(Norcross, Ga., 15 October 2012) Wallace Equipment Ltd., exclusive dealer for John Deere construction and forestry equipment in the Canadian Maritimes, announced that they will sell, install, and service Leica Geosystems’ machine control solutions for automatic guidance of heavy equipment; this is the first such agreement reached in the Maritimes between any dealer and machine control vendor.
Wallace Equipment Ltd. is a John Deere dealership with five branches covering New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, in the region known as the Canadian Maritimes. The firm is famous for customer support, and responds to service requests 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Wallace Equipment is the exclusive John Deere dealer in the region, and the firm has been selling heavy equipment solutions for more than 30 years, but only added a machine control solution in October, 2012. “It was time,” says Wallace Equipment Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Daryl Lisson, “Like contractors everywhere, our customers have been struggling in recent years and we believe that the competitive advantages of machine control have become too great to ignore. And from the response we’re getting as we demonstrate Leica’s state-of-the-art systems, our customers agree.”
Lisson says that several suppliers were considered, but Leica Geosystems was clearly the superior choice. “We appreciated Gerard’s enthusiasm and expertise, and as we looked closer we realized that Leica’s emphasis on technological excellence and customer support was aligned with our values as a John Deere dealer, and we also feel that this is the best overall solution. Really, after we’d done the research, it was an easy choice and we’re looking forward to installing these systems throughout the Maritimes.”
Gérard Lamarre is the Leica Geosystems Machine Control Product Manager for the region, and was instrumental in bringing Wallace and Leica together; “Wallace Equipment is clearly one of Canada’s top heavy equipment dealers, with unrivaled customer loyalty based on excellent support,” Lamarre said, “We are extremely pleased that this excellent dealership is now representing and installing our automatic guidance systems, which we believe are the best in the world. This is the kind of strategic alliance that makes life better for customers.”
As part of the evaluation process, Wallace Equipment and Leica Geosystems collaborated in a demonstration of the equipment for Canada’s military. “We outfitted a small dozer with a Leica system,” Lisson explains, “And showed them what a huge difference it can make, even on medium-sized road building projects. They were impressed, and are working on procuring a system of their own.” Lisson says that similar demos for multiple customers have a had a good response, and that the alliance with Leica is off to a good start. “It’s important that we’re able to outfit our customers with progressive solutions. We’re starting to see tenders and RFPs call for machine control, and we want our customers to work with the best technology available. In the machine control arena, we’re convinced that the best combination of technology and support comes from Leica Geosystems.”
Leica Geosystems – when it has to be right
With close to 200 years of pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica Geosystems products and services are trusted by professionals worldwide to help them capture, analyze, and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems is best known for its broad array of products that capture accurately, model quickly, analyze easily, and visualize and present spatial information.
Those who use Leica Geosystems products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 3,500 employees in 28 countries and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world. Leica Geosystems is part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden.