About Us

Serving The North Since 1973

Surviving 50 years in business is a major accomplishment regardless of the industry in which you’re operating. For Equipment World Inc., success has meant not only surviving but thriving – Equipment World’s four Northern Ontario locations remain strong as the company celebrates five decades of offering diverse solutions for equipment needs, material handling, storage and packaging for industrial, mining, commercial and institutional applications.

Specializing in material handling, storage, and packaging systems with a strong commitment to provide high-quality service to markets in need of practical solutions, Equipment World Inc remains a material handling, storage, and packaging systems specialist; however, the company has also expanded its product offering and has established a very strong construction specialties division. The team at Equipment World prides itself on its 50-year commitment to “great value and great service” to its ever-growing client base across the province and throughout Canada.

Founded on April 17th, 1973 by Peter Knudsen and business partner Jim Sutton with help from investors, Equipment World launched with a goal of providing better and safer ways to move, store and distribute materials.

Within the first six months of operation, the company had outgrown its first home and moved to a much larger location within the city. Eventually the company would grow beyond the borders of Northwestern Ontario and be able to service practically every business sector, including industrial, commercial, manufacturing, institutional, government and remote communities.

“Obviously there was opportunity in the market for this type of strategy,” said Lyle Knudsen, son of Peter and current President of Equipment World who joined the company in 1987. “Working outside of the family business really expanded my thinking in terms of the possibilities for what was our fairly small family business at the time. I was also meeting customers and forming relationships that I would be continuing on with later when I joined Equipment World.”

"We are used to outgrowing space"

“We've now been 44 years in our current location”, says Peter Knudsen, noting that his company was one of the first to move into the Intercity area of Thunder Bay.

“We are used to outgrowing space. This current building once had four tenants, but Equipment World grew until we needed the whole facility and we have been doing expansions and renovations over the years to accommodate our growing number of employees.”

After 13 years of success in the Northwest, Equipment World expanded into Northeastern Ontario by opening the doors to its second division in Sudbury in 1988.

The division in Sault Ste Marie was later established in 1990.

“Having joined Equipment World in 2012, I have seen a lot of change and growth,” said Aaron Wise, GM of the Sault Ste. Marie location.

“Our diverse customer base in Sault Ste Marie has allowed us to continually evolve through offering the best creative solutions to meet customer needs.”

What do the next 50 years hold for Equipment World and the material handling industry?

Embracing new technologies will be a requirement to evolve; the sector has already seen a massive shift from traditional machinery and operation to fully electric compact construction equipment and high voltage material handling equipment. According to Knudsen, future success will be contingent on substantial investment as well as continuous training and support for Equipment World’s sales, parts and service teams.

Ultimately, the goal will be to continue to offer great value and great service to its ever-growing customer base.

Solution focused

We have a full service approach to provide the most efficient and effective answers for our customers. We provide technical consultation to assess customers needs via on site visits and computer design and layout capabilities with full turnkey project management.

Management Teams

Management Teams at Equipment World Inc. have many years of experience in our specialty markets. We give all customers personal service and technical assistance with any storage and packaging need. Local warranty , service and parts back all equipment sold.

Rental and Lease

Departments have a complete range of forklifts, lift platforms, booms, levelers and skid steer products available for our customers. All units in our rental fleet are current well-maintained models to guarantee the highest productivity and greatest safety to the user.

Packaging Products

Are readily available from our current stock. Items from packing tape to steel strapping to dunnage bags will insure your cargo is safe and secure during transportation.

Operator
Safety Training

Operator Safety Training for Aerial Work Platforms, Forklifts, Lift trucks, and Propane Handling are available on a regular basis. These courses have been developed by Equipment World Inc. to comply with C.S.A , Ministry of Labour and Occupational Health and Safety Guidelines. All of our qualified trainers will provide certified training for our customers as part of our commitment to great service. These courses can be tailored to your specific needs and performed at your location or ours.

Circle of Commitment

Equipment World is pleased to present our Mission, Vision & Values

Making a commitment to corporate values in 2010, the management team conducted some strategic planning sessions and developed a formal Mission, Vision & Values statement for Equipment World.

We started by analyzing how we had been operating over the years and what we felt were integral aspects of our business and how each individual conducts themselves on a daily basis. We wanted to create a visual that depicted our core values and incorporated our Customers, Employees, Suppliers and the Communities in which we live. We came up with our ‘Circle of Commitment’ that encompasses Respect, Integrity, Responsibility and Innovation.

Equipment World has many core values built into each of these statements and they feel it will be the driving force of everything they do for years to come.

Respect

Respect

To ensure fairness and consistency is applied in all situations.
To show respect to others on all levels of personal and professional conduct.
To demonstrate acceptance and undestanding of those with differences and diversities.
To recognize others by acknowledging ans showing appreciation.
To practice ans follow established policies and procedures.
To foster and promote teamwork and to accept and participate in the designated role within the team.

Integrity

Integrity

To treat everyone and every opportunity with honesty, fairness, and respect.
To approach decisions with knowledge and ethics.
To appreciate and show consideration of individual strengths.
To portray pride in all actions
To ensure intentions transpire into actions in achieving the desired outcome
To take initiative to value and recognize positive actions of others.
To have courage to express beliefs
To be proactive

Responsibility

Responsibility

To act professionally and portray a positive image as an ambassador of EWI.
To build and nurture relationships.
To ensure a great job is completed from beginning to end.
To uphold all obligations.
To strive for open communications by active listening, timely responses and being open to new ideas.
To create equality through consistency and fairness to all people an matters by employing EWI policies and philosophies.
To be prepared for the future through planning and follow up

Innovation

Innovation

To endure change by adopting our disciplines in timely manner.
To establish and share a clear vision with others by providing information to realize that vision.
To coordinate and balance the interest of all stakeholders in archieving creating solutions.
Tio engage in research and provide solutions in an effective and efficient manner by encouraging a solution-focused culture.
To provide resources in the form of training, support, and hands-on learning to be the best informed within our industry.
To commit to continual improvement through the acceptance and engagement of new ideas and suggested improvements.
To reinvest profits in our company in support of ongoing research and development to keep our company leading edge.
To foster leadership, enthusiasm and positive involvement.

Respect
Integrity
Responsibility
Innovation

Respect

Respect

To ensure fairness and consistency is applied in all situations.
To show respect to others on all levels of personal and professional conduct.
To demonstrate acceptance and undestanding of those with differences and diversities.
To recognize others by acknowledging ans showing appreciation.
To practice ans follow established policies and procedures.
To foster and promote teamwork and to accept and participate in the designated role within the team.

Integrity

Integrity

To treat everyone and every opportunity with honesty, fairness, and respect.
To approach decisions with knowledge and ethics.
To appreciate and show consideration of individual strengths.
To portray pride in all actions
To ensure intentions transpire into actions in achieving the desired outcome
To take initiative to value and recognize positive actions of others.
To have courage to express beliefs
To be proactive

Responsibility

Responsibility

To act professionally and portray a positive image as an ambassador of EWI.
To build and nurture relationships.
To ensure a great job is completed from beginning to end.
To uphold all obligations.
To strive for open communications by active listening, timely responses and being open to new ideas.
To create equality through consistency and fairness to all people an matters by employing EWI policies and philosophies.
To be prepared for the future through planning and follow up

Innovation

Innovation

To endure change by adopting our disciplines in timely manner.
To establish and share a clear vision with others by providing information to realize that vision.
To coordinate and balance the interest of all stakeholders in archieving creating solutions.
Tio engage in research and provide solutions in an effective and efficient manner by encouraging a solution-focused culture.
To provide resources in the form of training, support, and hands-on learning to be the best informed within our industry.
To commit to continual improvement through the acceptance and engagement of new ideas and suggested improvements.
To reinvest profits in our company in support of ongoing research and development to keep our company leading edge.
To foster leadership, enthusiasm and positive involvement.

About Us

Serving The North Since 1973

"We are used to outgrowing space"

Solution focused

Management Teams

Rental and Lease

Packaging Products

Operator Safety Training

Circle of Commitment

Equipment World is pleased to present our Mission, Vision & Values

Respect

Integrity

Responsibility

Innovation

Respect

Integrity

Responsibility

Innovation

Get in Touch with Our Team

Operator
Safety Training