Burlington, ON, Oct. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CanLift Equipment Ltd. has rolled out Keycard to all of its road service technicians, bringing AI-enabled tools into everyday field service work. In addition, the Canadian-owned equipment rental company has developed an internal integration layer that connects approved AI environments to selected live operational data. Both efforts build on a year of testing how AI can improve workflows, support employees and optimize service responsiveness for customers.
"Access to AI tools alone doesn't create business value," said Ryan Fitzgibbon, Director of Technology & Marketing and Head of AI at CanLift. "If AI can remove administrative work, give our people better access to information and free them to spend more time applying their expertise and serving customers, that's where we want to invest."
CanLift has rolled out Keycard, an AI-powered service documentation platform, to all of its road service technicians, bringing AI tools into daily use across the field service team. The rollout is evaluating capabilities including voice-based service documentation, AI-powered technical manual search, mobile workflows built for the field, access to relevant work-order, asset and service-history information, and integration with Point of Rental for selected service workflows. CanLift is assessing technician feedback and measurable productivity outcomes, including whether the technology can reduce paperwork, improve service responsiveness and help minimize equipment downtime. The ultimate goal is to deliver a better service experience and greater customer satisfaction.
The company's new internal integration layer uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing approved AI environments to connect with selected business systems and live operational data. Subject to CanLift's authorization and data-protection standards, this system enables employees to work with current operational information, ask questions using live business context, and find or interpret information without manually pulling it together from multiple systems.
Guiding CanLift's broader AI programs is an internal operating framework covering appropriate use, employee accountability, data protection and human oversight. CanLift's approach emphasizes augmentation over replacement, with AI intended to support employee judgment and customer relationships rather than replace them.
The company is also investing in employee training and developing internal AI assistants to support management workflows, meeting preparation, onboarding and recurring information tasks. The goal is to reduce administrative work so employees can spend more time applying their judgment, expertise and experience.
One year into its AI journey, CanLift is moving beyond experimentation and into daily operations. Its next phase is designed around measurable operational outcomes. Longer term, the company sees opportunities in areas including fleet management, logistics, sales and reporting, but intends to validate those applications through real-world use rather than make predictions about what AI will eventually take on.
CanLift's objective is not to become an AI company, but to use AI selectively where it can make work more productive and fulfilling for employees and improve the service experience for customers.
-30-
About CanLift Equipment Ltd.
Established in 2009, CanLift Equipment Ltd. is a proudly Canadian-owned and family-operated company that rents, sells and services aerial lift and material handling equipment from leading manufacturers including Genie, JLG, Skyjack and others. Headquartered in Burlington, Ontario, with an additional location serving Southwestern Ontario, CanLift is one of Ontario's largest independently owned lift equipment providers. The company's rental, sales, service and logistics teams focus on providing responsive service, reliable equipment and minimizing customer downtime. For more information, visit canlift.ca.
Attachments
