heavy equipment mechanic

equipment technician

journeyperson

service manager

laborer

SMS Equipment Inc.

Even though the company has been around for a while now, there are still plenty of opportunities to make yourself invaluable to the company if you have the drive, motivation, and talent to go after what you want. For the right people, there’s about a dozen or so ways to work your way up through the ranks. If you can prove you’re the best one for the job, management is more than happy to put their best players in the game. 
I’ve experienced more than my fair share of promotions and pay raises since starting with the company, but I’m not going to suggest it’s easy. The people who succeed the most here are the ones who have the right attitude towards hard work. A lot of people come in wanting all of the success without having to do any of the work, and they find out pretty quick that that’s not how things go down here at SMS. 
Management is fair and they do a great job at running things and keeping up with any changes in the industry. They’re not perfect, and there’s a few people on the management team who aren’t my favorite. But, overall, whether I like them or not I have a lot of respect for them. Probably because they don’t demand respect, they earn it. There isn’t a single job in the company that, combined, they haven’t all held at one point or another. They aren’t just suits, they actually know what they’re talking about. 
Thankfully COVID didn’t affect our business as much as it could have. Things were touch and go for a minute there, but they’re starting to return to normal and I couldn’t be happier to get back to an onslaught of clients with projects to work on. 
I feel like I could write a whole book about what it’s like to work here and every aspect of the job and the company itself, but I’ll stop here. I just want to say that my time at SMS so far has been nothing short of incredible and that I absolutely love working here.

Mornings start with most shop employees sitting in their cars,  trying to surpass the dread they feel before walking through the gate. Was a great place to work until about 5 years ago, when our good corner office person was replaced with the typical schoolyard "bully" that needed to use fear and intimidation to get the results he wanted. Though that person is thankfully now gone, that way of thinking is not. The workers are constantly overwhelmed and negatively targeted at every opportunity, and workers legitimate concerns are all to often dismissed after being met with public managerial condescension. The workers for the most part are there for one another, as well as for the money, but it will always be floor employees vs. management. There is a top down toxicity that demands a stop to anything that resembles fun in the shop, because presumably, their charts and graphs tell them that a business can only be profitable with workers whom are sullen, scared, and afraid to speak up. It's a very large corporation that holds nepatism highly, as one of its leading traits, so if you're family, or a friend of the family, you'll certainly be ok. HR could possibly assist with a change for the better, but it'd be months before you heard back from anyone there. All that being said, when the gate locks behind you on the way in, and the shop door clangs shut behind you, you're with a bunch of great co-workers whom all share the immense daily struggles with you, and the decent sized checks, for now, keep cashing every two weeks. 

The job started out with great work/life balance of 40hrs a week but moved to 7/7 with 12hr days and a rotating night shift schedule that may or may not come back. The new shift has its pros and cons but it might not be for everybody. Some departments have better leadership than others and the safety culture is often ridiculous and excessive. Many meetings and adjustments to the FLRA system because they seem to think adding a new set of boxes to tick off every day will solve all their problems.

 But the pay is fantastic, there’s a few good supervisors and many great people on the tools. And it’s in town work where you can come home to your family every night. 

Currently there seems to be a high turnover rate for technicians where they either quit, get fired for safety related things or other reasons. 

Their green hard hat program lasts a year and a half so expect to be treated like a toddler by some people and regularly disrespected by supervisors talking to you like you’ve never held a tool in your life, even if you have +15 years experience in your trade. 

However, if you have a lot of patience and don’t mind extremely repetitive work (you’ll work on an endless stream of the same 3 or 4 components) then this really is a great place to work. 



If you are truly a long term equipment sales representative stay away from applying here there are better equipment companies out there to work for .The management is so out of touch with what is going on it's unbelievable, they are completely disorganized and do not care about the work force out in the field doing the work , the top management and supervisors get shuffled around at a steady rate, meaning they are always in survival mode .they only want to help the old staff that has been around for many years ,Anyone coming in that is new will absolutely have the hardest time to get anything done and expect not be welcomed at all .  they are run strictly be the HR dept . They keep all sales employees at a distance no conference calling, no group meetings , They know how messed up it is so they choose to ignore and not bring out the issues to make a better work environment . They get rid of or force out employees that truly care to replace them before the truth gets talked about .    it is a sad thing because the products they sell is top notch and could be way more successful if they would change the things mentioned .

SMS Equipment is a fast paced environment that relies on specific personalities to move quickly as the company evolves. The time lines for deadlines are crucial.

The best part about SMS Equipment would be seeing how Heavy Equipment is managed from arriving from the factory to shipping it out on delivery to the customer. There are many steps to making sure satisfaction is met and allows very little room for error. This is great for customer demand and competition amongst other dealers. When I worked for SMS Equipment - I felt a sense of pride seeing the equipment on the road or on job sites, knowing how hard it really is to get them there. 

The hardest part about SMS Equipment was meeting the demands of so many people with little to no acknowledgment. Working long hours to meet the demands of departments without compensation.  

SMS Equipment does have some of the best managers you will have the pleasure of meeting - it was a difficult decision leaving for a healthier career path.

When I first started with SMS all seemed ok but after a few months I started to see the cracks in the structure.
-No branch in my area. Every other competitor was located here. Made it hard for potentials to commit due to service cost/times.
-Constantly changing sales area, and given advice/instructions that was later denied by manager. 
-Slow to get promise dates for service, parts was okay but you need service. Also lack of inventory at times. Equipment and parts.
-First year and a half Equipment Sales manager was never seen, I understood and made the best of it, then had a guy hired for the area that.......well I will leave those comments to myself. 
-They were ok during times of personal set backs but in the end I think it was my reason for demise. 
-Position was never advertised after about a year from when I left, what does that say. 

Toxic work place - gossiping, double standards, nepotism. No room for improvement. Management will unload responsibilities on you without opportunity for growth, or sufficient pay. Management is more interested in their quarterly bonuses than the well being of their employees. Higher ups are more interested in offering positions to their buddies rather than someone who is fit for the job, and the complete lack of understanding trickles down to the bottom. You end up feeling more like a number than a person. Compassion and leadership is missing from the husks they put into the corner(and surrounding) offices. So many new hires that the policies are not adhered to- resulting in additional work, incorrectly charged PTO/sick leave, inaccurate execution of processes. Expected to go above and beyond(extended hours/responsibilities), but is not reciprocated or even a notion of gratitude(or PAY). This place is a mess. 

Because the managers are responsible for their division in multiple cities, they tend to favor the city they live in.  Due to this other Supervisors would force their needs on personnel in other divisions without consequences.
Also, with a non-existent managers those who are incompetent at their job but talk it up will with the managers get promoted or favored.  Those who have decades of expertise are ignored or suppressed.
Certain departments are given & expected to perform tasks that already double their workload but cut any necessary overtime to complete the work.  Then condemn them when tasks don't get done on time.
This is all because the company changed from single location managers to multiple location management.  The whole management of Southern Alberta has been changed.  The previous managers were smart to leave.


I started with SMS as a field tech at the Edmonton branch and advanced to my current position. I have the opportunity to work with all the branches across Canada, everyone is great to work with. I enjoy coming here everyday. I'm thankful for all the factory training, mentorship and support I received from the Edmonton branch managers and supervisors as ultimately that led to me advancing in the company.
The management team are fantastic to work with and support my personal growth and development. I have always experienced a good work life balance in all my roles with SMS and find the company is very family orientated.
SMS is continuously growing and on the cutting edge of innovation so always provides very interesting work.

I would recommend a career at SMS Equipment, they are an excellent company to work for.

The management at the red deer branch is extreamly poor. On multiple occasions you are asked to do things that are dangerous and against SMS's rules and regulations. It seams that lying and being dishonest is just one of the traits that the management team at the red deer branch is hired with. I found it concerning that the branch is ran by a management staff that has no experience with mechanics or anything else that is required to maintain and service the units that they sell. If you love being lied to being talked about behind your back and not being treated with any respect this might be the right branch for you. Folks take it from this post! Pass this branch by if you are looking for a job! Being unhappy or injured is no way to spend your working years! I hope this post helps some of you out there because red deer SMS management sure won't!

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Heavy equipment mechanic 1 salary reported	$54.02 per hour
Equipment technician 53 salaries reported	$52.07 per hour
Journeyperson 35 salaries reported	$56.70 per hour
Service manager 20 salaries reported	$122,575 per year
Laborer 15 salaries reported	$29.27 per hour

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