B&J Catalano, a one-stop shop and provider for earthmoving, transport, bulk earthworks and civil contracting solutions, began operations in 1962 with a plan to service the local rural community of the South West region of Western Australia.
The company was formed by Bill and Joe Catalano with just one truck on hand and a bulldozer which Bill found on a farm and restored. From there, the brothers set out with a purpose in hopes of making an impact.
Momentum began picking up for the business and two years later, B&J Catalano picked up its first major contract to develop the Marlston Hill BP fuel tank site.
Over the years, it would continue to gradually evolve and cover a further range of services such as bulk haulage, civil and mining work, material supply, bulk storage, port services, equipment hire and contract crushing.
Having recently passed 60 years in operation, B&J Catalano has come a long way from its humble beginnings. It now employs over 300 people, and with a comprehensive range of earthmoving and materials processing equipment complemented by an extensive fleet of trucks and trailers, it offers full end-to-end transport, material supply and civil contracting services.
Today, B&J Catalano is still run by Bill, together with his son, Stephen, and Joe’s son, Clem, who serve as Directors alongside an experienced management team which oversee the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the business. And, by regularly purchasing new equipment to cater to its strengthening services, it continues to expand.
In the last couple of months, for example, the fleet took delivery of a new 27.5m pocket road train combination which consists of a new prime mover coupled with two end tipper trailers.
The unit has been put to work where it has been operating 24/7 through Greenbushes, Bunbury and all over the South West region of WA carting silica sand and spodumene from a lithium plant in Greenbushes to the Port of Fremantle, in addition to general products including limestone and gravel.
The combination itself is made up of aluminium bins in a bid to achieve low tare weights and better payloads, built by Boomerang Engineering.
It features a large range of components from BPW Transpec such as the latest BPW TS2 disc brake axles with lightweight aluminium hubs, AL2 Suspension, a Transpec Electronic Braking System, BPW Ballrace turntable, Edbro hydraulic tipping hoists and a Ringfeder coupling and tow eye.
Thanks to the fitment of BPW Transpec products, Clem says the pocket road train has been an excellent combination for the fleet’s drivers to tow.
“The suspension has been good so far,” he says. “The drivers think it’s great, I’ve had no complaints from them. The trailer handles great on the road – it tows nice and straight and it doesn’t wobble over the road at all.
“We have a number of the AL2 suspensions running through our trailer fleet. We’ve got different types of trailers and we put the same suspension on all of them. So, we’ve had them for a while and they run really well.”
B&J Catalano solely uses BPW axles on all of its trailers, and it has been doing so for decades because it’s able to get a good product life and service out of them.
“We’ve always used BPW,” Clem says. “My old man started with them in the late ‘60s, so they have just run through the business. As the company has grown, we’ve kept the product in the fleet.”
The BPW equipment has lasted through countless operations since B&J started making strides all those years ago.
“I’ve got BPW axles and air suspensions here that are over 30 years old and are still running on the road,” Clem says. “The tension on the wheel bearing is a good system as well, because there aren’t any failures when you’re doing wheel bearing repacks or preloads.
“It’s just a good product and that’s why we’ve stuck with it over all of these years. We know it’s a bit more expensive, but we still use it because while it’s dearer up front, it’s cheaper in the long run.”
The products which have demonstrated their durability and effectiveness are also bolstered by a service which Clem says the family business can count on.
“We’ve had a terrific relationship with BPW Transpec over the years,” he says. “We stick with BPW Transpec because the back-up service is great.
“They come and do workshop training with our guys all the time. If we have a new product, the drivers will get trained up on them. So, that’s what we really like about BPW Transpec – the backup service and the fact that their products outlast everything with the work that we’re doing.”
L-R: Daniel Hoschke, Aaron Moore,Clem Catalano and Mark Kingston. Image: BPW Transpec.
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