PLM was the first Caterpillar dealer servicing the global mainline pipeline construction industry.

PLM President Mel Ternan reflects on the creation of the company.

“The four founding dealers – Fabick, Finning, Mustang and Ring – and Caterpillar had been discussing the possibilities for about three years. We had seen each other many times over the years at pipeline industry conventions and at major pipeline projects.

“We knew the challenges and we also knew we could serve the industry better without the limitations of traditional geographic dealership borders and if we could follow the work around the world,” said Mr Ternan.

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Caterpillar agreed and the negotiations began to craft a unique new dealership. The four founding partners contributed their pipeline equipment and their pipeline experts and PLM was born.

Mr Ternan said “The timing could not have been better. The pipeline industry in North America took off at record-breaking speed. More pipeline projects have been built in North America in the past five years than in the previous twenty.”

Some of the company’s key achievements over the five years have been:

  • The first Caterpillar pipelayers on the ‘Silk Road’ – the route of the China West East Pipeline project;
  • Growing Cat machine presence on pipeline projects in South America;
  • More new, environmentally responsible and safer pipelayers on major Australian projects; and,
  • The first turnkey supply of machines to an LNG project in Papua New Guinea.