DunRite Sand & Gravel Company Inc. has been a steady presence in southern New Jersey's aggregate market since its founding in 1968. The company began with a modest 300-acre farm in Sicklerville, N.J., and has steadily grown to its current 1,200-acre mine site in Vineland, N.J.

"The original site had just five guys who would bring their own tools from home," said Project Manager Chuck Pinotti. "There wasn't a work boat, and there were barely enough loaders to keep the operation viable, but they kept pushing forward and grew the company to where it is today. It's a big operation, but we're still family owned. The Galetto and Calovi families remain actively involved, and there's a real commitment to take care of the land and the people."

Over nearly six decades, DunRite has developed an impressive scope of work, supplying aggregates across a wide territory with 22 employees. Its sand and gravel products support concrete companies, bagged cement producers and major infrastructure projects, primarily from New Jersey to Lancaster, Pa., but DunRite also will ship to other states.

"On any given day, we're sending out bulk products, topsoils, infield mixes, thermal sands, your basic sand and gravel, bar sand and concrete sand," said Pinotti.

DunRite also offers unique, custom blends to meet its customers' various requirements.

"We'll tackle any engineered design a customer brings us," said Pinotti. "From baseball infield mixes to burial sand for high-voltage lines in New York City, we make sure they get exactly what they need. Any products or engineered designs come here, get looked at, processed and designed; we make them, and we ship them out. That's given us an edge over many of our competitors who aren't doing all those aspects of aggregates to move them out the door. We will take any challenge, sit down as ownership and management, look at it, evaluate it and figure out how to do it. That's a big key to why DunRite has become the company that it is today."

Saving With Smart Construction

DunRite's Vineland site includes a massive dredge pond with towering banks that require precision mining and reclamation. The team also uses dry mining to reach materials that the dredge can't access. Meeting that level of demand takes robust equipment. Years ago, DunRite made the switch from a mixed fleet to a fully Komatsu fleet, driven by reliability and long-term performance.

"Komatsu has been a huge part of our success," Pinotti said. "I keep detailed records on all of our equipment — from fuel efficiency and service costs to warranty claims. It's important to know exactly what each machine is costing us over its lifetime. Komatsu consistently stands up better in our tough environment compared to other brands of equipment, and that reliability makes all the difference. We use them for 10 hours every day."

DunRite's fleet of Komatsu equipment includes six WA500 wheel loaders, two WA500 yard loaders, two HM400 articulated trucks, a D65PX dozer, a D65PXi-18 intelligent machine control (IMC) dozer and two PC490LC excavators, one of which is equipped with Smart Construction 3D Machine Guidance.

"The WA500 loaders handle everything from feeding portable screeners to loading trucks with aggregate and sand," Pinotti described. "The two WA500 yard loaders have 10-yard buckets, so we can load 90 percent of our trucks in just two passes. They're essential machines to our operation and provide the versatility and reliability we need."

The PC490 excavators are used for various tasks around the facility.

"The first use is loading trucks with just regular fill dirt in and out," Pinotti said. "The second use is loading haul trucks to send extra product to the plant for production. We use the PC490 with the Smart Construction to taper our banks, so when we're finished pumping in an area of the lake, we can put the D65PXi and that PC490 on the edge of the bank, and we can keep grade with that machine, so we don't have to go back and do it again. We can actually put the elevations that we want into the program, and that machine will keep us within tolerance of where we need to be, so we do it once, and we move on."

Pinotti added, "We love the D65PXi machine, and it saves us so much time and money on reclamation of the ponds, putting our banks where they need to be, setting flat level ground for new concrete infrastructure, new buildings. That's all part of what's helped make us successful."

Along with Komatsu's Smart Construction solutions, DunRite uses My Komatsu — a comprehensive digital hub that allows 24/7 access to machine telematics data, parts manuals, service manuals, software and parts ordering — to monitor its fleet daily.

"My Komatsu is fantastic," said Pinotti. "It lets us see exactly what's going on. It tracks hours, fuel burn and location for every piece of equipment we run. We even get alerts for factory upgrades or any issues, so we can catch problems early and keep production moving smoothly. It's a great product."

Reliable Support

Support from Komatsu Company-owned Dealer East (Komatsu East), and particularly sales representative Jared Nutter, has been another factor in DunRite's success. Pinotti credits Nutter for keeping things simple and straightforward.

"Jared is a great guy, and he does what he says he's going to do," Pinotti said. "He's on time when he says he's going to be on time. He comes with the right numbers on the machines. He backs you if you do have a question or a problem."

Reliable support means DunRite's machines regularly reach impressive lifespans. One Komatsu WA500 still runs daily with more than 26,000 hours on its original engine and transmission.

"It's all about maintenance and the right partnerships," Pinotti said. "Komatsu backs us up, and that gives us predictability. Knowing we can count on these machines for the long haul gives us confidence to keep pushing production forward."

Long-Term Operation

That reliability lets DunRite plan confidently for the future, with enough material on site to sustain mining operations for decades to come.

"We're always looking to grow, find new land and expand into other industries," Pinotti said. "I see nothing but bigger and better things ahead."

At its core, DunRite believes its success is built on its people, its quality product and its trusted machines.

Pinotti concluded, "Nothing happens without sand, and nothing moves without yellow iron — and for us, that means Komatsu."

(Article reprinted with permission from Komatsu East Insider, Winter 2026. The opinions expressed here are based on the customer's specific experience. Results may vary. All photos courtesy of Komatsu.)