Tag Archives: Adrian Howard

WesTrac celebrates 20 years of service and support in New South Wales and the ACT

Leading Cat® dealer WesTrac is marking a major milestone today, celebrating 20 years of providing equipment, service and support across New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

More than 16,000 Cat machines have been delivered by WesTrac in the region during that time, supporting customers in the mining and construction industries.

Chief Executive NSW/ACT, Adrian Howard, says: “Over the past two decades, WesTrac has been at the forefront of delivering Cat machines and products to meet rising demand, especially within the construction and mining industries.”

When WesTrac became the official Cat dealer for NSW and the ACT, work immediately began on fitting out the first purpose-built branch in Bathurst. The WesTrac team of 50 rapidly grew to more than 500 in just over two months.

Today, WesTrac NSW/ACT has 18 branches, six Click and Collect lockers and more than 1,500 dedicated team members, providing support and service to more than 6,500 customers each year. WesTrac continues to grow its workforce and develop its people and has nationally trained over 2,400 apprentices through the WesTrac Institute.

Howard says over the past 20 years, customer needs have changed and demands on business operations have increased with the rapid uptake of technology and rise in 24/7 working environments.

“WesTrac is committed to investing in our people and our facilities to continue to deliver world-class service and support to our customers by ensuring owning and operating Cat equipment is safe, easy and profitable,” he said.

“A big part of this commitment is our ongoing investment in our facilities and cutting-edge technologies and, in the last year alone, we have opened the Tomago Technology Experience Centre, installed an AI-powered AutoStore parts warehousing solution and commissioned a world-first automated fluid analysis laboratory.

“We’ve come a long way since 2004 and change is only going to keep occurring faster – our goal is to stay at the forefront of technology and innovation to ensure our customers continue to succeed from owning and operating Cat equipment.”

When discussing what has changed during the period, Howard lists safety, sustainability and diversity of background and thought as three important parts of doing business that have significantly evolved and changed, for the better.

“WesTrac is committed to building a more sustainable future – internally at WesTrac, for our customers and for our local communities,” he said. “We are taking on a collaborative approach to achieve this – one that sets the standard for our industry and strives for meaningful change.

“Thank you to our customers, Caterpillar and our WesTrac team members who through their loyalty and dedication have helped WesTrac to become the world-class business we have today.”

WesTrac Training Centre

WesTrac launches new tech experience centre as part of training, education plans

Caterpillar® dealer WesTrac has today launched a new Technology Experience Centre in Tomago, New South Wales, built to showcase the latest in equipment, technology and innovation.

The new state-of-the-art centre provides customers with a hands-on experience to demonstrate the advantages of using the latest Cat products and technology in mining and construction, the company says.

The education and training facility features a dedicated Remote Operator Station, where visitors can remotely operate a Cat 320 next generation hydraulic excavator, located in the on-site WesTrac dig pit. The operator station can also be configured for the remote operation of multiple other Cat machines from mini excavators and skid steer loaders to large mining equipment such as dozers and drills.

The Technology Experience Centre also includes the latest in 3D printing solutions as well as live demonstrations of cutting-edge technology including Cat MineStar technology. The Cat MineStar technology suite includes solutions for precision machine control and guidance, automation, remote operation, fleet health optimisation and fatigue monitoring.

Cat MineStar Command enables remote-control operations right through to full automation of machines, providing customers with a number of operational benefits. WesTrac and Caterpillar successfully deployed Command for drilling in partnership with Thiess, which saw a world first for Caterpillar with the successful remote operation of three drill rigs by a single operator. The team have also deployed Command line of sight and non-line of sight dozer solutions across multiple mine sites in New South Wales.

The centre demonstrates how WesTrac and Caterpillar’s technology can be incorporated into a variety of operations, increasing site safety, productivity, efficiency and sustainability, it says. it also adds a new element to the suite of information already available on owning and operating Cat equipment.

The new facility is supported by the WesTrac Training Institute that offers accredited and post trade training to both customers and team members, including operator training for the effective operation of Cat equipment using the latest technology systems.

WesTrac Chief Executive NSW/ACT, Adrian Howard, says the Technology Experience Centre reinforces WesTrac’s commitment to helping mining and heavy construction customers implement better technology into their fleets.

“The centre will greatly benefit our customers by delivering a practical and educational experience with the cutting-edge technology used by WesTrac and our Cat products,” he says. “We want our customers to walk away from the Technology Experience Centre feeling confident about using technology to deliver improved safety and productivity outcomes to their operations.

“Importantly, we want them to understand that these technologies are readily available, they can realise the benefits of them immediately and we’re there to assist them with deployment and continued support. The opening of the Technology Experience Centre in Tomago is an important occasion for the future of technology at WesTrac and I want to congratulate the WesTrac team for turning this vision into a reality.”

General Manager Resource Industries NSW/ACT, Jody Scott, says the Technology Experience Centre was designed to provide a facility for both new buyers and existing customers at WesTrac.

“We wanted a space where we could provide our customers with greater insight into both the competitive advantage of Cat products and the ongoing development of future technology at WesTrac,” he says. “When designing the centre, it was vital for customer experience to remain at the forefront, which is why it can accommodate meeting spaces and events as well as training with the Cat products our customers have invested in.

“We have a skilled and experienced team based at the Technology Experience Centre, ready to deliver comprehensive and tailored technology training experiences that are unrivalled in thhee industry.”