industry with vision and much courage during the economic slump of 2008, the four partners took advantage of rental possibilities resulting from the volumes of equipment available due to units being rushed onto the market during that troubled time as owners looked to free up their capital and banks reclaimed property.
Today, the company offers 24/7 service support, quality parts, and financing. Its customers also benefit from a satellite office in London, Ontario. Opening this facility in 2012 has helped the company expand its reach significantly, ensuring that its customers in towns like Tillsonburg, Strathroy, Stratford, St. Thomas, Simcoe, Sarnia, Listowel, Kitchener, Ingersoll, Goderich, Exeter, Chatham, Cambridge, Brantford, Aylmer, and others all receive the top-quality service they’ve become accustomed to.
CanLift represents a number of well-respected equipment brands like Genie, JLG, Haulotte, and others. Its product portfolio includes everything from forklifts, scissor lifts, telehandlers, graders, and skid steers to wheel loaders and compactors. The CanLift team provides customers with new and used equipment alongside its other services.
Ensuring the absolute safety of client sites, staff, and the public, the company also offers Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA)-compliant safety and operating training at its customers’ facilities or its own. By giving operators firsthand experience with the equipment before launching machines in the field, seasoned and novice operators get the opportunity to hone their skills in aerial, forklift, and scissor lift safety, skid steer safety, and more.
The company’s courses also include educating staff in fall protection and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), the official Canadian hazard communication system for Canadian workplaces and a trusted source of health and safety information on hazardous products in local places of employment.
While some aspects of its courses are available for completion online, the theory modules of every course must be completed by each applicant in person in the presence of a course instructor. Customer needs remain a priority at every step of the process.
Leasing, a strategic option
Doing business with CanLift Equipment is also significantly eased for firms preferring to hedge their cash-flow situations by leasing equipment rather than committing precious working capital to the expansion of their fleets.
Working hand-in-hand with CWB National leasing, the firm established this option for customers who need material handling machines to expand their outfits while remaining out of the red at the bank.
To make access as easy as possible, CanLift even offers a handy lease calculator on its website, giving potential customers an idea of the cost before they reach out for assistance. There is also a direct application option with CWB National Leasing to speed up the process further.
Telehandlers in a hurry
To be sure, this is a proactive firm that adapts to market trends fast—like last year, when a telehandler crisis meant expanding its range to support customer operations by ending the shortage.
To achieve its goal, CanLift introduced a couple of new models to its portfolio, making both the XTF1256K and XTF1056K models—favoured for outstanding reliability and operating prowess by Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Co., Ltd (XCMG)—available for purchase and rent. The metal titans’ specifications are impressive. Complete with a 130.1 hp Cummins engine and several easily attached accessories fitted via a hydraulic quick coupler, the XTF1256K provides 56-foot reach, an average levelling range of 10, and a lift capacity of about 12,000 lbs—impressive by anybody’s measure.
“We are excited to announce the latest additions to our fleet, two telehandlers that are set to enhance CanLift’s product line,” Johnny Dragicevic told GlobeNewswire.com. “With a current telehandler shortage, we are confident that these machines will not only address the pressing need but also provide our clients with exceptional performance and reliability.”
A people business
Another result of the company’s agility, combined with the attention it pays to customer needs, is the quality of its relationships with longstanding staff as well as everyone it works with external to its own ranks. The company is openly proud of the calibre of its knowledgeable team of nearly 50.
“We strive to maintain the highest ratio of qualified service technicians to products served in the market, and our goal is to build long-lasting relationships with each of our clients and all equipment rental companies to ensure their complete satisfaction with every interaction,” says company management on CanLift’s website.
Set apart
Success breeds success, and CanLift is no exception. By building an equipment fleet of well over 1000 units, the company’s strength has become obvious and undeniable. “In a market dominated by multinationals and private equity, our accessibility, hands-on approach, and commitment to customer satisfaction sets us apart from our competitors,” says the company website.
Now, CanLift has achieved 100 percent growth over just eight terms in 2022 and 2023. The company ascribes its upward mobility to being versatile, giving customers sufficient choice, maintaining sound business strategies, and sticking to its traditional good values.
As is evident, continuing investment leads the way here. Recently acquiring more than a hundred various boom lifts that can reach increased height ranges, CanLift aims to support customers in their projects in new and innovative ways as part of steadily growing its presence throughout the country. And, with sincere relationships, excellence, and authenticity at the forefront of everything CanLift does, maintaining growth appears to be a signed and sealed deal for this trusted equipment supplier.
