"Big Blue" now online

The "Big Blue" machine is now fully operational at our Cache Creek aggregate plant in Northern California and sending 1,400 tons of material per hour to the processing plant.

Replacing a Manitowoc 7.5 cubic yard dragline and three Caterpillar 633 scrapers, the electric dredge is now the primary supplier of aggregates for the plant. Sand and gravel is excavated using its 20 cubic yard clamshell bucket and, once dewatered, the dredged material is transported via a conveyor to the plant.

Controls can be programmed to "auto pilot" allowing just one person to operate the big machine. Using an onboard Global Positioning System, the dredge's position can be tracked within five feet with both time and position updated and recorded. It also boasts a 360 degree sonar that continuously scans the underwater mining surface to provide a three dimensional view on its monitor.

"The expected results of using this grab dredge technology will be dramatic," says operations manager Mark Hirzy. "We can now retrieve 17 million tons of reserves that were considered economically unviable due to the cost of dredging via the old method. Operating costs will be reduced significantly. Since the dredge also operates on electricity, there is a reduction in air pollutants and it's no secret that cleaner air is something we all enjoy."

Something concrete for Indigenous Australians

Readymix is helping to build houses and create jobs for indigenous Australians in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Through our partnership with the Beacon Foundation, Readymix has donated concrete to a start-up, pre-cast concrete enterprise for five young indigenous trainees in the town of Kununurra.

Trainees are learning how to pre-cast concrete under Beacon's 'Real Jobs' template – a Beacon program used to set up new enterprises for young people - with the help of the local Indigenous Wunan Foundation and supervision of expert concrete pre-caster Graham Lovell.

"Teaching these young trainees the skill of building pre-cast concrete housing is an exciting, sustainable project," says Scott Harris, CEO of Beacon. "The long-term goal is that we can grow this into a viable enterprise for these young people. This means creating jobs through their own business, which is very important for indigenous people in the area."

Sustainable housing is a major social issue facing indigenous Australians in remote areas. This project provides the opportunity to evaluate an alternative building material/technology while creating the potential to deliver more cost-effective public housing in the region.

More about Beacon's 'Real Jobs' template

Beacon has several programs that focus on students choosing to reject welfare as their ambition. Beacon's 'No Dole' program is complemented by another program which has a focus on real (wholly commercially independent and sustainable) job creation: the 'Real Jobs' program, which aims to create viable small businesses that could offer young people permanent on-going employment.

Readymix has been supporting Beacon for six years.