Some advice from Brian Davis, Toromont Cat Construction Solutions
Like everywhere else, the pandemic has changed the way we work in the construction industry and dealers like Toromont Cat have had to adapt in record time to respond to the newly created needs that have come with this new reality.
For Brian Davis, that meant adapting to new technologies, like communicating via Webex with his reps and his customers. And when a visit to a customer was unavoidable, all sanitary measures were followed to the letter. This year’s Roadshow also had to adapt to the new reality by going remote. But for Davis, the virtual formula has its benefits.
“It offers an overview of some of our most recent machines and lets customers live the experience without having to actually be on site. The problem with live events has been that some clients need to set aside a whole day travelling to and from the event. This way they can plug in from wherever they are.”
As in past years, the event lets participants learn about Cat’s innovative products and services as well as about the heavy equipment industry more broadly. Among the various subjects to be covered, Davis offered a sneak peek at the event’s featured performers:
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A first look at the all new 315G excavator
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The new dozer nomenclature and an exploration of the new D3
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Changes and upgrades to the D3 compared with the D5K2
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Introduction to the new 420XE backhoe loader
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How the new electro-hydraulic controls work in the 420XE
What’s more, according to Davis, “the new GC Small Excavator models will become an important addition to our lineup, offering customers a lower price point option than they are used to.” While some customers really embrace the new technology and adopt it in their operations, others need more convincing. “The ones who are hesitant generally come around and become some of the best spokespeople for the technology,” Davis says. “It does get easier to explain after a while, and the different product groups are doing a good job in making their feature sets similar across all models, which also helps.”
What’s ahead for the industry?
With many decades in the industry under his belt, Davis is seeing how the trends toward deep technology integration, innovative new powertrains (like electric drive) and improved efficiency have become today’s big drivers. “The next big hurdle is machine autonomy where equipment is controlled by an operator remotely, or works without an operator at all. The remote control options are already here and being refined while the autonomous solutions are still a little way off in the construction sector…but they are coming.”
Join us online Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 10 a.m. ET for 90-minute English language guided demos of our new Cat 315 GC, D3 and 420 XE machines.
See the industry’s foremost line of construction equipment in action, learn how new capabilities and technologies can improve your performance, and talk to our product specialists who’ll be on hand to answer all your questions.
