The 2025 Global Skills Contest was hosted by Sumitomo Construction Machinery (SCM) and 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.
This year, 11 countries competed across five areas of service excellence:
• 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 in 2025, 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 event. After a thorough evaluation, Jesse Lariviere of Equipment Sales and Service (ESS) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, was given the opportunity to compete.
"Jesse is a shop technician with 15 years of service," Kirk said. "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."
Lariviere's enthusiasm and determination, supported by Kirk'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 Lariviere 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.
For more information, visit lbxco.com
