Turning Operational Smarts into Success

In quarrying, as in life, success isn’t about making the most noise - it’s about making the most impact.

That’s the quiet truth behind Tony Dowd’s story. For over three decades, he’s been shaping New Zealand’s quarry landscape—not from the boardroom, but from the frontlines. He’s stood in the dust, adjusted the jaws, handled the setbacks, and learned how to turn big rocks into small profits… and small rocks into more profitable ones.

Now, as Operations Manager at South Taranaki Quarries, Tony leads three active sites - Whenuku Road, Waiteika Road and Nukumaru. But what sets him apart isn’t just his experience. It’s how he’s applied a lifetime of lessons from the corporate world to build a leaner, safer, and more profitable private operation—one that runs with precision, purpose, and gear that doesn’t miss a beat.

This is the story of how Tony, backed by the right people with the right machine, is rewriting what it means to run a profitable quarry in today’s fast-moving industry.

Hands-On Leader with High-Level Thinking

Tony’s journey started in 1987 - not behind a desk, but on the tools. “I left school in’87 to be a tyre fitter at Beaurepaires,” he says. “I used to fit tyres on dumpers and loaders at Winstone Aggregates in Otaki.”

From there, he worked his way up the chain—dumper operator, shot firer, assistant manager, and eventually quarry manager at some of the country’s most active sites. “By the time I was 21, I was assistant quarry manager at Otaki,” he recalls. He later managed quarries at Belmont, Petone, Dry Creek, and held regional roles across the lower North Island.

It was during his time at Winstone Aggregates that Tony developed his strategic mindset. “I learned a lot of my background for quarrying and business case scenarios in the roles I had,” he says. From managing resources and people to planning capital investment, he was immersed in the complexity of running operations at scale.

But when corporate cuts came during the recession, he returned to site-level management—first at Wiremu Road, and eventually, through a well-timed Trade Me job posting, to South Taranaki Quarries.

For Tony, it was a fresh challenge - and a chance to apply his full toolkit in a more agile, independent setting.

The Business Case for Crushing Smarter

Within six months of joining South Taranaki Quarries, Tony sat down with The General Manager to workshop concepts in how they could operate smarter and safer. They saw an opportunity to better optimize their business through a larger jaw crusher that offered mobility across multiple sites while simplifying production and reducing cost per tonne, without compromising product quality.

“We went through the process of pricing that off with most suppliers out there - and settled on the Keestrack as the best option for our situation.” Tony explains.

Why the Keestrack B4?

“The key drivers were the pre-screen for making the fines out the side, and then the throughput and the technology within the machine - for ease of clearing the crusher when it’s blocked and adjusting the crusher from the seat of the digger.” Tony Dowd says.

This wasn’t just about increasing tonnes per hour. It was about creating control.

With the new jaw crusher now running at 300 tonnes per hour, the operation can produce stock faster, with fewer breakdowns, less pressure on staff, and more time to make better decisions.

“One of the big opportunities it creates, I believe, is the ability to make more sound decisions around safety - because you’re not rushing to get product out the gate,” Tony says. “When you’re making decisions around safety, you’re not taking shortcuts for production issues.” Tony went onto explain in the video.

‍“The key drivers were the pre-screen for making the fines out the side, and then the throughput and the technology within the machine - for ease of clearing the crusher when it’s blocked.” - Tony Dowd

Operational Agility: Tailored Output, Reduced Waste

At the heart of the setup is adaptability. With three sites, varying resource profiles, and multiple products to supply, South Taranaki Quarries needed more than just a high-output machine—they needed a smart one.

Tony’s team are using the B4 to produce everything from AP120 for Forestry, AP65 for infrastructure projects, to requiring a specific material feed used in their production of TNZ M4 AP40 basecourse, each requiring different specs and fines content. The jaw crusher delivers that flexibility with ease.

“If I’m talking about the production run, we’re doing here at the moment - the fines out the side of the belt and the jaw crusher set at 125 ” Tony explains. “One of the main reasons for that is because the amount of fines coming out the side and the resource type that we have. You’ve got to slow the machine down slightly so that it will deal with the fines and not put too much fines in the second part of it.”

Feeding into their impactor, the crusher delivers a consistent product that’s ideal for downstream shaping. “It increases the production on a GAP 65 to our machine to around about 200 ton per hour, which is working quite well.”

When switching to M4 base, the team slows the jaw down and pulls back fines to ensure the crushed output delivers the right compaction properties.

Consistency That Wins Contracts

Tony’s team recently supplied 20,000 tonnes of M4 base course to a local infrastructure project—and thanks to their setup, the material was delivered consistently, on spec, and without production bottlenecks.

The result? Products that hit spec every time.

“We are now making a very consistent M4 base course and we’ve been supplying a project this year on that of around about 20,000 ton… and to date that’s gone very, very well.” - Tony Dowd

This kind of reliable performance has positioned South Taranaki Quarries as a go-to supplier, even as demand shifts. The team can ramp up, slow down, or pivot products with minimal disruption—and with the B4’s mobility, they’re able to deploy production where it’s needed most.

“We can move to the other sites and do the same there and have a completely mobile unit that goes around our sites.”

Backed by the Right Partner

Tony didn’t just invest in machinery—he invested in a partnership. And that’s made all thedifference.

“Dealing with Equip2, I’d seen them at Quarry Conference a few times,” he says. “I spent a bit of time with them and done dealings with them over the years. I am quite impressed with Equip2.”

From factory tours in Masterton to hands-on site set up for success and support, the experience has been positive from the outset.

“They put the deals on the table, showed us the plant and we had a good crawl around it. They were very knowledgeable about the plant and helpful for us and what we needed to know.”

And when it came time to Quarry install?

“They were very helpful, sending Robin over as a trainee guy to teach us all about the machine and try and soak into us quarry men the way to operate something. Not only just taught us that;  he has been a person to get a hold of after the fact and easy to explain things, of how to dothings.”

“You don’t learn everything on the first visit,” Tony adds. “Backup support is brilliant.”

‍“We are now making a very consistent M4 base course and we’ve been supplying a project this year on that of around about 20,000 ton…”

Sense of Fulfilment

Tony still gets excited about the daily variety of quarry life.

“You don’t really know from one day to the next what you’re going to be doing… one day you’re in the engineering shop, the next you’re in a loader or operating a crushing plant. It’s all exciting stuff.”

More than anything, he appreciates the sense of community, because its about the people

“We are very passionate people about making big rocks into small rocks… everybody’s very helpful within the industry. It’s just a great industry to be in.”

That camaraderie, combined with the right tools, creates the conditions for long-term success.

‍“The technology that’s in the machines nowadays have made it so much easier and better to operate machines… safer too.”

Better Tech. Better Margins. Safer Work.

Looking back, Tony’s seen it all—from 40-year-old fixed plants that “have been very productive machines in their time,” to today’s modern crushers that offer real-time control, remote adjustment, and safety guarding as standard.

“The technology that’s in the machines nowadays have made it so much easier and better to operate machines,” he says. “You can produce a similar or a little bit bigger jaw crusher nowadays, but produce at a much greater rate… and it’s just safer. Everything’s covered in. It’s great for the industry.”

It’s that combination—of technical edge, practical control, and people-focused leadership—that’s driving South Taranaki Quarries forward.

The Bottom Line

Tony Dowd isn’t chasing headlines. He’s simply doing the work—cleverly, consistently, and with calm confidence. With decades of experience, a clear business brain, and machinery that’s built for the long haul, he’s built an operation where down time is rare, output is reliable, and every shift moves the dial.

His story is proof that you don’t need flash to win—you need focus, great gear, and the right partner in your corner.

See Tony in Action?

Watch the video below of Tony Dowd and discover how strategic leadership and the right tools are helping reshape the future of quarries in New Zealand.