Michael Close interviews Dodge Industrial’s Australian and New Zealand division manager Halden Engela.
Dodge Industrial is an IQA FY2025-26 silver national sponsors bringing over 145 years of expertise in mechanical power transmission to support Australia’s quarrying sector.
MC: Halden, what drew you to partner with the Institute of Quarrying Australia (IQA)?
Halden Engela: The Australian quarrying sector is critical to the nation’s infrastructure development, and we’ve seen firsthand how operations here are embracing innovation while maintaining rigorous safety standards.
The IQA connects professionals who are genuinely committed to advancing the sector, not just in their own operations, but collectively.
That collaborative approach to problem-solving and knowledge-sharing aligns with how we work. We’re here to support operators with technical expertise and engineering guidance, not just supply equipment.
MC: You talk about looking at entire systems rather than individual components. What difference does that make in practice?
HE: We often see operations facing recurring downtime or maintenance issues that stem from how components interact within the broader system. A bearing failure, for example, might actually indicate misalignment issues, environmental factors, or operational loads that were not anticipated.
Our engineers work with operators to understand these challenges and address them.
MC: The quarrying sector has an intense focus on safety.
How does that influence equipment design and maintenance practices?
HE: Safety drives design decisions from the ground up. Equipment that’s easier and safer to maintain also tends to be maintained more consistently, which improves reliability. Quarry operators do not compromise on safety, and that pushes us to innovate.
MC: Where do you see the biggest opportunities for quarrying operations in the next few years?
HE: Predictive maintenance is changing the game. Technology now allows operations to monitor equipment health in real-time and spot problems before they cause failures. That shift from reactive to proactive maintenance significantly reduces costly unplanned downtime.
There’s also a growing focus on skills development. The sector needs people who can work with both mechanical systems and data. That’s where partnerships with organisations like the IQA become valuable, supporting professional development alongside technological advancement.
MC: What are you hoping to achieve through this partnership?
HE: The IQA community has incredible knowledge about what works in Australian conditions for quarrying.
We want to be part of those conversations, contribute where we can, and learn from the expertise that exists in the sector. We’ve learned that the best solutions come from listening to operators and understanding their real-world challenges.
Michael Close, FIQ
President
Institute of Quarrying Australia
