WesTrac supports grassroots family-owned business growth over 14-year journey

Firmly entrenched in the Mid-West capital of Geraldton, servicing regional WA, Red Dust Holdings (RDH) employs more than 180 people, boasts a fleet of more than 300 machines and vehicles, and is supported by satellite office operations in Perth, the Goldfields and the Wheatbelt.

The business has bloomed from dry hire and small infrastructure earthworks projects to now running a dozen regional projects concurrently around the nation’s largest state at any given time; with contracts worth up to $30 million.

Assisting RDH’s exceptional growth story has been its strong and growing allegiance to Cat® machinery, with more than 85% of its fleet being Caterpillar yellow.

In fact, RDH has bought more than 60 machines from WesTrac over 12 years, representing an average delivery rate of five machines each year.

EMBRACING AND INVESTING IN CAT MACHINES TO BOOST EFFICIENCIES

That included taking delivery of a Next Generation Cat 980 Wheel Loader earlier this year – marking the 50th machine the family-owned business had purchased from WesTrac.

It’s currently one of approximately 30 Cat machines RDH has working at Norton Gold Fields’ Binduli North mine site 15km from Kalgoorlie.

“We bought two of these at the same time, these machines are the ducks nuts,” Josh laughs.

“We’ve got four 980s which have the best fuel economy I’ve ever seen and the return on investment is definitely there in terms of the way they perform.”

Since the start of 2024, RDH has taken delivery of several high-performance Cat machines including two 740 GC Articulated Trucks, a 966 GC Wheel Loader and a 330 GC Excavator.

The latter boasts 3D grade control and 3D GPS systems allowing operators to better manage operating efficiency and monitor load size to maximise productivity.

Working closely with RDH to manage fleet upgrades and helping the business scale over the past 14 years is veteran Geraldton-based WesTrac Account Manager Greg Pike.

“Back in 2012, Josh and Tanya and their machines were only just making it work in the small yard, and they couldn’t fit more than one grader in the shed, it was so small,” Greg humours.

“To watch the journey, and what he and Tanya have created today with a 20-acre yard in Geraldton, an extremely professional business servicing clients widely across regional WA and a fleet of state-of-the-art machinery, that’s been a real ride.”

In part, fleet management and upgrades are designed to enable serious fuel efficiencies achieved from Next Generation and electric drive Cat equipment, minimising operating costs and realising full fleet utilisation.

According to Greg, Josh’s ability to identify what machines he needs to get specific jobs done has been critical to getting his fleet primed to tackle a growing pipeline of work

“He’s been an early adopter of Cat technology,” Greg says.

“Now, pretty much every excavator he buys is 3D grade control equipped. He can see that having advanced machine options is the way to go with some jobs, and with others, more basic machines are adequate.”

RDH’s purchase and replacement program is a major component of the business’ concerted and systematic effort to convert its entire yellow fleet to Cat machines. This is underpinned by a policy of turning out machines once they hit 13,000 work hours.

Greg recalls several times over the years when Josh told him he wanted all yellow machines in his fleet to be Cat-branded.

“He’s been true to his word and is making it happen,” Greg says.

Josh is quick to outline why he ultimately wants a purely Cat fleet.

“The product is good, the resale is good, and the back-up service is good, particularly from the perspective of WesTrac’s strategic regional branch network,” he explains.

“In the last two years, the amount of technology we’ve seen built into Cat machines has really accelerated."

“The Cat brand is one of the best out there and their machines’ capabilities and reliability are paramount, given the scope of work we are taking on."

“Having Cat gear also speaks to operators wanting to come work for us, as a growing mid-tier operator based out of the Mid West.”

regional branch structure stacks up

Part of the success of WesTrac’s partnership with Red Dust Holdings is the presence of more than 50 team members working from the regional branch in Geraldton.

In Greg’s words, this regional presence not only gives WesTrac a competitive advantage but is highly valued by local customers.

“It’s a differentiator for sure. We have some competitors that drive through town, catch up with their customers and then disappear back to the city,” Greg says.

A diesel mechanic by trade, Josh confirms RDH benefits from WesTrac’s regional branch structure, which creates statewide coverage for parts accessibility, servicing and maintenance.

“That, as well as the strategic placement of branches throughout regional WA, really helps us if we have breakdowns or need parts we might not have in stock,” he says.

“Whether we’re working in the Mid-West, Pilbara, Kalgoorlie or the Wheatbelt, we can get product, parts or people from WesTrac when we need it.”

And with similarities in Cat machine engines, Josh adds that the compatibility of parts he keeps in stock or on order gives his team flexibility to address minor servicing issues on the run.

“Essentially, we can fit filters, pumps, alternators and more across machines as required,” he says.

And with only a handful of yellow machines in his fleet not yet sporting the Cat brand, it's only a matter of time until Josh’s dream of running an entirely Cat fleet comes to fruition.