Habib said the difference between the SmartROC C50 and a conventional drill rig is like the difference between a Formula One racecar and a regular automobile. The time FDDF saves drilling lines, and the precision and safety features so appreciated by his customers, more than make up for the added capital expense.
FDDF is Habib’s third drilling and blasting venture. He bought the company from the previous owner, Daniel Fortin, in 2015. Since then, FDDF has grown from six workers in high season to 35-40 today. The company’s revenue has expanded about sevenfold over the same time period.
In the past three years, FDDF has invested heavily in new technology. Besides the SmartROC C50, the drilling and blasting contractor bought a second jumbo rig from Epiroc and two rock splitters from Japan.
“With such a wide range of tools, we can expand our services.”
FDDF uses Epiroc drill rigs exclusively. The fleet of about a dozen rigs includes several FlexiROC T40 tophammer drills for construction projects and medium sized quarries, and Boomer 282 Face drill rigs for undergoing mining and tunnelling jobs.
“Any good blaster will tell you that the first step is to start with a good drill,’ said Habib. “In our company, we have an expression: ‘une foreuse est jaune’ (a drill is yellow).”