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At A Glance:
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The Challenge
Reforestation teams needed a reliable, affordable communication method while deployed in remote regions of Western Canada.
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The Solution
Iridium Connected™ ZOLEO® devices allow employees to send and receive messages while providing 24/7 emergency monitoring and SOS functionality.
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The Impact
ZOLEO devices not only help keep employees safe, but serve as an easy-to-use communications solution beyond cellular coverage.
- 30 millionseedlings planted in four months
- 24/7coverage
The Challenge
Since 1983, Blue Collar Silviculture has helped reforest the Alberta and British Columbia wilderness. Once deployed, employees must transport heavy loads through dense brush, mud, and steep terrain—often amid severe weather and wildlife—and “very rarely do we have access to cell service,” says Project Manager Simon Charlebois.
To help ensure their safety, employees must complete routine check-ins with their supervisors. Past communication methods, including satellite dishes installed on site, proved to be too slow and unreliable—and many satellite communicators on the market were cost-prohibitive.
The Solution
Blue Collar Silviculture found an affordable and reliable solution in ZOLEO. Equipped with the small, easy-to-use satellite communicator, employees enjoy the free ZOLEO App, which keeps all conversations—whether sent via cellular, Wi-Fi, or Iridium Short Burst Data®—in one inbox.
Additionally, its progressive SOS through Global Rescue and 24/7 non-emergency support through Medical Assist offers employees peace of mind knowing they can contact help using ZOLEO if the need arises, no matter where they are.
The Impact
Although primarily intended to help keep employees safe, ZOLEO has helped Blue Collar Silviculture enhance operations, too. Following a successful field test, the company equipped its entire management team with devices so they can be reached any time. Blue Collar Silviculture also intends to use ZOLEO in all its remote tree-planting projects, which add an average of 30 million seedlings each planting season.
“When things don’t go according to plan, we can now use ZOLEO to effectively communicate with our team wherever they are. All we have to do is send a text.
–Simon Charlebois,
Blue Collar Silviculture Project Manager
