Excore leads the way

Service de Forage Orbit-Garant Drilling is one of the largest Canadian-based drilling companies. They provide both surface and underground drilling services in Canada and internationally, operate 185 drilling rigs, employ approximately 900 employees and train their own people. Service de Forage Orbit-Garant Drilling turned to Atlas Copco when they were looking to improve on safety, and cut back on downtime. 

The main challenge is labour. We have to train our own people because of the shortage and the booming industry,” said Jacques Proulx, Service de Orbit-Garant’s Operation General Manager. Young workers often lack the hands-on experience of seasoned diamond drillers and are unable to manage onsite repairs.

“Excore products have made life on the job easier for everyone, even veteran drillers who are sometimes resistant to change are extremely pleased. “This product doesn’t slow production. You are always moving forward,” said driller. “The back end never needs any maintenance, and its design makes it less complicated to fix. It never lets go when you drill.” In both surface and underground applications, Service de Forage Orbit- Garant has drilled more than 12,000 meters without having to make any repairs or change any parts. The new auto-safe overshot, is not only far safer but more efficient. The product has simplified the drilling process and provided peace of mind to a company that puts the safety of its workers first. “Where the Excore is right now, I don’t have any safety issues, nothing. And the production went higher,” said Ronald Thibault, noting new drillers are benefiting by learning the job from the outset with safe and easy-to-maintain products. Jaques Proulx attributes the success of the Excore product line to Atlas Copco’s ability to listen and interact with its customers. “When they’re close to the customer like they are with us, they’re frequently coming to our sites and they ask questions about how they can improve,” he said. In the end, Service de Forage Orbit-Garant says the Excore products will help protect its workers, reduce per-metre drilling costs and save its customers money by making the company more competitive when it comes to bidding. Daniel admits that introducing new products to a fleet of 185 drills is a major undertaking. But he says the move is a proactive step that will help Service de Forage Orbit-Garant remain competitive in a fragmented market.