THE STRATEGIC PLANNING OF MANAGING MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
By: Evan Lucyk
As you may or may not know, Bit Service has two Saskatchewan locations: one in Esterhazy and one in Saskatoon. Having multiple locations allows us to best serve clients in Saskatchewan and beyond by streamlining each location’s processes and workflow.
When working in or managing various sites, we have found that it is vital to maintain an open communication flow between everybody and plan for consistent, efficient, and productive meetings. It has taken a lot of strategic planning over the years to ensure we are conducting the most productive work out of each location.
Bit Service started in 1965 out of Esterhazy to support potash mines during the construction of what is now Mosaic K1, Mosaic K2, and Nutrien Rocanville in the southeast region. Only a year later, Bit Service added an office in Saskatoon to support potash mines during the construction of what is now Nutrien Vanscoy, Cory, Allan, Lanigan and Mosaci’s Colonsay in the central region.
The Esterhazy and Saskatoon areas contain some of the largest conventional potash deposits in the world. Having locations so close to these mines is great for Bit Service clients as we can easily and quickly serve them through being so close in proximity. Maintenance, repairs, and replacements are more convenient and can be coordinated and fulfilled as fast as possible to ensure our clients are not losing too much production time.
Both our Esterhazy and Saskatoon locations allow us to quickly provide bits, parts, and technical support, among other services. Saskatoon has a large manufacturing and machining base that enables us to offer high-quality products made locally and quickly. This along with being a good logistics hub enables our Saskatoon location to also serve multiple mining sectors across Canada as well.
Our production manager, Ian Chesuk, based out of the Saskatoon location, shared why the two locations depend on each other. “Our Esterhazy location manufactures one of our products that is used extensively at the potash mines in the area. With our head office being in Saskatoon, we rely on our Esterhazy location to maintain production and stock.” Since the Esterhazy location is a small shop, the team relies on Saskatoon for additional support and expertise when speaking with customers and problem-solving customer requests.
Simon Brousseau—the customer-facing team member in Esterhazy—is the main liaison between the two locations. He says, “We rely on Saskatoon to do most of our administration tasks for us and give us support when we need.” And on the other side, Saskatoon expects them to produce bits and serve the mine to the best of their ability.
Each of these areas of Saskatchewan has its own unique draws. According to Simon, “I like Esterhazy for the small-town living and Saskatoon, I have to go with the quality of the drinking water which we don’t have in Esterhazy.” Beyond their geographical appeals, each location supports and depends on the other. However, the most important thing when managing multiple locations is to have a good communication flow between everybody.