A total engcon solution for Red Dog Projects

The company has completed end-to-end projects of all sizes across the resource sector, residential housing projects of up to four hundred homes, resorts and hotels, schools, industrial and commercial buildings. It also delivers civil projects including remote construction, main roads, public infrastructure and mining.

James said there is considerable growth of infrastructure in southeast Queensland, particularly residential subdivisions where they have experienced a high volume of work, which has included land clearing and other specialised tasks.

“In addition to these major contractors about twenty to thirty percent of our work is for our own customers. Our growth plan for the next four years is to increase our activities in that segment,” James added.

Red Dog Projects is described as innovative and solution driven. “The business has been operating for twelve years, however our entry to the earthmoving industry was three years ago. At that time, we started to concentrate on the civil construction side of the business, with the objective of providing an end-to-end service. This strategy has been successful and has been the key to our growth,“ James said.

“The business employs twelve people, including highly experienced, reliable operators, supported by accounts and operations teams, who share our passion and vision. We work for many of the major civil contractors, including organisations such as Winslow Constructions, Shadforth and Golden Group Construction.

Seeking added productivity and efficiency

“In recent years we became aware of many reports on social media of the benefits of tiltrotators that other operators had experienced. Also, I am originally from the U.K, I had some knowledge of this equipment and the fact that tiltrotators were in much wider use there than I had seen in Australia.

“We had also seen engcon systems being demonstrated at a few expos and this prompted us investigate comparable brands and all the options available. At the end of the day we decided on the engcon system, with our decision based on price, performance and overall efficiency benefits.

Instant benefits

“Our first investment in the engcon tiltrotator and engcon EC-Oil decision was totally validated. The equipment fully delivered the efficiency we needed and has given us added capability. The engcon package was an excellent proposition, with the safety and time-saving of the EC-Oil hitch, together with the useful integrated grab.

“Acquiring the engcon was a good all-round solution for our business that made perfect sense. It's a tool that really enables us to get the detailed work done quickly and to a high standard of finish. Across all the machines the engcon attachments we have a full set of buckets, a ripper and a spreader. We also have a grab, broom and pallet forks.

The most recent engcon tiltrotator system on the Cat 325 was factory fitted on a machine supplied by Hastings Deering,” said James. Red Dog’s excavator fleet mostly comprises Cat equipment, which they say has been exceptionally reliable and well supported throughout the growth of the business. “We get great support and service from Cat,” he added.

A “thumbs-up” from operators

Cat operator Alexander Duffy said, “the engcon system has made my life a whole lot easier! It means less movement of the machine, which saves effort and time on the job, as well as not having to always be aware of what else is happening around me. “I do a lot of detailed trimming and this is where the engcon system really shines. It is specifically designed for that job and it does it extremely well. Because I'm an experienced excavator operator, it only took me a few days to get on top of all the controls to a point where I felt really competent. A lot easier, less time, less fuel used, fewer movements. Just a great all round benefit!

“There's no way I would ever go back to using the machine with the traditional bucket setup; the engcon tiltrotator has totally changed the way we operate. Even on tough jobs that require some extra breakout force, with the engcon EC-Oil, it's no effort to temporarily remove the tilt rotator and directly attach tools where needed.

Customers appreciate benefits

“Having the engcon tiltrotator makes for a more efficient machine. The machine and it changed consider is very appealing to our clients who understand the benefit to them in getting the job done too high quality standard at a competitive price.

“Many of our customers are still not aware of the benefits of dealing with a contractor like us who uses this technology, however they are slowly becoming aware and I suspect this will certainly continue. There is no doubt we are starting to win work because customers are aware that we are using the technology and this will translate into a quality job for them.

Huge savings

On projects that involve topsoil distribution, waste amount we are saving At least twenty percent in time and more in many instances. Having the EC-Oil was a major factor in going with the engcon, simply because of the speed and safety with which tool changes can be made.

The operator does not have to leave the cabin, the need to re-couple hoses has been eliminated; there are no hydraulic leakage issues and the operator and others on site can work with added safety.

“The benefits of acquiring our engcon systems were immediately obvious and from that moment we knew we were on a winner. We have engcon systems on the Cat 325 and the Cat 323 machines as well as our recent Cat 315 excavator.

Customers first

“A business like Red Dog Projects is all about satisfying customer needs. Constant healthy business growth reflects the success of this approach and engcon has made a major contribution to our success,” said James.