Western Equipment picks up Finning Cat business. (Image credit: Google Street View)

By Kevin Rothwell

75 years in business

Western Equipment picks up Finning Cat contract

Aug 29, 2022 | 6:00 AM

The Finning Cat dealership on Kalamalka Lake Road in Vernon is set to close with operations being consolidated to Kelowna.

The move to centralize has provided an opportunity for Western Equipment on Middleton Way to pick up some more hydraulic business.

“It means we are going to have a very good relationship with Finning. We are going to be a second level dealer for them. It is going to put a lot more customers through our doors that don’t want to drive all the way to Kelowna,” general manager Heather Munro told Vernon Matters.

Finning will be installing a hydraulic press in the Western Equipment building, and the company will carry all the fittings for Finning Cat equipment.

Western Equipment, founded in Victoria in 1947, is a family-owned company with seven branches across B.C. specializing in industrial equipment supplies and services.

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Despite the COVID-19 slow down, Munro indicated the business fared quite well over the past two years.

“COVID kept us really busy, we are one the few places that carry wire rope and lots of people were using that product. We also carry Stihl, (outdoor power equipment) so people did work on their homes and properties, so we kept really busy,” Munro said.

The company’s main customer base is logging contractors across the region.

Western Equipment will hold a special event to introduce the Finning Cat part of the business on Sept. 16, including a barbeque with proceeds to the B.C. S.P.C.A. Vernon branch.