The expansion at Custom Dredge Works Inc. will bring a lot of assembly work indoors and under one roof so the work will be less dependent on weather. EXPANSION IMPROVEMENTS Jones said the expansion will provide for a 36-acre campus and allow the company to become more efficient and expedient in its processes while eliminating weatherrelated delays. The expansion also includes a specialized paint and blast facility and innovative metal fabrication and hydraulic technologies. “We used to hand build and hand fit products but with the increasing demand we’ve experienced the past few years, we really needed to invest in process improvements,” he said. “We used to do a lot of assembly work outside that we can now bring indoors. We love Kansas but we don’t always love the weather when brutally hot or excessively wet conditions affect production. By bringing that under one roof, we’ll be less dependent on weather while being able to add significantly to our capacity. Our employees can’t wait.” The expansion is expected to be completed this spring.
Photo by JOHN BURNS
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March/April 2021
TK Business Magazine
TRADE PROFESSION OPPORTUNITIES Jones, who has a finance degree from Washburn University, said he has benefited in multiple ways from his degree but would like to see more programs designed to entice younger people to pursue trade professions. “If you’re willing to work with your hands, you can make a good living in high-demand fields without incurring a lot of debt while continuing to build your skill set,” he said. “At our company, we can teach someone a niche trade that he or she could only get in maybe one other place in the U.S. and a handful of others in the world. We can take welders or mechanics and make them expert dredge technicians and dredge builders. There’s a lot of opportunity.” Developing talent is one of Jones’ key commitments to his growing workforce. “I believe in surrounding myself with people who can do the job better than I can,” he said. “There comes a point as a business owner or a manager when you realize you can’t do it all by yourself, and the best thing you can do is rely on good, knowledgeable people.”
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