Posted on August 24, 2022
What does “benefits and investing” in your people mean? You’ve probably heard it all, from vacation and health care to fun Fridays and to tell the truth these are all correct, but in today’s environment are those truly engaging and motivating employees? “Benefits” is a term that has undergone subtle change for many years but in today’s work environment it translates to how you invest in your people.
In May of this year, brothers and co-owners of DSC Dredge Bob and Bill Wetta attended the international conference WODCON in Copenhagen, Denmark. During their trip Bill Wetta had the opportunity to personally meet the highly recognized Dr. Sape Miedema, who in the early 1980’s studied dredging engineering at Delft and was the first ever PhD in Dredging. Through the years he is noted as contributing invaluable research and information on the scientific and engineering processes involved in cutting and transporting bottom material of every description.
As Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for DSC, Bill Wetta knew this meeting was not by chance and after discussions with Bob, they invited Dr. Miedema to visit DSC’s headquarters in Reserve, Louisiana and host an exclusive 2-day training for their engineers and product support team. “Investing in the education of our team is critical”, stated Bob.
Newest to DSC’s team of Engineers, Ryne Robert stated, “it was truly an honor being part of this training, Dr. Miedema is very knowledgeable in his field and makes understanding various concepts relatable to everyday matters in the dredging industry”. He noted that listening to Dr. Miedema opened his eyes to future opportunities and potential as an engineer. According to Robert, “sitting in the class, it brought into remembrance the Dunning-Kruger effect which deals with being ignorant of your own ignorance”. He added, “for most, you don’t know what you don’t know, and in this setting one isn’t even aware that one doesn’t know it. As a result, we live our lives in a bubble based on ones limited awareness. I am thankful to both Bob and Bill for taking the time to not only consider me as a valued attendee but invest in the continuance of my education”.
“Dr. Miedema taught the theoretical aspects of cutting processes and slurry transport, but with an empirical component. One can easily tell that when he speaks it is based on real life applications” stated Vice President of Product Development, Damon Gonzales. He further added, “as a Professional Engineer it is also necessary to upkeep professional development hours yearly and I was pleased to be part of a company that believes in its team and investing in in-house training where this course was not only applicable to the company’s core business but also accreditable. I look forward to more training like these”.
At the conclusion of Dr. Miedema training when asked for his thoughts he noted, “modelling is an attempt to describe reality without having the pretension to be reality. I am hopeful that at the end of the course I was able to depart the understanding that while in dredging we have many mathematical models that try to describe the reality of dredging, like slurry transport models, cutting models, sedimentation models and so on, the mathematical models are based on physics and only try to describe or simulate the reality of dredging; but in real dredging, nature determines these powers and if the models are accurate we are lucky. However, the models can never replace reality.
According to Bob and Bill Wetta, “the success DSC has achieved over the years is contributed to the outstanding persons who works alongside us and it’s through this philosophy we believe it is not only a necessity but important to invest in and give back to those who make it possible”.
Each of the attendees were awarded a signed copy of the first book ever written by Dr. Sape Miedema “The Delft Sand, Clay, and Rock Cutting Mode” and DSC presented him with an appreciation award, thanking him for all his continued contributions to the dredging industry.
DSC is a global leader in the dredge manufacturing industry, engineering superior customized dredging solutions to meet specific application needs, while continuing to exceed customer expectations. DSC Dredge designs and manufactures high quality, durable cutter suction dredges. At DSC Dredge, we help customers make THE RIGHT CHOICE. Quality, Innovation, Service, Commitment and Customization are key DSC attributes which explain why customers choose to work with DSC. DSC Dredge operates from three manufacturing facilities located in Reserve, LA, Poplarville, MS, and Greenbush, MI.
