Readymix caring for the Mooloolah River
At Readymix on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, we are helping to improve the quality of the environment in and around the Mooloolah River. One of the ways we are doing this is through leasing a new building and 2.5 acres (one hectare) of land to the volunteer group Mooloolah River Waterwatch and Land Care Inc.
Readymix’s Mooloolah sand plant, on the Mooloolah River, has been working closely with this group over a number of years. The group’s main objective is to keep the waterways in the Mooloolah Catchment in a clean and healthy state. They do this in a number of ways: monitoring water quality, protecting and re-vegetating riparian buffer zones to help control bank degradation and siltation in the waterways, connecting the wildlife corridor along the entire river system and creating awareness of good environment practices within the community.
Readymix is supporting the group to expand its activities in the area by providing plant nursery facilities. In addition to the new building and land, these facilities comprise security fencing, water and power. The Waterwatch group has already supplied and planted 2,000 seedlings in and around Readymix’s land in aid of our rehabilitation efforts.
The official opening of the plant nursery is scheduled for October 2004, as part of an Open Day at the Mooloolah sand plant. Local councilors and members of parliament are invited.
A plant nursery on Readymix's Mooloolah sand plant property is part of a partnership with Mooloolah River Waterwatch and Land Care Inc to maintain clean water and proper vegetation.
One man band
Just 20 years ago it would have been hard to imagine only one man loading, driving and unloading a freight train of cement. Today, highly efficient transport processes make this possible.
At Cement Australia, a Readymix joint venture, product is transported by rail between Railton and Devonport in Tasmania - by just one man.
Railton plant has a single crewmember who loads cement into rail wagons through a remote control. He then drives the train to Devonport and unloads the cargo at the wharf. Through the remote system, he is able to load, drive and discharge the train on his own. The 13 mile (22 km) service has a team of five specially trained drivers, enabling it to run continuously - delivering 15 wagons with a load of 660 tons (600 tonnes) of cement per train.
“What we are seeing is that transport efficiencies are on the increase”, says Kevin Doyle, Railton plant’s operations manager. “And getting your product out fast and efficiently is good in everyone’s books!”
