Finning Provides Update on ERP System Implementation in Canadian Operations

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Oct. 14, 2011) - Finning International Inc. (TSX:FTT) today provided an update on its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system implementation in Canada, as well as a projection of the expected third quarter financial impact of that implementation and the five-week strike in B.C.

As previously disclosed, following the launch of its new ERP system in Canada on July 4, the Company experienced implementation issues affecting parts supply, warehousing and distribution operations. Finning's Canadian operations have tested and deployed a series of application changes to improve the functionality and reliability of the system to process and distribute parts to customers. With improved functionality in the application, the next phase of work will focus on enhancing user proficiency and introducing controlled system improvements to achieve greater efficiency over time.

The combined impact of the strike and ERP system implementation on revenues and additional system support costs is expected to be a reduction in earnings per share in the range of 20-25 cents in the third quarter of 2011. The ability to process parts orders has grown considerably since go-live and the Company expects fourth quarter parts activity levels to be substantially improved and approaching normal volumes.

"We are extremely grateful to our customers for their patience and apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. We, at Finning, are committed to maintain our customers' loyalty. I also wish to extend my sincere appreciation to our employees for their extraordinary efforts and dedication during the implementation," said Mike Waites, president and CEO of Finning International.

"The ERP platform will drive operational excellence and support our long-term growth objectives. We are confident that the new system will enable us to provide the highest levels of service for which Finning is renowned. Specifically, the new system significantly improves our capacity for planning, service scheduling, and forecasting capabilities, as well as many other facets of the business and will support our strong growth plans into 2012 and beyond," concluded Mr. Waites.

Forward-looking disclaimer

This report contains statements about the Company's business outlook, objectives, plans, strategic priorities and other statements that are not historical facts. A statement we make is forward-looking when it uses what we know and expect today to make a statement about the future. Forward-looking statements may include words such as aim, anticipate, assumption, believe, could, expect, goal, guidance, intend, may, objective, outlook, plan, project, seek, should, strategy, strive, target, and will. Forward-looking statements in this report include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: expectations with respect to the economy and associated impact on the Company's financial results; expected revenue and SG&A levels and EBIT growth; anticipated generation of free cash flow (including projected net capital and rental expenditures), and its expected use; anticipated defined benefit plan contributions; the expected target range of Debt Ratio; the expected quantitative impact on the 2010 consolidated statements of financial position and statements of income and comprehensive income of the Company's transition to IFRS effective January 1, 2010; and the impact on new and revised IFRS that have been issued but are not yet effective. All such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the 'safe harbour' provisions of applicable Canadian securities laws.

Unless otherwise indicated by us, forward-looking statements in this report describe our expectations at October 14, 2011. Except as may be required by Canadian securities laws, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Forward-looking statements, by their very nature, are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties and are based on several assumptions which give rise to the possibility that actual results could differ materially from our expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements and that our business outlook, objectives, plans, strategic priorities and other statements that are not historical facts may not be achieved. As a result, we cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by our forward-looking statements include: general economic and market conditions; foreign exchange rates; commodity prices; the level of customer confidence and spending, and the demand for, and prices of, our products and services; our dependence on the continued market acceptance of Caterpillar's products and Caterpillar's timely supply of parts and equipment; our ability to continue to improve productivity and operational efficiencies while continuing to maintain customer service; our ability to manage cost pressures as growth in revenues occur; our ability to attract sufficient skilled labour resources to meet growing product support demand; our ability to negotiate and renew collective bargaining agreements with satisfactory terms for our employees and the Company; the intensity of competitive activity; our ability to raise the capital we need to implement our business plan; regulatory initiatives or proceedings, litigation and changes in laws or regulations; stock market volatility; changes in political and economic environments for operations; the integrity, reliability, and availability of technology and the data processed by that technology; new or amended IFRS or interpretations that become effective prior to the inclusion of the Company's financial statement of position in its first annual audited IFRS financial statements. Forward-looking statements are provided in this report for the purpose of giving information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of our operating environment. However, readers are cautioned that it may not be appropriate to use such forward-looking statements for any other purpose.

Forward-looking statements made in this report are based on a number of assumptions that we believed were reasonable on the day we made the forward-looking statements. Refer in particular to the Outlook section of the MD&A. Some of the assumptions, risks, and other factors which could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements contained in this report are discussed in the Company's current Annual Information Form (AIF) in Section 4.

We caution readers that the risks described in the AIF are not the only ones that could impact us. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Except as otherwise indicated by us, forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any non-recurring or other unusual items or of any dispositions, mergers, acquisitions, other business combinations or other transactions that may be announced or that may occur after the date hereof. The financial impact of these transactions and non-recurring and other unusual items can be complex and depends on the facts particular to each of them. We therefore cannot describe the expected impact in a meaningful way or in the same way we present known risks affecting our business.