November 13, 2025
Last week, the 2025 Global Skills Contest, hosted by Sumitomo Construction Machinery (SCM), took place in Chiba, Japan. The event is held every two years and brings together top service technicians from around the world to showcase their technical expertise and dedication to safety.
- Safety – While not an event on its own, each contestant was monitored closely to ensure that safety was the highest priority in everything they were tasked with.
- Troubleshooting – Machines were faulted in various ways. The technicians were monitored by two judges, who were evaluated on their ability to follow procedures, accuracy, and time.
- Engine Repair – Tasked with replacing injectors while adhering to procedures, torque specifications, and time.
- Maintenance Proposal – Inspect a machine and determine what issues need to be addressed. This was based on a 162-line-item checklist. The contestants had one hour to complete.
- Written Test – A 25-question test relating to all areas of service.
Earlier this year, Grant Kirk, LBX Service Training Manager, worked closely with LBX dealers to identify and select the technician who would represent LBX and North
America at this prestigious event. After a thorough evaluation, Jesse Lariviere of Equipment Sales and Service (ESS) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, was given the opportunity to compete.
Kirk explains, “Jesse is a shop technician with 15 years of service. He was highly motivated and driven to excel at the 2025 Global Service Skills Contest. Over the last 8 months, Jesse and I have met multiple times to reinforce his product knowledge on the 210 X3 excavator. I could not have chosen a more qualified candidate.”
Jesse’s enthusiasm and determination, supported by Grant’s technical expertise and training experience, proved to be an outstanding partnership. Together, they brought home first place overall, a tremendous achievement for both LBX and ESS.
This accomplishment reflects the dedication of the LBX team and the strong support of its dealer partner, Equipment Sales and Service. ESS gave Jesse the time and resources to succeed, highlighting the strength of our dealer network and the skill of the technicians who represent the Link-Belt brand.
About LBX Company
Headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, LBX Company LLC is the maker of Link-Belt® hydraulic excavators, with a product lineup that includes standard, minimum swing, long front, material handling, heavy-duty, and forestry models. LBX products are sold through a trusted dealer network across North and Latin America, with distribution in Latin America managed by LBX do Brasil. With more than 150 years of Link-Belt heritage, LBX is committed to quality, innovation, and advancing sustainability across its operations and equipment. LBX Company LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Construction Machinery, a global leader in construction equipment innovation and quality manufacturing based in Chiba, Japan.
About Equipment Sales & Service Limited (www.essltd.com)
Equipment Sales & Service Limited was founded in 1946, ranking it with Canada's oldest and most established equipment companies. Now in our third generation as a private family-owned business, ESS retains the flexibility to respond to customer needs quickly and to keep pace with our rapidly changing global economy. ESS takes pride in delivering a personal standard of service to customers based on our traditional values of hard work, integrity, and shared responsibility. In addition to our sales of heavy equipment, ESS is one of Canada's largest national service providers, supporting all makes of machinery with factory-trained service technicians and the nation's largest inventory of OEM, wear parts, and aftermarket parts. Our commitment to customer service is matched by our commitment to ESS employees. Our safety policy and staff training programs are designed to keep ESS personnel healthy, productive, and at the top of the equipment service professions.
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