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Forestry Industry Finds the Cost Benefits of Satellite Phones:
Steve Chaplin / Field Engineer, Weyerhaeuser Company Ltd.
Weyerhaeuser Company Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world's largest integrated forest
products companies. Weyerhaeuser made its first Canadian investment in
1965, growing to become Canada's largest forest products company. To
help reduce overhead costs and improve employee safety, the company
recently purchased five satellite handset's from Globalstar Canada.
Each day, Steve Chaplin, a field engineer for Weyerhaeuser Company
Ltd., sends a crew of workers out to a designated area of BC forestland
owned by Weyerhaeuser, to plan and stake out upcoming harvests. Because
they're based in Powel River, BC, and conduct their field work in
remote areas like Philips Arm and Nelson Island, BC, which can be as
far as 200 km away, the workers are transported to the work site by
helicopters. This is an expensive mode of transportation, particularly
when helicopters are required to stay on site for an entire day until
the work is complete.
"Hiring helicopters to fly crews out to work sites and back again is
expensive," said Chaplin. "For safety reasons and because of previously
unreliable communication systems, we used to have to keep the
helicopters on site all day until the crews had finished their job -
this was no minor expense."
"One of the benefits of giving employees Globalstar phones is that it
helps to reduce our transportation costs by allowing the helicopter to
leave while the crews complete their work," said Chaplin. "Once the
work is complete, crew bosses can call the helicopter dispatch to let
them know that they're ready to be picked up."
Before the arrival of handheld satellite phones, forestry companies
like Weyerhaeuser had to rely on two-way radios to keep in contact with
their field workers. Two-way radios can prove unreliable because of
dead zones in remote areas therefore the need for a reliable line of
communications with health and safety officials and the home base is
essential. Consequently, the Globalstar satellite service has proved to
be a reliable and convenient communication system for the forestry
industry.
"Working in the forests of northern BC can be dangerous, so the safety
of our field crews has always been our primary concern," said Chaplin.
"Even in the densest forests areas the phone will work, so we always
know our crews will be able to reach us in the case of an emergency."
"Satellite phones have provided us with cost savings and also provided
us with an extra sense of security and peace of mind for us and our
employees," said Chaplin.
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Logging Goes High-Tech with Satellite Communications:
Andy and Trenna Carter / Owner, Carter and Haul Contracting
Carter and Haul Contracting is a family business located in
Manitouwadge, Ontario. As a logging company, employees are often
required to spend many days in remote
areas outside cellular range. Reliable, daily communications is
essential to the business when ordering equipment and parts, giving
progress updates, or checking in on family. Dissatisfied with other
forms of wireless communications, Carter and Haul wanted a higher
quality communications system.
Andy and Trenna Carter, the company owners, experimented with
suitcase-sized satellite equipment, two-way radio and cellular phones.
"These systems were clunky and unreliable," said Trenna. "Then we
discovered Globalstar - a satellite system that delivered exactly what
we were looking for: voice quality, reliability in the most remote
locations and it was a handheld system."
Andy appreciates the tri-mode capabilities of the Globalstar handset
that switches from satellite mode to analog or digital cellular mode
when the user is within cellular range. This advantage provides
significant cost savings to the company. Prior to the Globalstar
service, Carter and Haul needed five different communications tools to
stay in touch.
"Since we've invested in satellite communications, we only need
Globalstar to meet all the company's communications needs," said
Trenna. "While Globalstar definitely helps the company operate more
efficiently, the sense of security is the most important."
Andy is often in the bush for weeks at a time and sometimes fails to
return on the scheduled day. In the past, Andy was unable to
communicate a change in plans. Now Andy can use the Globalstar handset
and give Trenna daily updates on locations and route plans. The Carters
point to the business benefits of Globalstar satellite communications,
yet both emphasize 'peace of mind' as the greatest advantage.
* * *
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