BQC Quarries has long been a fixture in the North Queensland Shires of Burdekin and Whitsunday, with the Ayr and Bowen-based business, which comprises a partnership of three local families, having been manufacturing stone products from hard-rock quarrying and providing a range of services to the Burdekin, Bowen and Whitsunday regions since its establishment in 1974.
BQC Operations Manager Lawrence Fahey told EEM that the business has over the course of its 45 years of operation assisted in the development of the Burdekin and Bowen regions, with it supplying quarry material to a number of large-scale infrastructure projects, while it also supplies quarry products to smaller contractors and the general public.
Lawrence joined his father John – a BQC Director and civil engineer with 45 years’ experience in the quarrying industry, who is a long-standing member of the Institute of Quarrying Australia – at the company in 2017, with the two working together in overseeing the business’ wider operations.
A Range Of Products Backed By An Experienced Team
Lawrence, also a civil engineer with over 20 years’ experience in the civil construction industry, explained that BQC’s range of products include: pavement and screening materials for road and civil construction, CTB, OMC and pre-coated material, rail ballast for rail and cane train networks, and aggregates for concrete plants and drainage layers.
BQC also supplies sized rock products for flood damage, river trust work, irrigation and landscaping, along with embankment fill, clays and thermal sands, with Lawrence advising that the company works on projects including driveways, access roads, hardstands and rock pitching.
“BQC operates quarries in Bowen and Burdekin, and works closely with a number of local and non-local cartage contractors that can be engaged to fulfil any cartage requirement,” Lawrence explained.
“We have ample stockpile room at all of our sites, and as a result we are able to increase our production rates to ensure supply is never hindered. Our quarries have very experienced core supervisory teams on the ground, with a vast range of skills and knowledge.”
Lawrence stated that these teams include Kevin Otto, the Site Senior Executive at BQC’s West Euri Quarry in Bowen, and John Augostis, the Site Senior Executive at its The Rocks Quarry in Ayr, with the supervisory team members at all of the company’s quarries having been with the business for over 20 years on average.
“The management team are owners of the business, so they take a hands-on approach, and therefore have the ability to make executive decisions almost immediately,” he explained of the company’s mode of operation.
“They also have engineering qualifications, so they understand the design intent of the product the client is seeking and how to manufacture it, particularly where bespoke specifications are involved. You could say that we are big enough to be trusted, but small enough to care.”
A Comprehensive And Efficient Service
Drawing on the experience of its staff, BQC is focused on providing both a comprehensive and efficient service, with it seeking to develop ongoing relationships with its clients, and maintaining open communication over the course of the projects it undertakes.
In recent years, BQC has worked on a range of projects, including a number of roads, ballast and bitumen seal projects in Bowen and Ayr, and it is currently involved in the $500 million Haughton River floodplain project on the Bruce Highway, 30 minutes south of Townsville, with the principal contractor for the project the Infrastructure Group joint venture, which is set for completion in 2021.
With BQC maintaining a fleet of equipment that includes articulated dump trucks, wheel loaders and excavators, Lawrence pointed to being able to remotely monitor equipment as having been a critical advancement in carrying out projects, providing additional insight into how operations are being undertaken, and delivering productivity and maintenance benefits.
“The ability to monitor the performance of the machines from your armchair is a key tool to ensure the machines are performing well, and any issues can be acted upon quickly without causing permanent damage to the machines,” he commented.
He said that BQC has been using Doosan equipment since 2012, with the company having at that time initially purchased a DL450-3 wheel loader, and that it has since added a number of Doosan machines to its fleet.
“Since then, the DL450-3 wheel loader has accumulated over 10,000 hours and it has never missed a beat during this time,”
Lawrence said. “As a result, the company has since purchased three more machines: two Doosan DL550-3 wheel loaders and a Doosan 2019 DX480LC excavator.
“The Doosan products are reliable and have a quality service team based in Townsville, in Clark Equipment, to back them up. As a result, production is always maintained, which in the quarrying business is critically important.”
After-Sales Service And Support A Key Consideration
Australian-owned Clark Equipment stocks a range of Doosan large excavators, wheel loaders and articulated dump trucks, and presides over an extensive network of dealers and branches throughout the country.
In addition to a reliable product, Lawrence pointed in particular to the importance of after-sales service and support, and described Clark Equipment as having been “exemplary in ensuring our machines are always producing material”.
“Like all machines, no matter the brand, issues do arise, however it’s the response that sets companies apart,” he commented.
“Clark Equipment has provided service teams at the most inconvenient of times to ensure that the machines have minimal downtime. For that, you cannot fault either the product or the supplier.”
Clark Equipment Sales Representative Terry Goacher told EEM that he has been helping to look after BQC’s equipment needs for close to six years in total, after having originally made contact with the company in 2010.
“Our relationship is very strong, and the team at Clark Equipment in Townsville are all very much aware of the magnitude of their operations,” Terry said. “I believe we have a mutual respect with BQC, from the directors to the quarry managers.
“At Clark Equipment in Townsville, we pride ourselves on our understanding of this type of business, in our conduct, and on being professional at all times, delivering our range of services seamlessly to our clients.”