Finning’s Chile operations were spared major damage from last week’s massive earthquake.
Employees, branches and customers in the northern part of Chile, including the Antofagasta mining region, continue to operate as usual. Operations at mines closer to the epicenter were temporarily shut down, but are expected to resume operations shortly.
Finning South America has about 5,000 employees, with about 1,000 living in the impacted areas. To this point, the company knows of no injuries to employees or family members. The company’s operations in the impacted region include its corporate office in Santiago, and three branches in the south of Chile in Concepcion, Temuco and Puerto Montt. The branches sustained only minimal damages.
The heaviest damages were at Finning’s head office in Santiago, although all information systems remain fully operational. The company has temporarily relocated its employees to alternate Finning offices within Santiago.
“Our foremost priority is the well-being of our people and our thoughts are with them during these difficult times,” said Mike Waites, president and CEO of Finning International. “Finning South America’s executive team is implementing their contingency plan to mitigate the impact on our operations and ensure that we can continue to fully service our customers. Finning is also committed to playing a proactive role in supporting its employees and providing humanitarian aid during the recovery effort.”
Based in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Finning operates in Western Canada, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay.
