LLOYDMINSTER, Alta. — A year after opening in Alberta, Kenworth Lloydminster celebrated its anniversary by cutting the ribbon on a new 43,000 sq ft dealership.

The grand opening was attended by nearly 1,200 customers.

“We’re so pleased that we can offer companies and truck operators in the Lloydminster area a first-class facility to handle their truck, parts and service needs for years to come,” said Gary M. King, president of award-winning Edmonton Kenworth, which operates Kenworth Lloydminster. “It was particularly gratifying to have so many people present at our grand opening to celebrate our first year in operation.”

Lloydminster’s new full-service facility houses 22 service bays, including quick lube and truck alignment bays. The dealership offers an indoor truck showroom where customers can view Kenworth models in comfort, a large parts display area, shower facilities, a driver’s lounge, and other amenities.

Kenworth Lloydminster is significantly larger than its former facility to allow for the significant increase in business that the dealership has experienced due in large measure to the boom of the oil and gas industry in Alberta.

“Our sales of new heavy duty and medium duty Kenworth trucks has shown terrific growth and parts and service sales have equally kept pace,” said Kenworth Lloydminster branch manager Bryan Robinson.

Kenworth Lloydminster and the parent company’s flagship store in Edmonton have invested in technology to enhance customer support. For example, both locations use a sophisticated, automated parts storage and retrieval system.

“The system enables us to store a lot more parts, while also using 75 percent less floor space than conventional shelving,” Robinson said. “Instead of continually looking on shelves for the right parts, our specialists simply enter the parts information and the system automatically brings parts to them through an enclosed system of vertically arranged trays. That increases productivity and accuracy since customers are much more likely to get the right parts quickly. We can also keep a closer eye on inventory and more easily keep high-demand parts in stock.”

The facility also houses a 70,000-pound, four-post truck hoist custom-designed specifically for oilfield-rigged units. This new hoist features greater lifting capacity at the rear, which allows the service shop to work on loaded or partially-loaded rigged trucks, Robinson said.

Kenworth Lloydminster is located at 6101 63rd Avenue, just over 1 mile north of the intersection of TransCanada Highways 16 and 17.