When it comes to finding the best partner to fulfill heavy-duty equipment needs, the challenge can be real, especially when the dealer does not fully understand the customer’s industry. That, we’re pleased to say, is emphatically not the case at CG Equipment, where expertise has driven sales for over 60 years and doubled the size of the business in just seven.
The company also received Top Ten Develon Dealer awards in 2016 and 2021, while customers come from all over Ontario—and the globe—for this company’s unique skill set and premium product selection.
Expert support
Whether a customer is looking to buy or lease, the team at CG Equipment is always ready with hands-on solutions that are industry-proven and have stood the test of time. CG Equipment doesn’t rent out any machine that’s not good enough to offer for sale. The company provides customers with only top-quality machinery all the way.
That also means that customers benefit from direct factory-trained support without the hassle of third-party involvement, which makes the rental and ownership of CG Equipment’s machines more enjoyable in their ease and simplicity.
The company distinguishes itself by ensuring that its knowledge of, and expertise in, equipment attachments outdo the competition at all times. Field technicians are equipped to attend to mechanical or technical issues on site, with access to floats to move equipment to its workshops if necessary. CG also provides preventative maintenance tools like telematics software technology that prompts service alerts via email.
With an established facility in Zurich, Ontario, CG built new headquarters three years ago in Guelph, Ontario. Today, the Guelph facility comprises a 9,000 square foot workshop with five bays that are two machines deep, an office, a parts division of 4,800 square feet, and a 5000 square foot indoor storage / wash bay.
The team of 25 is another source of tremendous pride for the company, with problem-solving skills that are second to none.
“It takes a special person who loves to be challenged; anybody who works here has to be a notch above average,” says Sean Bruder, Sales and Rental Specialist in this team of assorted experts in their field. “We work on so many different types of equipment and brands, it’s not an easy job. You have to be open to challenges and good at thinking outside the box.” As such, the company’s personnel have built quite a reputation with their clients for adapting fast and thinking on their feet.
The path to the present
The company’s founder, Cleave Gingerich, started CASE Utility in 1962, choosing to serve the agricultural market for the first three decades. In 1995, that company reinvented itself as a Daewoo dealership. In 1990 the company then passed to Rick Gingerich, Dennis Estep, and Cliff Gingerich, who set up its first Guelph location in 2001.
The business changed hands again in 2016, when Cory Gingerich, Sean Bruder, Alex Frasson, and Giulio Frasson purchased it. The following year, the partners introduced the Fecon, Prinoth, Fuchs, and Kinshofer brands to their product selection, bringing on board an entirely new set of clientele.
These days, CG serves an impressive array of industries ranging from construction to demolition, agriculture, forestry, recycling, municipalities, rail, and umpteen others.
Heavy knowledge
CG Equipment knows its business. Whether a large-scale farmer needs a wheel loader or a demolition expert needs a rotating demo grapple, or excavators and tool attachments to help increase productivity, the company is ready to deliver.
One such range of performance enhancers, OilQuick, features specialty adaptors that simplify switching attachments by allowing operators to move between various tools, like pulverizers or shears, with superb ease and without having to get out of the seat to hook up hoses.
As a result of stocking nothing but the best equipment the world has to offer, the company’s offering is chock-full of quality possibilities that meet industry demands. “We set ourselves apart like this, because we have a lot more knowledge on these specialty attachments,” says Bruder.
Alongside factory-qualified technicians, CG Equipment also stocks all the authentic parts and components needed for repairs and servicing while providing focussed support for its entire rental fleet. “Equipment is our passion. Offering unique products and thinking outside the box is what we do best at CG Equipment,” says Bruder. “We’re your go-to for helping you problem-solve your unique equipment needs.”
He points out that, at some point, most industries will need to dig a hole of some sort—and that is when CG Equipment steps up to save the day.
The world’s best
CG’s most popular line is Develon (formerly known as Doosan), which CG Equipment has traded in since around 1995 and this is the equipment of choice in the construction industry. This South Korean brand is trusted for its durability, operator comfort, and ease of operation—not to mention being efficient on fuel. As all auxiliary flows can easily be adjusted, adding attachments is also a cinch.
The Fuchs line from Germany is also a popular choice amongst customers. With over one and a quarter centuries of scrap material handling and engineering expertise, this firm also takes the quality and longevity of its equipment seriously. Straightforward operating design and low fuel consumption are just two of the benefits this easily adapted heavy-duty equipment offers.
Then there is Canadian-manufactured Prinoth, a state-of-the-art selection of crawler carriers popular amongst clients who rent equipment, as it is generally a rare find amongst equipment leasing agents.
“These machines are unique because, fully loaded, you can drive across very wet or environmentally sensitive areas and get into tight spots and steep inclines [when] hauling dirt. The sky is the limit with these things. You can put anything from a dump box attachment to a concrete mixer drill rig and a multitude of other attachments on it,” Bruder says.
Another popular product is the proudly American-fabricated Fecon range, popular amongst those needing good, solid, forestry equipment, including a specialized mulcher unit used to maintain woodlands and handle even the toughest land-clearing efforts.
The industry and its people
Part of the company’s vision for the future is securing growth by empowering the next generation of employees. To achieve this, CG Equipment sponsors the Conestoga College Equipment Operators Program. It also leases equipment to the college to support learning while contributing in many other ways, like supplying parts to its Heavy Duty Equipment Technician Program.
CG belongs to the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED), an association putting a lot of legwork into educating students about the benefits of entering the industry and taking up an apprenticeship. In support of such efforts, CG Equipment generously sponsors equipment for school events as well as the Top Excavator Award for Conestoga College’s Heavy Construction Operation Program. It also makes a point of regularly welcoming new apprentices to its ranks.
As CG continues to develop its offering and people, markets change and the company adapts. An interesting development in the industry, Bruder notes, is a trend toward multi-functional machines.
“Now, people want to buy that excavator to dig a hole, but they also want it to tear down a house. They want it to be adaptable, to mulch trees or dig ditches—all these different applications,” he says. As a result of these expanding requirements, more complex, constantly evolving machinery is hitting the market.
In addition, diversifying its rental division is in the cards for CG, with more rare equipment like railroad excavators and the like to follow, as well as setting up more technician trucks and facilities for customer convenience. The company is also putting a lot of time into sharing the incredible benefits of its OilQuick systems with existing and potential clients.
With all that in mind, you can expect CG Equipment to continue to expand its footprint based on a relentlessly growing market demand. And thoroughly deserved it is.
