Case Study 02: 16 Caterpillar Technicians to New Caledonia in 3 Weeks

Recruit 16 Caterpillar Dealer Trained Technicans and obtain work permits and visas, and deploy them to the French Territory of New Caledonia.

All permit and visa applications are in the French Language.

Workers recruitment must have experience of new equipment assembly and Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) to Cat dealer standards.

Due to the French work laws, the number of hours permitted to be worked per week / per month were low compared to the mining industry in countries such as PNG and Australia.

Not a simple recruitment project in any aspect or area, but it was completed in the timeframe required and the ADT fleet was delivered as per the contract.

This would simply not have been possible without International Recruitment as the local population and workforce does not have enough suitable trades people even though the Cat dealer has an extensive apprenticeship and trainee program.

Caterpillar Dealer

New Caledonia

Due To Skills Shortages The New Caledonian Caterpillar Dealer Was Unable to Train, Upskill or Recruit Sufficient Numbers of Field Service Mechanics and Technicians in New Caledonia To Meet Demand.

Recruit highly skilled and experienced Caterpillar Dealer trained heavy equipment mechanics and technicians globally that are suitable to work in new equipment assembly in New Caledonia, complete PDI and commissioning to OEM standards, and meet MARC Mine site requirements.

Apply for and obtain New Caledonian work permits, and visas for the mechanics and technicians and deploy them into the Caterpillar Dealer's New Caledonian Operations.

Time taken from order placement to client interview – 3 weeks

The Philippines

Service Managers, Group New Equipment Assembly Manager and the Head of HR

Time taken from presentation of offer of employment to acceptance of offer – 48 Hours

The first stage is obtaining a French work permit - 4 weeks

The secodn stage is obtaining a French visa - 3 weeks

Time taken from visa granted until arrival in New Caledonia and commencing work at the Caterpillar Dealership – 15 days

The recruitment was on a single accomodation basis only.

The candidates were sourced from industry connections and directly targeted sourcing – no job advertising of the positions were placed in the countries targeted.

French work permit and visa applications were managed jointly with the New Caledonian office of the Cat Dealer and our offices in Manila.

Flights were arranged, OEC obtained and workers deployed.

Candidates had worked for Cat dealerships for a number of years after completing their cadetships .

Candidates knew OEM systems and processes very well, their comprehension of contamination control and use of electronic diagnostic tooling such as Cat ET and SIS and its importance with machines and especially in field service was all very good.

Candidates had good experience on tractors, excavators and ADT.

Candidates worked well, quickly learning some French language skills and intergrated with the local workforce.

The lower than usual number of mine site working hours was something the workers got used to.

No, the project was for a specific period of time.

The ROI was good, without the Internationals the project may not have been completed on time, risking contract penalty clauses and costs.