Loud, dusty and far removed from innovation. We often think of mining as separate from modern manufacturing, but our visit to Imerys West Hub in this episode challenges that idea.
The conversation was recorded on site at the largest diatomaceous earth mine in the world, in Lompoc, California. During the recording, a sonic boom from a nearby SpaceX launch cuts across the background, a reminder of how closely materials, regulation, and advanced manufacturing often overlap.
Chris is joined by Ken Rasmussen, Operations Director at the site, who shares a practical perspective on what modern mining looks like when it’s done right.
Ken walks us through how diatomaceous earth is mined, processed, and shipped as a finished product from a single site, and why that matters. The material is used in industries most people don’t associate with mining, including water filtration, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and vaccines.
In this episode, we look at how mining fits directly into modern manufacturing, and what it takes to run an end-to-end operation on a global scale.
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3 Quick Things from this Episode
- Mining isn’t optional for modern manufacturing. If a material isn’t grown, it has to be mined, and that reality shows up in everything from water treatment to medical products.
- At Imerys, mining and processing happen in one continuous operation. For manufacturers, it highlights the value of tighter control in end-to-end operations: fewer handoffs, clearer accountability, and more predictable quality and supply, especially in regulated sectors like food, pharma, and healthcare.
- This episode challenges the idea that mining only works “far away.” Ken explains how safety systems, process discipline, and automation allow large-scale industrial operations to coexist within strict regulation and local communities.
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Tweetable Quotes
- “If you can’t grow it, you have to mine it. It’s not magic. Everything we use has to come from somewhere.”
- “Mining absolutely has to be part of communities, or else everything would need to be imported. There’s no other way around it.”
- “The safety of our employees is first and foremost in everything we do. Every single person here has the authority to stop work if something doesn’t feel right.”
Please Scroll Down for Recommended Resources from this Episode
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This episode is part of the MADE HERE City Series, created in partnership with ISN, the Industrial Solutions Network. In these episodes, we’re exploring what makes a city’s manufacturing community so special. This series not only features full podcast interviews with manufacturing leaders, but behind-the-scenes tours of some of the region’s most iconic and important industrial operations. Check out our latest mini-series in California’s Santa Maria Valley today.
What We Discuss with Ken
- Why “if you can’t grow it, you have to mine it” still applies to modern manufacturing
- What diatomaceous earth is and why it’s critical for filtration, pharma, and medical applications
- How a mining operation runs start to finish, from raw material to finished product
- Why mining in California forces higher standards for safety, automation, and environmental control
- How automation improves recovery, efficiency, and process visibility across the operation
- What mining really looks like today versus common perceptions
- How and why mining should coexist with communities instead of being pushed outside them
Recommended Resources
- Imerys, a provider of mineral-based specialty solutions for industry globally, including construction, automotive, and consumer goods; their Lompoc, CA facility is the world’s largest diatomite mine.
- SpaceX, is a private American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company founded by Elon Musk in 2002. Its primary mission is to revolutionize space technology by making rockets fully and rapidly reusable.
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