50 Years of Proud Service

Equipment World Inc. is celebrating their longevity with their 50th Anniversary this year, as they continue to embrace constant improvement in all aspects of their business. Following the Japanese mantra known as the “ Kaizen principle,” Equipment World’s four Northern Ontario locations remain strong, offering diverse solutions for equipment needs, material handling, storage and packaging for industrial, mining, commercial and institutional applications while specializing in material handling, storage, and packaging systems with a strong commitment to provide high-quality service to markets in need of practical solutions.

Today, Equipment World maintains its role as a material handling, storage, and packaging systems specialist, but it has expanded its product offering and has established a very strong construction specialities division. It 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.

Equipment World was established by Peter Knudsen, who, after seeing similar facilities in other cities, recognized the potential for a local company specializing in material handling and warehousing products in Thunder Bay. With the help of business partner Jim Sutton and some investors, Equipment World opened its doors on April 17, 1973, striving to provide better and safer ways to move, store and distribute materials. Six months later, the company had outgrown its first home and moved to a much larger location within the city.

Peter was born and raised on a farm in Pass Lake, Ontario, 50 kilometres east of Thunder Bay. He moved to Thunder Bay at 15 years old for high school, and subsequently after graduation, worked at various jobs including becoming part of a lake freighter crew, a restaurant manager, then settling into the banking business. Eventually, an opportunity arose to take a job with an industrial supply company. His years of experience as an accounts manager with the financial institution and a decade of experience working with the company, Peter Knudsen ventured onto the entrepreneurial stage, opening the doors to Equipment World Inc. 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 ” Lyle Knudsen says, pointing to the success the company has enjoyed over the past 50 years. Lyle is the current president of the company and son of Peter.