Nickel City International keeps on trucking.

Sudbury's Nickel City International has kept up the momentum and is as competitive as ever.

After a devastating fire on Christmas Eve last year, where everything was literally burned to the ground, the international truck maintenance facility has rebuilt and come out on top.

"It was never a question of whether we were going to get through it," says general manager Terry Descoteaux. "We worked to hard to build this. It was a question of keeping the momentum going."

Now, with a gleaming new 30,000-square-foot building containing six 100-foot drive-through bays and one single-door bay, one struggles to recall the image of burned wreckage that greeted Santa Claus last year.

But after seven months of displacement for the 40-employees who worked from three locations during the rebuild, Descoteaux says if there had to be a fire, from a customer standpoint, the Christmas holidays were probably the best time to have it. The statutory holidays helped reduce the impact on the customers, but more importantly, the company had system backups.

Consequently, they were able to install the system in their Timmins operation and were running by Tuesday, the next official business day.

"We lost virtually no data," Descoteaux recalls. "We had our inventories, our customers, and our receivables. We had all of that information in our system."

The option of taking the next week off was presented to the staff; about 40 percent took the rest. Knowing the customers could go two weeks without receiving maintenance, they were able to set up at three temporary locations, purchase some tool boxes and be ready to serve.

"There was a real drive," Descoteaux says. "It's a tough way to do business, but we got the job done."

The company did not lose a single employee or customer as a result of the fire, nor did the competitors take advantage of their misfortune. He commends the support received and says it's an experience from which they will grow.

Although the cause of the fire was never discovered, First Nickel International was not at fault, which meant insurance claims could be processed quickly and little waiting time occurred.

Now, with the expansion complete at double the capacity, the service, sales and parts dealership can service its customers more efficiently and remain competitive in an ever-growing tough business.

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Undaunted, Descoteaux understands that by increasing volume and efficiencies, it increases business. Consequently, First Nickel International Timmins' operation will also see a future expansion, because business there has doubled within the last four years.

"I think the whole Northern Ontario economy is good for quite a while," he says. "As long as it is that way, the trucking industry will be vibrant in this area."

www.ncitrucks.com

By ADELLE LARMOUR

Northern Ontario Business