C&W DustTech is driven by a simple philosophy: “Dust settles. We don’t.” Based in Alvarado, Texas, the industrial dust collection systems manufacturer is setting a high standard of excellence in everything they do. Approximately 250 machines are manufactured every year in the Texas facility, supporting the ready-mix concrete industry along with other mining and aggregate operations.
On a warm Wednesday morning in August, the Manufacturing Express paid a visit to Alvarado, Texas to celebrate the men and women of C&W DustTech and all the work they do to help keep people safe. “Welders, fabricators, engineers, customer support, finance, painters, the list goes on,” said COO & General Manager Steve Duncan. “This team takes great pride in their work.”
With a staff close to 70, C&W DustTech has fostered a tight knit community in Alvarado. Just ask 25-year employee Mark Prohaski, a project engineer. “My favorite part of the job is the people. To me, it’s like having a very large family,” Prohaski says. “Yes, I get to spend all day solving problems, drawing things, all sorts of fun things like that, but when it comes down to it, my favorite thing is dealing with the people.”
What unites the crew at C&W DustTech is more than just manufacturing dust collection systems; it’s their greater purpose of keeping workers safe. In the past few years, regulations from OSHA related to silica inhalation have set a much higher standard to protect workers in industries like construction and mining. This has created a massive demand for the equipment that C&W DustTech manufactures to keep employees safe. “We get to help companies make changes for the better. We get to design stuff that will reduce pollution,” says Prohaski. “Removing PM2.5 (particulate matter) from the air is just one of the things that we do that helps people.”
Described simply, its equipment operates like a Shop-Vac that cleans itself. When placed on top of a concrete silo, C&W’s systems can remove the hazardous particulate matter from the air. Their dust collection systems vary in size and intensity depending on the customer’s needs. From smaller machines that run on 4k CFM (cubic feet per minute), to much larger ones with 400k CFM, C&W can service them all.
Acquired by Deryl Beakley in 1992, C&W DustTech continues to grow. The Alvarado manufacturer is planning to expand its core concrete business into other adjacent industries, including construction, mining, and quarrying. Along with an upcoming international project in Peru, the future looks bright and clean for C&W DustTech.
“I think this industry shows you how strong the U.S. can be. We have all of the capabilities here and the infrastructure to help us get it, bring it along, and move it forward,” says Veronica Caponio, Director of Sales. “It’s so exciting to be a part of something that is being built. I think building is incredible, and it’s not something that people think about when they’re going to school. I know I didn’t think about it when I was going to school. But here I am, and it’s thriving. And it’s so exciting to be a part of something that’s thriving.”
C&W DustTech is a great example of the hardworking American manufacturing spirit seen across the country, and especially in Texas. Dedicated to creating a safer and healthier working environment on construction sites, C&W DustTech is helping to ensure safer, healthier lives for workers across America and the world.
