When Gerke Excavating needed a highly powered customized cutter head dredge, it turned to DSC Dredge.
Dredging…what is it? Dredging, by definition, is the process of removing the sediment from a water body (reservoir or channel), transporting, and depositing it at another location far away.
For some, dredging is undertaken for a variety of reasons, including mining, navigation, environmental remediation, flood control and the emplacement of structures (e.g., foundations, pipelines and tunnels).
The question now is what makes a company or service a success story when it comes to dredging — is it only the equipment, or does it extend further?
According to Taylor Hancock, quarry organizations supervisor of Gerke Excavating Inc., "It's the ability to provide quality service while building long standing relations," goals that her family's company has stood on since 1946.
Gerke Excavating, located in Tomah, Wis., offers services that include not only excavating, site grading and trucking, but also crushing and decades of experience in various mining techniques. So, after much industry research, this family-owned business made the decision to purchase a customized dredge from DSC Dredge.
Wayne McGinnis, mining operations supervisor of Gerke Excavating Inc. said, "After speaking with Charles Johnson, DSC's director of domestic dredge sales, I knew immediately that DSC was the right choice.
"Throughout the entire process I never felt like I was a bother, or asking too many questions. He was always accessible, and his response time was exactly the way we would operate with our clients — it felt like home."
DSC Dredge is a family-owned dredge manufacturing company based in Reserve, La., whose superior customized technology and dredging solutions lead the industry throughout 50 different countries, according to the company.
While Gerke was no stranger to dredges, it was made clear that the current dredge they were utilizing just wasn't cutting it. The materials they were attempting to liberate were too hard and required a highly powered customized cutter head dredge. Specifically, a Custom 10300 Series Electric Marlin Dredge with Digging Jet, which includes DSC's highly innovative, user-friendly bottom visualization system, DSC VISION.
According to McGinnis, "DSC Vision has been a phenomenal system, it is very helpful for the operators and has exceeded all expectations. The software is incomparable to anything else we have ever utilized.
"The entire process, from delivery to set up and support has been phenomenal," said McGinnis, noting that from the beginning his team was made to feel like family, not just another customer.
"To know I can pick up the phone and call Bill [DSC's co-owner, EVP of product development and CTO[ and get immediate feedback is a great feeling."
Hancock echoed similar sentiments.
"Throughout my own family, across all generations, starting with my great grandpa Allan who started the company and then through my dad, it was always taught, ‘you have to take care of your customers and community' and this is the feeling I get every time we interact with DSC. The feeling of continuous support; that we have nothing to worry about."
She recalled how much it meant to everyone when Bill Wetta came out to their site to just "check in" on their jobs. That personal touch demonstrated that DSC cared not just about the delivered dredge and its performance, but also about the Gerke team and their own success, she said.
"To know there are other companies out there that value their clients the way we do means a lot. It showed us everyone has boots on the ground and are ready to interact. The experience of the two teams working together — DSC's product support guys and our dredge operators, was so positive that it was honestly one of the best experiences we've had."
Gerke Excavating has a strong foundation with well over three decades of experience mining limestone and over a decade with frac sand. While they have been dredging for six years, future expansion is already being discussed.
"DSC values our partnership with the Gerke family. As they have shared, our business models are very similar, and our values are aligned which made this a win-win relationship all around. We are excited to be a part Gerke's continued growth in the dredging industry," said William J. Wetta, DSC Dredge.
DSC Dredge operates from three manufacturing facilities located in Reserve, La., Poplarville, Miss., and Greenbush, Mich.
For more information, visit www.dscdredge.com.
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