In the world of robotic dredging, the human element is critical. Dredge Robotics, a developer of advanced dredging solutions for Australia’s resources sector, relies on its teams to get crews, robots and equipment on the road to remote client sites across Australia and further afield to Papua New Guinea and Singapore.
Miz Howe joined Dredge Robotics in 2020 as a part-time receptionist and today oversees the all-female mobilisation team as senior operations coordinator, ensuring crews arrive on time and are fully equipped to safely work in high-risk environments.
“I love the time crunch and the dynamic nature of the work. We support more than 50 clients, seven robot systems and over 20 projects at any time. One minute I’m talking to our project managers or juggling roster changes with our crew, and the next I’m booking flights to get people from A to B,” Howe said.
Amid the rapid scaling of the business, Dredge Robotics has held tight to its culture of safety and innovation.
“A big focus at the moment is upskilling and refresher training. When a project arises, we make sure our crew are compliant and ready to go with all the requirements for safe access to the client site,” Howe said.
Dredge Robotics chief executive officer Antony Old said that he was thrilled to see the growth of the mobilisations team, who were crucial to successful project delivery.
“Sometimes jobs come in that require an urgent response. They work at speed and pull out all the stops to make it happen,” he said.
The all-female team reflects the growing number of women across the company.
“When I joined, I was one of five women at Dredge Robotics. Now I’m one of about 16. Many of us work across multiple teams, which in turn, builds inclusivity and our wider team culture,” Howe said.
An unofficial mentor, Miz encourages ambition among the other women at Dredge Robotics.
“I like helping people look for opportunities. Just because you don’t have a particular role, doesn’t mean you can’t have a pathway.”
“Don’t count yourself out – It’s important that everyone has a seat at the table,” she said.