When projects require frequent and safe transporting of machinery, it is essential that the loading ramps used are up to the task.
Several years ago, Joe Schena was introduced to the concrete industry through a family connection and has never looked back.
He had really enjoyed the work and the satisfaction of seeing the finished results of each project in terms of the shapes and forms that could be created.
Fast-forward 13 years and Joe’s business, Got Concrete, is now a thriving enterprise located at Mount Eliza on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
“Today the business specialises in all aspects of concrete foundations and more challenging works. Increasingly, our reputation for delivering high quality detailed work has produced assignments for decorative finishes and structural works,” he said.
The business undertakes private concrete work as well sub-contracting to a large commercial building company that performs construction works for major retail food franchises, childcare centres and chain pharmacies.
“Our equipment fleet comprises one 1.5 tonne Komatsu excavator, one 2t excavator, two 5t excavators, one 1.5t skid steer, a 2t skid steer and a 4.5t skid steer.”
Historic site reconstruction
The business is currently working on the old Morning Star Estate at Mount Eliza in Victoria, which Joe said was “a wonderful project where our work includes bringing the original estate back to its former glory”.
“We are performing many tasks, including some major landscaping works,” he said.
Built in 1867 by Francis Gillett, the property, set on nearly 63 hectares and with views to the bay and the Melbourne CBD, was one of the first properties to be built beyond Oliver’s Hill – the first main rise between the peninsula and Melbourne.
Renovations were added in the 1940s by the Franciscans in order to adapt the property for use as a boys’ home, which closed in 1975. It was then used as a horse stud before selling, finding fame as an iconic wedding venue and film backdrop.
The previous owner transformed the property into a combined winery, hotel and events venue. The hotel and events business has been closed since 2017 when the property was sold to the current owner.
“The Morning Star site on which we are working is expansive, quite hilly and the topography presents a lot of challenges, including the necessity to move different machinery from one level to the other,” Joe said.
Ramping up efficiency
The need to be mobile at all times meant the use of loading ramps was of critical importance to site safety and operational efficiency.
In this regard, Joe found that loading ramps he was previously using were not sufficiently robust.
“They were certainly not up to the tough demands of our application. Accessing parts of the site where heavy machinery is deployed was a major challenge,” he said.
Then he discovered Jetland Ramps.
“After discussion with industry colleagues and positive comments from others who had used the product, we made the purchase,” he said.
“It’s been a great investment. The ramps solved our issues and we have never looked back.
“Our Jetland ramps are well designed and manufactured and perfect for our purpose in transporting heavy excavators and other machinery down the hills to different levels.
“It didn’t take us long to work out that they were ideal for the job we had to do here.
“They help us perform loading and relocation of our machines on the job in perfect safety. Furthermore, their use has completely de-risked the equipment movements on this site.”
Joe also said that purchasing the ramps from Jetland was an absolute pleasure.
“In fact, we found nothing was too much trouble. Staff went out of their way to ensure that the ramps we purchased were exactly what we needed for greater efficiency and safety in performing our specialised concreting tasks,” he said.
“The Jetland ramps represent great value for money, are well built, well designed and so tough they can take anything we throw at them.
“Their slope angles are optimal for what we need and it’s obvious that a lot of thought has gone into their design to make them extremely robust and safe to use.
“We use our ramps constantly for transporting machinery to and from the site or taking them off the track and positioning them on the earthworks and moving machines from one level to another.
“There are many places on this work site that present extreme conditions and are quite tricky in terms of getting machines to a specific place.
“Machines must be moved down through different levels of retaining walls, for example. The Jetland ramps have been fantastic in allowing us to do this correctly, compared to the previous ramps we were using that tended to flex when weight was applied.
“When you are in a larger machine and coming down an incline, you really need to feel safe and under control. This necessary control is exactly the Jetland ramps deliver. There is there is absolutely no doubt that our Jetland ramps have made our business a lot more efficient, safer and productive. There’s no way we would ever be without them.”
For further information on the full range of Jetland ramps and their applications, visit jetlandramps.com.au/