|SUCCESS STORY
Several years of persistence, many phone calls and frequent visits to Alberta are paying dividends for E.S. Fox Ltd., an Ontario-based construction, fabrication and engineering company. The firm is among many Ontario manufacturers winning contracts stemming from Alberta’s oil sands.
With a track record in energy sector projects and experience in completing contracts around the world, entering the Alberta market was a natural progression for the company says Celeste Van Rensburg, Manager of Sales and Estimating, based out of E.S. Fox’s Port Robinson facility.
“We knew there was demand from Alberta companies, particularly for metal fabrication and structural steel services, and identified a need that E.S. Fox could fulfill,” said Van Rensburg.
E.S. Fox recently achieved preferred supplier status with Shell Canada. Reaching this milestone involved a nine month process including providing evidence of qualifications, undergoing an inspection by Shell and successful fulfilment of a major contract for three large vessels. The company is also qualified and certified to ASME Section VIII Div II Pressure Vessel Fabricator standards.
Van Rensburg describes that process as indicative of the dedication required to build business relationships with energy sector companies.
“Alberta companies are certainly receptive to doing business with Ontario but are looking for long-term commitment to their market. For E.S. Fox, that translated into frequent and ongoing visits out west, relentlessly seeking out potential leads and then promoting how our company could meet the energy sector’s specialized requirements,” she said.
For many energy sector operators, outsourcing within Canada offers advantages including avoiding border hassles and a common currency, language, business culture and legal system. Reliable transportation networks – by road, rail, air and water – also support an east-west supply chain.
E.S. Fox was among the 130 Ontario manufacturers that travelled to Edmonton in March 2007 for the National Buyer/Seller Forum, the foremost event for oil sands procurement. The company also participated in a December oil sands seminar hosted by Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters in partnership with the Ontario government.
In December, Minister of Economic Development and Trade Sandra Pupatello visited the company’s Port Robinson facility and was impressed with the company’s wide-ranging capabilities and its success in the Alberta market.
“Clearly this is a company that is not afraid to think big and seek out new opportunities,” said Pupatello. “They’ve taken a tenacious and strategic approach that has caught the attention of energy sector players. This is great news for the E.S. Fox team and a terrific example of how Ontario companies can partner on oil sands projects.”
Even with E.S. Fox having gained a foothold in the Alberta market, Van Rensburg reports that cultivating energy sector business remains an ongoing priority. In fact, the company is taking part in the 2008 National Buyer/Seller Forum.
“Growing our business in Alberta has been hard work, but now we’re beginning to see the rewards. It’s important that we keep the momentum going and continue develop new opportunities in this high-potential market,” concluded Van Rensburg.
For more on E.S. Fox, please visit: www.esfox.com
December 6, 2007 – Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Economic Development and Trade (left), and Jim Bradley, Minister of Transportation and MPP for St. Catharines (second right), are given a tour of E.S. Fox’s Port Robinson facility by Dave Pendlebury, Director of Fabrication and Construction Services, and Celeste Van Rensburg, Manager of Sales and Estimating.
Giant pressure vessels built in Ontario by E.S. Fox and delivered to Shell Canada’s oil sands project in Cold Lake, Alberta.
