B.C.'s premier-elect wants to double gas output: this Vancouver stock sells the equipment. October 29, 2026 4 Mins Read A plan to produce more natural gas means more than drilling a few extra wells. Producers need equipment to build sites, move materials, and keep operations running. They also need people who can repair that equipment when an expensive piece of machinery stops working. That creates an interesting way to invest in an energy expansion. You can own the supplier serving several projects, instead of choosing a single producer and depending entirely on the price it gets for gas. B.C. premier-elect Lorne Doerkson pledged to double the province's natural gas production by 2032. It's a political ambition that still needs investment and execution, but brings renewed attention to businesses capable of supplying the work. One Vancouver-headquartered equipment dealer already has plenty to do. More than machinery. Finning International (TSX: FTT) sells Caterpillar equipment and supports it with parts, maintenance, and related services. Its customers work across industries including construction, mining, and energy. That mix gives it several possible sources of demand, with operations beyond Western Canada as well. Selling a new machine is valuable. Helping the customer keep using it can be valuable for much longer. As more equipment enters service, there are more machines needing replacement parts and repairs. The customer has an incentive to keep an essential asset working instead of losing production while shopping around. That's the part of Finning I find particularly appealing. A larger equipment fleet can create future business after the original order has been delivered. It gives the company a continuing relationship with the people buying the machinery. Think of a contractor with a full schedule and a broken machine. Getting it working again helps keep the whole job moving, so knowledgeable service has real value. Finning doesn't need to win another brand-new equipment sale every time that customer needs help. Years of use can bring repeat visits, parts purchases, and eventually another replacement machine. Work is waiting. Finning reported earnings of $1.22 a share in the second quarter, up 21% year over year. Its equipment backlog was a record $3.8 billion at June 30. Backlog means equipment customers have ordered for future delivery, giving the company a useful view of business still to come. Those results also show why the opportunity doesn't have to depend entirely on a new government's plans. The order book already reflects customer demand. Any additional gas investment would arrive alongside a business that has been growing through its existing markets. Canadian product-support revenue grew 19% in the quarter. More repair and parts business can help Finning earn from machinery already working in the field, while new-equipment sales remain tied more closely to customers' investment budgets. A fair price. Shares recently closed at $97.50, while Finning earned $2.24 per share on an adjusted basis during the first half. Doubling that six-month amount gives a simple annual earnings pace of $4.48, putting the shares at roughly 22 times that pace. That price already reflects a business investors like. I'd start gradually, with the intention of holding through more than one resource cycle. The appeal is a combination of equipment demand and service income, with energy expansion offering an additional path for growth. Customers can delay purchases when commodity prices weaken, and a large order book still needs to become delivered equipment and collected cash. Currency movements also affect overseas operations. These are manageable reasons to diversify a Canadian stock portfolio, especially if you already own several resource producers. Bottom line. I like Finning as a way to participate in more construction and energy activity while owning a business that keeps serving customers afterwards. Its place in a long-term dividend strategy comes from those earnings and relationships. If B.C.'s expansion turns into real projects, Finning has a practical way to earn from the work, one machine and one service visit at a time.

John F Hunt sells power business to equipment giant Finning. £50m deal will see around 150 staff move to UK arm of £5bn turnover Canadian business John F Hunt has sold its generator hire business to plant dealer Finning in a deal thought to be worth around £50m. The sale will see 145 staff, based out of six depots, move across to of Finning UK & Ireland which is part of the Canadian equipment dealer that specialises in Caterpillar machines and last year had a turnover of £5.6bn. The deal also includes Hunt's Morris Machinery business which manufactures and distributes specialist site equipment and employs around 10 people. In its last set of accounts filed at Companies House, John F Hunt Power saw turnover up 13% to £54m in the year to March 2025. But pre-tax profit was down 52% to £1.6m. The power business was set up in 1998 to provide power for tower cranes John F Hunt was hiring at the time. John F Hunt chairman John Hall said: "The business simply grew out of the necessity to provide temporary power for the tower cranes we were hiring back in the 1990s. Since those early years, the business has evolved and now offers a nationwide service with six strategically placed depots serving a broad spectrum of UK industries." He added: "I am confident that this partnership represents a natural next step in the evolution of both John F Hunt Power and Morris Machinery. By bringing together the expertise, resources and shared values of both organisations, we are creating a framework for sustainable growth, innovation and an unwavering commitment to our customers." The power business will retain the John F Hunt name although will now feature Finning branding. Mark Albiston, director of Electric Power & Engineering at Finning UK & Ireland, said: "John F Hunt Power Group has earned an outstanding reputation for industry-leading engineering, specialist expertise and gold standard customer service, making it a natural fit for Finning." The deal means the remaining part of John F Hunt, which specialises in demolition, civils work and regeneration, is expected to have a turnover of around £140m when it files it next set of accounts for the year to March 2026. No comments yet. You're not signed in.

Orkney's BDS moves to Cat pavers with Finning. Sep 29, 2026 | News BDS Plant Hire (Orkney) Ltd has turned to Finning UK & Ireland to help with its transition from Bitelli pavers to Cat machines.