Aaron Witt’s Post

NEW VIDEO! Welcome to Australia’s newest, and potentially last, coal mine, Pembroke Resources Olive Downs Complex. Steel is the foundation of our society — concrete reinforcement, transportation, our power grid, etc. And steel doesn’t happen at scale without steelmaking coal. Pembroke’s been on a ten-year mission to bring this 75-year mine to life, and they’re using it to show society what responsible mining can look like in the future. I enjoy crazy cool access to operations around the globe, but I’ve never had access like this. We saw the mining operations, autonomous command center, and even the koala research on-site. Watch now here https://lnkd.in/gnuhUG-z or by searching “Aaron Witt” on YouTube! #betterdirtworld

The infamous RWE Baggers… The world’s largest mobile machines. Weighing up to 14,200 tons each, the mine features five of these monsters on various levels. They use their bucket wheels to move up to 240,000 cubic meters (314,000 cubic yards) daily. Each machine feeds a conveyor belt, with the mine’s total conveyor network spanning 100+ kilometers (62 miles). Just how big are they? The second photo has a D8 dozer highlighted for scale. #betterdirtworld

Ístak lava assault force racing against Mother Nature to raise the 20+ meter (65 foot) lava barrier before the next eruption. Holding back 45 million cubic meters (59 million cubic yards) of the world’s freshest earth is no joke. Despite the unlikely odds, the barriers made from volcanic material have been highly effective. #betterdirtworld

Partnering with a company like John Deere to produce world-class Dirt World training is spectacular! They’ve been remarkably open to lending us their facilities, machines, and experts to make these courses happen. There’s plenty more in the pipeline, but here’s a teaser of what’s live on BuildWitt Training now! There’s only one industry training platform that doesn’t leave you to create training content yourself… We’ve handled the hard part, but only thanks to great partners like John Deere and many others. #construction #civilengineering #heavyequipment #dirtworld

A few shots from my last visit with Zeppelin Baumaschinen GmbH and their customers across Germany in 2022. We’re back this week for another visit, and it’s already been a good one! In foreign countries, especially ones with different languages, I’ve found it’s easiest to coordinate trips through equipment dealers. They have the relationships and can plot our course much more effectively than I ever could. #betterdirtworld

Visited with Aregger AG Bauunternehmung A-REX yesterday. What a treat. Quite the demolition weapon. These are photos from our last visit in 2022. #betterdirtworld

Last summer in Chile. When the cops tell everyone to pull off the road, you know something good is coming. It’s safe to say shipping mining trucks isn’t cheap! #betterdirtworld

Big truck, much bigger Iceland. Our Europe 2024 trip is off to a GREAT start! Whenever I tell someone where I’m traveling, their follow-up question is, “work or fun?” To me, they’re the same. #betterdirtworld

NEW VIDEO Did you know rocks like this can make power for over one million people? I didn’t before I visited APCO in Jordan, thanks to Near East Equipment Co. Find out how this incredible mining operation works by clicking the link https://lnkd.in/ghVS-kcn or by searching “Aaron Witt” on YouTube. #betterdirtworld

Watching a D11 rip lava rock only hours after landing in Iceland for the first time… Our trip is off to a good start. Ístak crews have worked for six months to build lava barriers to protect a power plant and an entire town from destruction. The more the lava flows, the higher the barriers must rise. The irony is that they’re fighting fire with fire—giant dozers are ripping and piling up old lava rock to use for the barrier fill. #betterdirtworld