Asphalt Pro - July 2022

Corporate Profiles Issue

asphaltPRO PRODUCTION – PROFESSIONALS – PRODUCTS

Breedon Group Replaces Drum in Five Days

• Add to Plastics Discussion • Let’s Predict the Asphalt Future • Protect Calibrated Tools in the Field • International Airport Rejuvenates RAP Use • New Frontier Materials Takes Quality Control

JULY 2022 WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM

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CONTENTS

asphaltPRO July 2022

DEPARTMENTS

20

EDITOR’S LETTER 6 – Monitor Thermal Mapping Intelligently

SAFETY SPOTLIGHT 8 – Three Ways IIJA Aims to Amp Up Work Zone Safety

By AsphaltPro Staff

MIX IT UP 12 – Plastics in the Infrastructure Conversation

By Ben Scott, Ph.D.

THAT'S A GOOD IDEA 18 – Protect Extra QC Tools

By John Ball

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

18

28

20 – New Frontier Materials Updates Controls for Quality From WEM Automation

WOMEN OF ASPHALT 24 – Meet 17 Women of Asphalt: Women of Superior Asphalt From Superior Asphalt

Corporate Profiles Issue

asphaltPRO PRODUCTION – PROFESSIONALS – PRODUCTS

Breedon Group Replaces Drum in Five Days

INTERNATIONAL SNAPSHOT 28 – International Rejuvenation From Cargill

PRODUCT GALLERY 54 – Change Out a Drum From Ammann Group

NEW TECH 60 – Increase Profitability with Pittbos

By Sarah Redohl

OFF THE MAT 62 – Predict Your Asphalt Cost

By Sandy Lender

SPECIAL SECTION 30 – Second Annual Corporate Profiles AsphaltPro Magazine presents the second annual installment of company profiles showcasing those OEMs who not only bring new and innovative technologies to the marketplace, but also support the publication that supports your industry. Review the manufacturers and service providers who bring you innovations, help you build a sustainable infrastructure, and join you in environmental stewardship goals.

• Add to Plastics Discussion • Let’s Predict the Asphalt Future • Protect Calibrated Tools in the Field • International Airport Rejuvenates RAP Use • New Frontier Materials Takes Quality Control

JULY 2022 WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM

ON THE COVER

Breedon Group was ready to upgrade an older drum at its Longwater plant near Norwich, England, after 15 years of operation. The team from Dixon Engineering Ltd. installed a new drum with a skin thickness of 15 mm. See related article on page 28. Photo courtesy of Ammann Group, Langenthal, Switzerland

E D I TO R ' S L E T T E R

Monitor Thermal Mapping Intelligently

T

he concept of intelligent compaction (IC) is not new to the asphalt industry. We’ve been talking about it and sharing “how to” achieve density of asphalt mats with IC for as long as AsphaltPro has been in publication. (That would be since 2007 for those of you following along at home.)

I remember in the early days having a screen at the operator’s platform that showed black-and-white vertical lines that filled in as roller operators completed passes, merely helping the operator keep count. While that might seem rudimentary to us today, it was a steppingstone on the path to intelligent compaction/infrared (IC/IR) technologies some state departments of transportation (DOTs) are now considering as part of quality assurance and pay factors.

In the June 2020 issue of AsphaltPro, we gave a breakdown of paver-mounted thermal profiling (PMTP) so I won’t rehash that here. We’ve shared a handful of thermal mapping camera technologies that manufacturers such as Vögele—and others—have released to the market so I won’t re-hash them all here.

I’m not trying to “sell” thermal mapping systems with this editorial message. Instead, I wish to remind readers of the evolving technology.

Not all systems are built the same, not all systems offer the same number of data points, and so on. But all the manufacturers I’ve spoken to have answered my “depth” question the same: these thermal cameras are measuring the surface of the mat directly behind the screed. You’re not receiving a reading 2 or 3 inches into the mat where a segregation problem may reside or where the shade of a road-adjacent structure is not influencing the temperature.

Does that mean I distrust thermal mapping for assisting with IC? Not at all. I merely suggest we hesitate to treat current thermal mapping’s results as Gospel when determining pay factors.

I see its efficacy for assisting roller operators in monitoring rolling patterns and for assisting screed and paver 6 | JULY 2022

July 2022 • Vol. 15 No. 9

asphaltPRO 602 W. Morrison, Box 6a Fayette, MO 65248 (573) 823-6297 • www.theasphaltpro.com GROUP PUBLISHER Chris Harrison chris@ theasphaltpro.com PUBLISHER Sally Shoemaker sally@theasphaltpro.com (573) 823-6297

Malcolm Swanson of e5 Engineers and Sandy Lender discuss plant and production best practices at the AsphaltPro booth during World of Asphalt 2022 in Nashville.

operators in monitoring equipment and mix temperatures. Achieving density means you get a longer lasting pavement. This is known far and wide. Any technology we can leverage to achieve compaction is worth looking into.

The idea of tracking lots and sublots while assigning temperatures and density percentages to them makes me nervous if we’re doing that prior to having a “camera” that can accurately plumb the depths of the mat being placed.

While a thermal imaging device atop a pole that can be set to measure exact temperature at 2.75 inches below the mat’s surface might frighten the average non science fiction fan, we could look at today’s thermal mapping cameras as a steppingstone. We may very well be on our way to the more robust measuring tools the DOTs would have more confidence in if seeking to pay contractors based on temperature of lots behind the screed.

Stay Safe,

Sandy Lender

EDITOR Sandy Lender sandy@theasphaltpro.com (239) 272-8613 DIGITAL EDITOR Sarah Redohl sarah@theasphaltpro.com (573) 355-9775 MEDIA SALES Cara Owings cara@theasphaltpro.com (660) 537-0778 ART DIRECTOR Kristin Branscom BUSINESS MANAGER Susan Campbell (660) 728-5007

AsphaltPro is published 11 times per year.

Writers expressing views in AsphaltPro Magazine or on the AsphaltPro website are professionals with sound, professional advice. Views expressed herein are not necessarily the same as the views of AsphaltPro, thus producers/contractors are still encouraged to use best practices when implementing new advice.

SUBSCRIPTION POLICY: Individual subscriptions are available without charge in the United Sates, Canada and Mexico to qualified individuals.

One year subscription to non-qualifying Individuals: United States $90, Canada and Mexico $125.00. For the international digital edition, visit theasphaltpro.com/subscribe/.

DESIGN, DETAILS, AND DURABILITY.

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S A F E T Y S P OT L I G H T

Three Ways IIJA Aims to Amp Up Work Zone Safety

BY ASPHALTPRO STAFF

O

n average, about 135 roadway workers are killed on the job annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. “In the heavy civil construction sector, struck-bys are both the number one cause of fatalities and non-fatal injuries,” said Bradley Sant, senior vice president of safety and education at the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA).

Sant said the number of fatalities in work zones has been increasing for years, even when normalized against increased road work, based on the total number of road construction workers in place and the dollar value of road construction projects. “What does that mean when we see a huge jump in funding? Unless we do something to change that [fatality] rate, we could see some real causes for concern.”

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) delivers a 44% increase in core federal highway funding between FY 2021 and FY 2022.

Beginning in 2023, ARTBA estimates the IIJA funding will result in at least 4,000 additional work sites annually.

“There’s going to be a tremendous amount of work going on over the next eight to 10 years,” said Scott Earnest, associate director for construction safety and health at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), during a recent webinar. “It’s important when this work is done that it’s done safely.”

Fortunately, Sant outlined a number of provisions in the IIJA that deal specifically with struck-bys. This includes funding for the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), including for automated speed enforcement in work zones; the creation of safety contingency funds; and the requirement of safety benchmarks for vulnerable road users, which includes roadway construction workers.

If neither static nor moveable barriers are an option, Huizinga recommends measures like temporary rumble strips, truck-mounted attenuators, or intrusion alarms to alert workers when a cone has been struck so they can get out of the way. She also stresses the importance of frequently inspecting and cleaning channelizing devices to ensure they are as visible as possible to the motoring public.

Sant also mentioned automatic cone placement technology that places cones without workers having to leave the truck. “That’s showing a lot of promise,” he said.

AUTOMATED SPEED ENFORCEMENT

“The HSIP is traditionally aimed at infrastructure improvements that make roads safer for motorists,” Sant said. However, he added, some of that funding is now available for automated speed enforcement in work zones.

“While automated speed enforcement is not a new program, there are only a couple states that have made a lot of use of it over the years,” 8 | JULY 2022

Sant said, spotlighting Illinois, Maryland and Pennsylvania, with other states more recently adopting the practice.

For example, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is deploying automated speed enforcement on some long-term projects this summer, said Marchel Johnson, assistant director of safety, security and emergency management at VDOT. The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is also piloting the use of automated speed enforcement in work zones this summer. Any motorist going 15 mph over the posted speed limit in a work zone will receive a warning for the first violation, a $75 fine for the second violation, and a $150 fine for the third violation, with tickets mailed directly to the vehicle owner’s home.

“The two most frequent causes of work zone safety accidents are speeding and distracted driving,” said David Ferraro, a survivor of a

LEARN MORE A Close Call in Connecticut David Ferraro was working on the southbound lanes of I-95 in Greenwich, Connecticut, just a few miles from the border with New York State on Nov. 16, 1995, when he was struck by a drunk driver who had fallen asleep at the wheel.

It was the beginning of the night paving shift, when the crew was standing behind the paver going over final details and waiting for the first load of mix. Two of the three lanes—the right and center lanes—were closed to traffic, with the paver and crew in the right lane. When a fellow inspector pulled into the closed center lane to speak with Ferraro and a coworker, they walked over to the pickup truck with their backs to traffic in the open left lane. A few moments later, the drunk driver crashed into the pickup truck, bounced back into the active lane of traffic, and sped off into New York where he was later caught by Connecticut police.

“I was dazed at the time and didn’t even realize I’d been struck,” Ferraro said. Before the driver hit Ferraro and the pickup truck, they had hit several cones and sent them flying in all directions, hitting Ferraro and his coworkers. “I thought I was only hit by cones until a state police officer noticed my jeans were ripped and had gray paint on them from the car.”

“If the collision point had been a few inches different, both me and my coworker next to me would have been crushed between the vehicles,” Ferraro said. “If the driver didn’t crash into the truck and bounce back into the active lane, he would have crashed into the back of the paver and seriously hurt or killed six highway workers standing there.”

S A F E T Y S P OT L I G H T work zone struck-by incident with CTDOT. In a recent work zone Ferraro was in, the average speed of the traveling public was 68 mph in a 40 mph zone. Although CTDOT has implemented double fines, radar speed displays, and state police for speed enforcement on interstate projects, Ferraro said the traveling public still gets complacent.

CTDOT is hoping to see longer lasting effects through the use of automated speed enforcement.

“While we may not like this automated speed enforcement as a driver, we know it is an effective tool,” Sant said, adding that excessive vehicle speed and speed variability are primary factors contributing to work zone crashes. “By getting people to obey posted speed limits, we see [automated speed enforcement] as a great mitigation tool for those actions.”

POSITIVE PROTECTION

“Throughout the IIJA, there are a lot of dedicated resources going to vulnerable road users,” Sant said. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines roadway construction workers as pedestrians, and pedestrians are considered vulnerable road users (VRUs). “We’re seeing fatalities among VRUs increasing at grave rates, even as other areas of crash fatalities are going down.”

“When people think about VRUs, they usually think about pedestrians, bicyclists, or people with disabilities on personal conveyance,” Sant said. “But, by definition, those VRUs include workers. We want to make sure they are not forgotten as we talk about VRUs.” Sant said the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is developing guidance documents for the states regarding how to improve safety for VRUs. For example, implementing a safety system approach to build and reinforce “multiple layers of protection to both prevent

LEARN MORE Increased Work, Reduced Fatalities: A Case Study In 2020, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) was able to complete 2,000 more projects than in 2019 while reducing fatalities from 17 to 11, said Marchel Johnson, assistant director of safety, security and emergency management at VDOT. They’ve implemented a number of measures to increase work zone safety. This includes creating its own supplement to chapter six of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), safety training for anyone working in road work zones, and devices like rumble strips, improved lighting, smart work zone devices and programmable message boards.

They’ve also made some changes to required personal protective equipment (PPE). Its state forces are now required to wear KASK helmets instead of traditional hard hats to provide better protection from side, frontal and back impact. They now allow highvisibility leg gaiters or Class E trousers for installing, maintaining and removing traffic control devices, with Class E trousers being mandatory for nighttime flagging operations. “We’ve seen more workers wearing leg gaiters, both among our state forces and our contractor partners, in the work zone at all times,” Johnson said.

10 | JULY 2022

crashes from happening in the first place and minimize the harm caused to those involved when crashes do occur,” writes the DOT. “We’re seeing a dramatic uptick in consideration of separating workers from motorists, and seeing greater emphasis put on this from the FHWA,” said Laura Huizinga, technical sales manager at Lindsay Transportation.

To do so, she’s seen many states allow full roadway or full travel bound closures. “What better way to keep motorists and workers separate than to close the road?” However, Huizinga recognizes this isn’t possible in all cases. That’s where positive protection can be used.

“Designers, planners and engineers are getting very adept at choosing the best positive protection option, depending on speeds, deflection and where they’re being put into place,” Huizinga said. She said static barriers—whether of steel, concrete, or water-filled—are a good option if it’s feasible to do so, but added that these are most often used only for long-duration lane closures.

When it’s not possible to close off the work zone with static barriers, Huizinga said it’s common for designers to gravitate toward channelizing devices to delineate lane closures. “These devices are great at providing motorists with guidance past the work zone, but don’t offer any intrusion protection whatsoever,” she said.

For work zones where static barriers aren’t feasible, she recommends moveable and mobile barriers. “These provide positive protection for the motoring public and workers, while maintaining mobility by being able to keep those lanes open during peak traffic hours.”

Ferraro said CTDOT uses Lindsay’s barrier system on some of its jobs. “Although they’ve been struck a bunch of times, they’ve definitely reduced injuries and fatalities,” he said. “As owners, we need to realize that cones and drums can only do so much. The only way to keep workers and the traveling public safe is to use positive protection.”

Huizinga said the best way to encourage positive protection is for these measures to be included in the safety policies and standards to which the state adheres and to provide appropriate funding to implement them on job sites. The IIJA can also help in this regard.

“Road construction is typically a low-bid environment,” Sant said, “so, it’s always been a concern what we do with folks who are trying to do a better job and may be undercut by those not as concerned with safety out there.”

“Maybe the plan calls for drums and cones, but when we get out there, we realize positive separation may be needed,” Sant said. “In the past, making such a change was difficult because it required getting new money.” What the IIJA did was allow states to create a safety contingency fund to be used for additional temporary traffic control to protect motorists and workers.

“Then, if you come up on these unanticipated safety problems, there’s money to fix that,” Sant said. “We’re very excited about that provision, which can allow for more positive protection between workers and motorists.”

Additional Resources: • FHWA Work Zone Management website (ops.fhwa. dot.gov/wz/) • National Work Zone Awareness Week website (ops. fhwa.dot.gov/wz/outreach/wz-awareness.htm) • National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse website (workzonesafety.org)

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MIX IT UP

Plastics in the Infrastructure Conversation

BY BEN SCOTT, PH.D.

P

undits anticipate state departments of transportation (DOTs) should see their first round of funds from the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (BIL), which became law in November, by third quarter this year. (See the article “Infrastructure Law Presents Construction Opportunity” in the February 2022 issue.)

Let us consider the opportunities the bill provides to advance new technologies that will allow us to build a more sustainable and resilient infrastructure, while also addressing rapidly emerging climate and sustainability challenges.

Now is the moment we can set our sights on vetting and implementing sustainable infrastructure solutions, such as the use of recycled plastic waste in asphalt, as funding is dispersed.

DEMONSTRATE PERFORMANCE

The use of recycled waste plastic products in asphalt mixes has recently captured the attention of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as well as many state DOTs. Climate-conscious agencies and asphalt professionals are exploring the use of a range of recycled plastic waste products to serve as additives in asphalt formulations. GreenMantra, like other recycled plastic waste product manufacturers, understands that demonstrating beneficial use in asphalt is key. Testing to demonstrate performance of products and blending methods is at varying stages today. However, if GreenMantra’s early testing success is any indication, the future for the use of recycled plastic waste in asphalt is bright.

As a “newer” product to asphalt roadways, GreenMantra had the benefit of being used in asphalt shingles for years. Given the known performance of recycled plastic waste products in asphalt shingles, making the leap to exploring roadways seemed like a logical next step. Green12 | JULY 2022

Figure 1. Storage Stability of 2-4% CERANOVUS A115 wax in PG64-22

Figure 2. Extended Storage Stability of 2% CERANOVUS A115 wax in PG64-22

All illustrations appear courtesy of GreenMantra

Mantra began performing asphalt roadway testing of its CERANOVUS® product about eight years ago but, in the last two years or so, has ramped up studies both internally and by working with the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT).

The first tests performed by NCAT were focused on storage stability, showing CERANOVUS polyethylene specialty waxes are 100% compatible with, and miscible in, the liquid asphalt binder. NCAT conducted the standard 48-hour static conditioning per ASTM D7173 to determine the stability with dosages up to 3%.

RECOGNIZING THE INNOVATIVE POTENTIAL OF RPM ASPHALT, STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES WILL PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN EXPANDING THE USE OF THESE FORMULATIONS.

Additional testing showed uniform distribution at dosages up to 4%. Once CERANOVUS waxes are incorporated, they remain stable in the binder, with minimal separation tendencies. This was confirmed via internal extended storage stability studies using the standard 48-hour static conditioning and softening point testing per ASTM D7173 and ASTM D36, with results shown in Figures 1 and 2 above.

MICROPLASTICS

It is important to settle concerns over microplastics within the use of recycled plastic modified (RPM) asphalt. In the wet blending process, the goal is that all additives, including recycled plastic waste products, maintain uniform dispersion in the binder. Over time, undispersed plastic particles may phase-separate and agglomerate near the surface, creating a potential for performance problems as well as allowing for small plastics to break away.

In laboratory testing, GreenMantra’s CERANOVUS A115 product maintained dispersion and created a homogenous mixture with the liquid asphalt binder,

MIX IT UP Figure 3. 3% recycled polyethylene plastic in liquid binder

Figure 4. 3% CERANOVUS A115 wax in liquid binder

with no phase separation occurring. This was demonstrated by Fluorescence Microscopy (FM) testing. FM is a scientific method that uses UV light to analyze the miscibility of components. It is widely used to analyze polymer distribution and miscibility in asphalt binders. Dispersed materials are largely unseen, while undispersed agglomerated particles appear as light green in the dark binder.

FM tests were performed by NCAT using a Ziess Axiovert 200 Inverted Fluorescence Microscope. Figure 3 shows the FM analysis of 3% unmodified recycled polyethylene plastic in a PG64-22 binder, demonstrating a high level of undispersed, agglomerated plastic particles.

In contrast, Figure 4 shows the complete homogeneity of 3% CERANOVUS A115 wax in a PG64-22 binder. These findings indicate that recycled plastic waste alone may need an additional additive to help maintain dispersion, whereas waxes can be easily dispersed and do not phase separate.

The benefits for recycled plastic wastes and additives are being tested, from enhancing asphalt product performance, improving the sustainability profile, and in some cases, providing lower energy consumption through cold tempera-

ture processing. Using recycled plastic waste products also results in a reduced consumption of fossil fuel-based products and diversion of plastic waste from landfills and our environment. Since the initial testing two years ago, GreenMantra has continued to build data on asphalt performance, carrying out lab-scale tests necessary to move to large-scale demonstration.

14 | JULY 2022

PROVING AND ADVANCING

As mentioned, the performance and evaluation of RPM is in varying stages for different products and blending methods. The industry would benefit from a coordinated approach to testing. Beyond lab testing, a series of demonstration projects are taking place around the United States. GreenMantra has worked with partners in North America—such as the City of Vancouver, Shell Chemicals, Nova Chemicals, Chevron Phillips Chemical, the Pennsylvania DOT and others—to test and validate its products.

While there is still much work to be done in North America to advance RPM asphalt, key stakeholders like NAPA and NCAT are leading an excellent initiative to educate the asphalt industry about the

successes (and failures) from use cases so state and local decision makers can continue to innovate and expand the use of RPM asphalt.

There are currently materials being tested from mechanically recycled processes, and materials derived from advanced recycling technologies. Advanced recycling is a class of technology that is relatively new to the world. GreenMantra uses these technologies, employing a patented technology that transforms waste plastic into sustainable specialty polymer additives to enhance infrastructure products. Advanced recycling can overcome some of the technical limitations that exist with mechanically recycling plastics.

This means communities will be able to create beneficial uses for plastics that were previously destined for the landfill or polluting our environments.

Over the course of 2020-2021, as part of the additive group phase 1 experiments, NCAT confirmed that GreenMantra’s recycled polyethylene waxes enhance asphalt performance, creating the potential for a 10% thinner asphalt pavement while delivering the optimum performance of a standard asphalt pavement.

Results for these studies will be released soon and GreenMantra has entered into a multi-year service agreement with NCAT to complete ongoing testing that validates the long-term performance of GreenMantra’s CERANOVUS specialty waxes in asphalt.

With the new infrastructure and appropriations bills in place, we are at an exciting nexus of innovation and investment when it comes to advancing infrastructure in the United States. Transportation agencies are being given a unique opportunity to invest in new, sustainable technologies at an unprecedented scale. For the asphalt space, that means an opportunity to accelerate the use of sustainable asphalt products. Recognizing the innovative potential of RPM asphalt, state and local agencies will play a critical role in expanding the use of these formulations.

Together, we can go farther, be better, and do good.

Ben Scott, Ph.D., is the director of technology for GreenMantra Technologies, Brantford, Ontario.

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IMPROVE QUALITY Quickly assess the quality of pavement during the paving process. Finally, you can fix low density issues related to cold mix, paver stops and breakdowns.

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IMPROVE LIFE SPAN Detect problems to help avoid such premature failures as road raveling, cracking and deterioration along longitudinal joints.

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T H AT ’ S A G O O D I D E A

Protect Extra QC Tools

Notice the black box with the number 14 in this picture. The crew has affixed an 18- by 24-inch box on the back of the paver to store pavement marking paint, headsets, release agent spray, and the like. The box can include a lock to protect the expensive items like headsets or sensors overnight.

BY JOHN BALL

T

he savvy paving crew has at least one smart level on the job for double-checking the screed plate, tunnels and extensions, grade and slope, and any number of quality control points while working toward a top quality pavement. You must take care of the smart level as you would any QC/QA tool.

If you lean the smart level against the ladder to the operator deck, you can bet it will vibrate off the back, drop to the ground and null out.

Leaving the smart level on top of the deck with the sun beating down on it will null it out, too.

Rather than storing smart levels, depth gauges, and the like in the foreman’s truck at some inconvenient part of the project, build a simple snorkel tube to affix to the paver deck in a way that won’t trip anyone up top, and store tools close at hand. In these pictures, the crew for Peter Baker & Sons has an 8-inch-diameter PVC pipe with a cap on the end to hold the levels. This simple solution keeps the QC tools near the crew and in calibration.

John Ball is the proprietor of Top Quality Paving & Training, Manchester, New Hampshire. He provides personal, on-site paving consulting services around the United States and into Canada. For more information, contact him at (603) 493-1458 or tqpaving@ yahoo.com.

18 | JULY 2022

Notice the cap has a string on it. The string ensures the cap stays “attached” to the snorkel tube even when the end is open/exposed. The last thing you need is to drop the cap and end up with it rolled into your new mat.

This snorkel tube, with cap, is about 4 feet long to accommodate the smart levels. In this picture, you can see how far it reaches beyond the paver deck, which doesn’t allow it to trip or get in the way of the screed operators.

STOP OVERFILLING TANKS!

The Tank Management System is comprised of three levels of functionality and is customizable for your plant.

R

TM

1.

This component makes it possible for you to never have to second-guess how much material is in your A.C. tanks or hotmix silos. The Accu-Level continuously monitors tank levels alerting the operator when an overfill is approaching.

TM

2.

v.3.0.0

Name

The app allows you to monitor specific operations of your plant. While using it, you can: observe tank and silo levels in real-time, keep track of temperatures, monitor hot oil heater vitals, receive error alerts, allow team access, and more. Completely mobile-friendly, the app can be operated on a computer, tablet or any smart phone.

Profile

Log

Level (Gallons)

Users

Temp o F

Tank 1 AC-47

26850 268

Tank 2 AC-40

26842 268

Tank 3 AC-55

5355

-

Tank 4 AC-30

0

268

Tank 5 AC-21

0

268

Tank 6 AC-20

0

-

Tank 7 AC-10

0

268

Tank 8 AC-10

0

268

0

-124

Tank 9 AC-10 Silo 1 AC-1

53.6%

Silo 2 AC-2

53.6%

Silo 3 AC-3

53.6%

Silo 4 AC-4

53.6%

Silo 5 AC-5

53.6%

Silo 6 AC-6

53.6%

Silo 7 AC-7

53.6%

Silo 8 AC-8

53.6%

FireEye

High Level

Outputs

Low Level

High Temp

Monitor

Low Temp

268

HoneyWell

268

Electric

-124

Network Connected 12/13/2022 11:24:35

3.

TM

This system allows you to monitor and regulate all of your A.C. tanks. Users can set individual tank high/low parameters for level and temperature to initiate a pump shutdown and prevent tank overflows.

In addition, you can operate A.C. tank supply, return, and fill valves with the push of a button from the control room, tank farm or any smart phone.

For more information

800-826-0223 Stansteel.com HotmixParts.com

P R OJ E C T M A N AG E M E N T

New Frontier Materials Updates Controls for Quality

Mike Raasch, the controls engineer and project manager at WEM Automation, double-checks the cold feed sensors. All photos courtesy of WEM FROM WEM AUTOMATION

Y

ou’ll know when the time has come to update plant controls.

For any number of reasons, you may have put it off as long as you could, but now it must be done.

The question becomes, how much of the system do you update? Do you update your entire operation with “full plant” controls, or do you update a portion of your plant and keep its overall existing architecture? This is a common query facing many asphalt producers, and one that deserves significant analysis and planning. After all, you will be working with and using this system for many years to come.

Moving to a modern plant control system will require a move from the manual style push button controls to a new paradigm. The on-screen, human machine interface (HMI)/graphical user interface (GUI), full plant type of automation control takes away the multiple panels of buttons and toggles. James Keene, the general manager of as20 | JULY 2022

phalt operations, and his crew at New Frontier Materials, Fort Belle, Missouri, started with that idea.

The New Frontier Materials team was operating with a plant control system that dated back to 2004. They were experiencing many technical issues and running the risk of product replacement availability and obsolescence.

Keene noted, “the lack of online and technical support to keep up with an older system was definitely a push to make the upgrade.”

Keene and his co-workers were looking for a new system that was not only suitable for their current needs, but one with the necessary support service and flexibility that would carry them for years to come.

The decision to shift from push-button to on-screen full plant automation seemed like a natural and wise progression for New Frontier Materials, especially since they already had familiarity with this style of controls at other plant sites. Regarding any fears or hesitations with making the move, Keene mentioned, “There was no hesitation

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P R OJ E C T M A N AG E M E N T After using their new system for a bit, Kelling declared the controls user-friendly. “I have a new guy that I am training, and he has caught on very quickly. WEM does a good job of breaking the plant down by use of tabs.” Kelling continued, “Anyone who can turn a computer on can run a WEM system.”

A key component in any successful controls replacement project is paying close attention to detail and doing the site-specific homework.

Mike Raasch, controls engineer and project manager for WEM Automation, noted: “No two plants are exactly the same. Taking the time to learn each plant from electrical layout to component makeup and material flow is essential. There are no shortcuts here if you want a happy customer.”

To that end Keene added, “the whole WEM team, from sales, to engineering, to their service and technical staff were all extremely helpful...We have leaned on WEM’s expertise, and they have come through with questions we have had.”

“Another important opportunity when updating to new control systems is the ability to utilize many new sensors and IoT type technologies that, when designed in a new control system, can provide instantaneous, important feedback, and information to operators all in one easy to view location,” Raasch noted. “Things like material temperatures, bin levels, valve position, and on-screen ammeters are easily incorporated into today’s modern designs.”

We all know when it comes to plant controls, functionality and reliability are of course key. However, the professional image that these new systems offer can be a big bonus as well.

A modern looking plant not only communicates to your team that you are interested in investing in their work environment but can also be a statement piece when vendors and customers come calling. Many control rooms tend to be very cramped spaces filled with paperwork and all sorts of panels and gauges added over the years. The change to on-screen full plant automation can provide much needed room and give a clean, organized look to the workspace.

Some advice from the New Frontier Materials team for others who are considering how and what to upgrade or replace in their plant control system was, “don’t be scared about the switch, it’s not going to change how your plant operates. It will provide you with more information on what the plant is doing,” Keene noted.

The control house before a controls upgrade may be chaotic with older, lower-grade wiring. Once the upgrade takes place, a neat and tidy setup not only carries signals and electric load more efficiently, but it also offers a safer, cleaner, more organized environment for business, setting the operator up for success.

with getting rid of buttons. No fears whatsoever. Our experience with WEM and success at other sites using this type of control has given us full confidence. We knew that this is what we wanted to do—an easy judgement call.”

Dave Kelling, plant superintendent at New Frontier Materials’ Fort Belle facility, also commented on the move to on-screen full plant automation. “The switch to get rid of buttons was natural—just have to be a computer-friendly user. Most operators coming in have those basic computer skills.”

22 | JULY 2022

LEARN MORE 3 Components to Controls Success Today 1 When you update your plant controls, consider both the hardware and software portions of a controls package. The risk of component obsolescence and operating system support is an important factor to consider.

2 The flexibility or ability to adapt and add to the system should also be explored. Will you be able to add features onto this system at a future date to meet your and our industry’s requirements?

3 Finally, does this controls vendor offer the level of service and support from its on-site and remote technical support teams you will require?

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WO M E N O F A S P H A LT

Meet 17 Women of Asphalt: Women of Superior Asphalt FROM SUPERIOR ASPHALT

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uperior Asphalt Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan, employs a number of women from diverse backgrounds and experiences who are making a name for themselves in the asphalt industry. The February 2022 issue highlighted CFO Danielle Sands to focus on the skill set she brings to the industry and what information she would have women consider when thinking about the many office jobs available in the construction marketplace. For this summer edition, the women of Superior Asphalt took the time to share what role they currently hold in the company and to offer a piece of advice they would share with other women interested in a career in the asphalt industry.

STEPHANIE BERZLEY TRUCK DRIVER “Going on third year at Superior, fourth year hauling asphalt.”

Advice: “I worked in excavating and was leased out to work asphalt and fell in love with it. Just go for it. It’s a job that is rewarding itself. New challenges every day even though you are doing the same type of project, it’s always different. Always new places to see and people to meet. We are all a team and we help each other succeed; no matter what area you are in.”

VALERIE DESANTIS RECEPTIONIST “Two years”

SARAH SPEES TRUCK LOADOUT OPERATOR AND JUST STARTING TO LEARN SALES AND ESTIMATING. “Fifth year with Superior Asphalt” Advice: “The industry is tough. Don’t let words bring you down. Be strong-willed.

Learn, grow and stick to it.”

24 | JULY 2022

CHRISTIE HULST ESTIMATOR “Three years. I have had the privilege of working side by side with my husband every day since May of 2019.”

Advice: “To other women looking to join the asphalt industry, find a good company to work for. Read the reviews online, see what the community thinks of them. Find one that is going to help build you up and give you the support you need to be the very best you can be.

You want a company that has your best interests at heart and is looking to have you grow with them. I am blessed to have that at Superior. We are like a family, and I absolutely love working here.”

KRISTYN STEPHENS TRUCK DRIVER “I am starting my sixth season of driving for Superior. The first couple of seasons I was grader support and drove the grader around with water. After that, I got transferred to just trucking where I catch under the mill and dump asphalt into the paver.”

Advice: “The hours are long in the summer. Find a company that is willing to work with you. Superior is very good at respecting me and my needs to have my Saturdays off for my family.”

MICHELLE SUMMERS ACCOUNTANT AND PAYROLL “I have been with Superior Asphalt since 2010.”

Advice: “Be confident but ask questions and be willing to learn. Don’t be intimidated because the industry is predominately men. Have thick skin and don’t be easily offended, but stand your ground when it is necessary.

Communicate, not everyone thinks the same as you do.”

MALISA KLANN HUMAN RESOURCES, SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE “I have worked in the asphalt industry for seven years.”

Advice: “The best advice I can offer other women entering the asphalt industry is to go out each day and be proud of their work. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and learn from “the old pros.” They have been in the industry for as long as they have for a reason. It’s a fast-paced and ever-changing environment that no doubt has its challenges, but it’s also extremely rewarding, especially when you get the opportunity to work for a company like Superior. We are like family.”

KIM LEGGE OFFICE/INVENTORY MANAGEMENT “I have been in the industry for 11 years and work in the office out at the plant. I track incoming and outgoing materials (inventories). I also help track trucking costs and costs associated with production and trucking. I process all of the invoices in regard to those things, checking for accuracy.

I also make sure we have the information needed to invoice retail customers properly.”

Advice: “I would tell them to look into what position might interest them as there are many different roles that can be filled. From there, gain knowledge in any and everything you can to make yourself more versatile. You never know where your career can take you and what opportunity might present itself.”

STACIE NEWMANN PUBLIC RELATIONS “Nine years” Advice: “The asphalt industry continues to offer many opportunities for women of all skill sets. Don’t let the fear of trying something new stop you. Never in a million years did I think that I would be working for an asphalt company. I have a Fine Arts Degree. Taking the chance to try something new has led me on an extraordinary journey to work for an outstanding company that I am proud to represent, have a flexible schedule and be able to financially contribute to the needs of my family. I am an active member of the Women of Asphalt organization and thoroughly enjoy connecting with other women within the asphalt trade.”

DANIELLE SANDS CFO “23 years” Advice: “No one is going to take care of you but you. Personal responsibility is as important as work ethic. If you make a mistake, own it, learn from it and don’t repeat it. Mistakes are an opportunity for learning. Work hard and you can do anything you set your mind to.”

LISA SCHILD PLANT, TRUCK DISPATCH AND LOADOUT OPERATOR “Seven years” Advice: “This industry is definitely not for everyone, but it’s perfect for me because it fits me and my desire to organize and get things done. This is an industry where everyone knows everyone and it’s really not a competition but more of a passion that we can't explain but all understand. Each company is different yet all the same. We live, breathe, eat and sleep asphalt nine months a year, some of us 12 months a year. People that have never worked asphalt will never understand the dedication and commitment it requires.”

BROOKLYN WARD CREW MEMBER, SCREW OPERATOR “This will be my 5th season in the asphalt industry.”

Advice: “My advice is to follow life’s journey. Don’t ever let someone else’s opinion affect your choice or hold you back and don’t ever let anyone tell you you aren’t capable of something. You are capable of anything you put your mind to. Stay focused and determined and don’t ever give up. We are much stronger than we give ourselves credit for and you are in control of your own journey. Be brave and take that step and you might end up finding a love for a career that you never expected. Asphalt keeps me active and it’s like having a second family. You get to know a lot of new people and every day is a new day.

You might end up finding an odd love for something you never expected. I found mine in asphalt and maybe you will, too.”

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 25

WO M E N O F A S P H A LT ASHLEE SCOTT CREW/ ROLLER/ TRUCK DRIVER “I have been working in the asphalt business since I was 18. I have been with Superior Asphalt for three years.”

Advice: “The asphalt industry is a great opportunity for men and women who don’t mind physical work. I would encourage anyone who has thought about joining construction to go for it. There are several different jobs that come with asphalt. It’s a great career and you never stop learning.”

SUSIE VAN HILL ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE “I started in 1996 working with the Thompson McCully Company where I managed the scale house, loading and dispatching trucks. From there I moved up to job cost accounting and accounts receivable. I started working for Superior Asphalt in 2014.”

Advice: “My advice to other women is don’t let the asphalt industry intimidate them. Women can be respected and appreciated in the industry.”

ELIZABETH VONLINSOWE TRUCK DRIVER “Eight years”

NOT PICTURED: REXANNE MONTAGUE LOAD OUT “19 years in asphalt, new to Superior” SUE HADEN OFFICE SUPPORT, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT “10 years”

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I N T E R N AT I O N A L S N A P S H OT

International Rejuvenation FROM CARGILL

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he reuse of asphalt is a long tradition in the Netherlands, where no stone quarries exist. This geology means expensive aggregates must be imported, necessitating the reuse of asphalt across the country. Dutch company Heijmans is no stranger to reclaiming asphalt for its applications, with a long history of expertise in innovative and sustainable asphalt solutions.

Recently, Heijmans was able to put its experience to good use, partnering with the bustling Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the main international airport of the Netherlands. Heijmans has worked closely with Schiphol for over 7 years, with Schiphol relying on Heijmans’ expertise as their asset management partner in keeping their runways and taxiways available for takeoff and landing. The role of Heijmans is to optimize maintenance in costs and availability.

Schiphol Group aims to operate the most sustainable airport in the world with a focus on sustainable aviation, energy positive operations and a circular economy—with an ultimate goal of moving toward 100% reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and biobased materials in its lanes and runways. To achieve this, Heijmans has been a key collaborator, and recently started integrating the use of Anova® asphalt rejuvenator from Cargill into its asphalt revitalization initiatives for the airport.

Schiphol tasked Heijmans with the repaving of a significant landing and takeoff lane.

The Schiphol technical teams desired to make the intermediate asphalt layers more sustainable. The requirement of this project was to maintain the same technical performance specifications as the existing asphalt mix for this application, while increasing the percentage of recycled ingredients from zero to 60% making the mix more sustainable.

According to Maarten van Santvoort, innovation manager at Heijmans, to arrive at a solution the team started with the design objective—maintain the same functional and technical specifications as the existing asphalt solution while increasing RAP usage. This is where Cargill’s Anova rejuvenator came in.

Then they began mix design, which van Santvoort described as, “like making a new 28 | JULY 2022

Overview of the paving project at the Polderbaan, with Cargill’s Anova® rejuvenator. Photo courtesy of © 2021 Heijmans

recipe for an asphalt mix.” This process is straightforward for Heijmans as they have extensive experience designing mixes with reclaimed asphalt and/or secondary raw materials while maintaining the technical properties and expected service life. Because of Anova they enabled the use of a high percentage of RAP, while still achieving the desired high-performance properties. The results came through a combination of exactly the right dose of Anova and an innovative and clever mixing process, according to Van Santvoort.

After the mix was designed including aggregates, fillers, polymers, RAP and Cargill’s Anova rejuvenator, the Heijmans experts tested it on all possible functionalities—including cracking and rutting resistance—in the laboratory environment to predict the technical performance and properties of the mix. In the end, after rigorous testing, all teams approved of the results. Heijmans got the greenlight to use the mix and the paving project commenced at Schiphol.

During the renovation project, Heijmans paved 225,000 square meters, the equiva-

lent to 45 soccer fields. This is approximately 30,000 tons and roughly 1,200 truck loads.

The Polderbaan runway was closed from the end of January 2021 through mid-May 2021.

Ultimately with the help of Cargill’s Anova rejuvenator and the skilled team at Heijmans, both the performance and sustainability goals were achieved.

“Although it’s only a small percentage in the mixture, the rejuvenator enables us to increase sustainability of the mixtures and increase the percentage of RAP from zero up to 60%. Without Anova rejuvenator, we wouldn’t have been able to do this,” van Santvoort said.

Jan Struik, business development manager at Cargill, said the Schiphol project was again a valuable collaboration with Heijmans. “Heijmans and Cargill are on the same page when it comes to innovation and sustainability. We know that the maintenance program at Schiphol is not over yet. In 2022 a second runway will be renovated by Heijmans as well and we're looking forward to a continuation of our successful collaboration in this area.”

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CORPORATE PROFILES SUPPLEMENT OFFERS A LOOK INSIDE

BY ASPHALTPRO STAFF

Editor’s Note: The staff of AsphaltPro magazine is not responsible for the opinions expressed in the Corporate Profiles supplement.

Statements made have not been verified, thus producers/contractors are still encouraged to use best practices when implementing new advice or making purchasing decisions.

T

he staff at AsphaltPro magazine sought a way to give original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) a chance to speak directly to asphalt professionals in 2021. We wanted to give the partners in our mission the chance to show you who they are and what they bring to the market to enhance your bottom line. This year, we extended that invitation once again with new questions to bring new insights to you, the contractors and producers who make decisions to not only build the infrastructure of North America but also seek ways to improve your environmental stewardship.

We posed specific questions to those partners who support us, thus your operations, and left their answers raw and real. This special section to the July edition is our second annual Corporate Profiles supplement and it represents an inside look at the OEMs who want to help you make the most of your business, improve your overall asphalt quality and succeed in your march toward industry net zero goals.

SUSTAIN SUCCESS

You’ll see one of the areas in which we invited OEMs to share philosophies was that of asphalt sustainability. OEMs are invested in helping contractors and producers reach the net zero goals of the National Asphalt Pavement Association’s The Road Forward initiative. It’s natural to think of the strides made toward zero emissions at the asphalt plant, but manufacturers are looking out for your best practices at the paving site as well.

From thermal mapping equipment to intelligent compaction systems to robust means of gathering density data, OEMs have placed importance on getting the optimum percentage of air voids compacted right out of a new mat for a long-lasting pavement. Industry is teaching agencies that a resilient pavement is an environmentally friendly pavement, and OEMs are answering the call to help contractors build it.

WE POSED SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO THOSE PARTNERS WHO SUPPORT US, THUS YOUR OPERATIONS, AND LEFT THEIR ANSWERS RAW AND REAL.

MERGE FOR SUCCESS

The aggregate/asphalt industry has seen its share of mergers and acquisitions among companies in the past 12 to 24 months. Manufacturers supplying the equipment and services to enable operations have similar changes taking place. In last year’s Corporate Profiles supplement, Astec Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTE), Chattanooga, spelled out its mission with all its former subsidiaries folding into OneASTEC. This year, Astec’s news concerning an acquisition in the plant controls arena immediately prior to World of Asphalt/AGG1 in March 2022 was still a talking point at press time.

The company announced entering into a definitive agreement to acquire MINDS Automation Group Inc. (MINDS), headquartered in British Columbia, Canada, with locations in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Belgium. The company develops user-friendly, advanced, customizable plant automation control systems for drum, batch, combo/hybrid hot mix plants, emulsion plants, liquid terminals, silo loadout, ticketing and data management for the asphalt industry.

“MINDS technology complements our existing offerings for asphalt production joining Astec Controls and Grathwol Automation as we build out a digital platform across our Rock to Road value chain of products,” said Barry Ruffalo, president and CEO Astec Industries.

“Our combined business will provide the knowledge and resources to further invest in industry leading innovations that drive value for customers.”

MINDS Inc. CEO Pierre Vidaillac and the leadership team will stay with Astec to support the advancement of automation and controls technology and the overall Rock to Road digital platform.

30 | JULY 2022

Companies like TransTech Systems out of New York offer environmental “credit” to contractors. “Most people don’t realize that TransTech’s PQI 380 assists our customers in being good stewards of the environment,” the company shared. “Not only does the PQI 380 not emit any harmful nuclear radiation, but the primary benefits derive from its ability to help our customers build longer life roads with smoother surfaces, thereby enhancing fuel efficiency of all vehicles and reducing energy consumption.”

Also in the field, “Blaw-Knox is always looking for ways to improve performance while reducing the environmental effects normally associated with operating heavy machinery,” the company shared.

They listed the example of their power-adaptive engine for reducing ambient noise pollution and improving fuel efficiency by lowering engine rpm.

These innovations and optimizations join the arsenal of product and service options available to our industry. AsphaltPro invites you to thumb through the profiles included herein for a look inside the companies bringing those options to you. Let them know you saw them in the pages of AsphaltPro.

theasphaltpro.com

ADM Categories: • • • •

Plants/plant components pertinent to production Plant controls/automation Pavement recycling/pavement reclaiming equipment Ticketing/software solutions

Forward-Thinking Technology

The number-one most-important product trait that ADM brings to the asphalt marketplace is the company’s approach to the design and manufacture of its continuous-mix asphalt plants.

All of ADM’s four series of asphalt plants—the EX Series, MileMaker Series, RoadBuilder Series, or SPL Series—are designed with the utmost in operational efficiency, enabling the cost effectiveness on which producers rely for their maximum return on investment (ROI).

Many plant models allow efficient operation using just one plant operator and one loader operator, while the ability to customize any plant ADM manufactures using standard ADM components, assures just the right asphalt plant for their operations’ specific needs to streamline operational efficiencies at every level.

ADM asphalt plants are available in 60–425 TPH allowing them to operate at the specific production capacity a producer needs for greatest production-site efficiency. Depending on the plant series purchased, ADM plants can handle up-to-25% or up-to-50% RAP. Recycled material in the mix significantly impacts producers’ bottom lines for higher ROI. ADM asphalt plants fitted with baghouses go even further to improve ROI, since the baghouse allows fines to be reintroduced into the hot mix.

In that way, baghouses also save producers in material costs by reducing material, itself.

When it comes to meeting strict environmental standards, ADM counterflow plants are designed and manufactured for clean and efficient operation, practically eliminating blue smoke and hydrocarbon emissions. Further demonstrating operational efficiencies, ADM warmmix systems allow for the production of mix at reduced temperatures, thus allowing for savings in power and fuel.

The strength and durability of the materials used in the manufacture of ADM hot-mix asphalt plants is of such high quality, that with proper and ongoing plant maintenance, producers may rest assured of significant and long-lasting plant life.

Quality in the Industry

Achieving highest quality asphalt production entails many factors. A key factor in ADM plants is the company’s control technology. ADM control technology enables plant operators to accurately input the specific production requirements necessary to achieve the right spec product, including input of the different aggregate types, the necessary percentages by type, and the controls’ abilities to keep the percentages accurate.

The stability and consistency of ADM’s control system also prevents interruption in the hot-mix process that can cause quality inconsistency or bad mix. Plus, ADM controls are specially designed for use of a simple calibration procedure that allows operators to calibrate more often, and ensures consistently, high-quality mix, to spec.

ADM EX Series and MileMaker Series plants also feature counterflow technology, providing some of the industry’s longest drying and mixing times, accomplished through the use of separate drying and mixing zones, for efficient, consistent, high volume, and highest quality asphalt.

The higher the quality of material that goes into the hot mix, the higher quality material that is discharged. Impacting material quality going into the mix is the ADM drum. The positioning of the nozzle of the long nose burner, which is located about one-third of the way into the drum, allows for the separation of the drying and mixing zones,

creating optimum drying time for virgin aggregate, for improved aggregate quality. The drier the material, the better-quality product that can be output.

Additionally, the drum allows for the dry, high-quality virgin aggregate to mix with the baghouse fines that are reintroduced into the process and any RAP or dry fillers that are being added into the mix. Liquid asphalt is introduced, and through a specialized blending method, the liquid asphalt is mixed with the previous materials for output of the highest quality asphalt.

Get Zoned

As challenging a process as asphalt-plant permitting can be, ADM has suggestions to help make the process easier. Helpful considerations prior to applying for a construction permit, include: • Knowing which asphalt plant a contractor is purchasing • Picking a lot that will accommodate the specific plant for the proposed site layout • Ensuring the land is properly zoned prior to purchase • Also prior to land purchase, considering accessibility of the site based on adjacent roadways, traffic patterns, and amount of traffic • Considering traffic flow on the site, itself The four types of necessary permits include: • Zoning • Storm water drainage • Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) • Air quality Air quality permits are issued based on positive stack testing results.

ADM can assist with stack testing by arranging to be on site two days prior to the test to ensure the plant is operating as efficiently as possible. ADM performs at least two, test runs to see if the baghouse is working properly, or whether bags may have to be changed, the burner is tuned up, and a backlight test is also performed to ensure additional, proper-plant operation. If a contractor fails the stack test, they have to pay, again, for retesting, so ADM recommends having them on site, beforehand, to help ensure successful testing the first time.

ADM highly recommends use of a outside environmental agency to help producers save considerable, internal time and expense. A knowledgeable environmental agency can uncover the exact permitting requirements necessary by city, state, locality, municipality, etc., and further helps contractors understand the ongoing reporting and recordkeeping required. An agency may also save the heartache of what can be a months-to-years-long process trying to do it yourself.

For air permits, ADM recommends allowing a minimum of 120 days for the permit to be issued.

admasphaltplants.com 260-637-5729

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 31

ALMIX Categories:

• Plants/plant components pertinent to production (includes crushing equipment) • Plant controls/automation

Forward-Thinking Technology

Our most important product is the foundation on which our company is built: our drum mix asphalt plants. ALmix manufactures a complete line of drum mix asphalt plants as well as a full line of auxiliary plant equipment and world-class total control systems, allowing contractors to get everything they need under the ALmix brand. ALmix drum mix plants are available in both relocatable and portable setups, and in a range of sizes designed to fit the production needs of any contractor.

Our plants help contractors take better control of their supply chain. Over the past several decades, we have continuously worked to make our plants stronger, safer, more efficient, and more profitable for their owners. We understand that these plants are vital investments for our customer’s business­—an investment that can be a game-changer for their future. That’s why we build these plants to fit their exact requirements, load them with the features that we’ve developed through the years from the perspective of our customers, and continue to stand by their side for ongoing service and support.

Sustainability with Asphalt

At ALmix, we manufacture a variety of products designed to assist in our customers’ efforts to protect the environment and to go above and beyond regulations as part of a good neighbor policy. We understand that what’s good for the sustainability of our resources and our environment is also good for business.

These sustainability-focused products include: • our award-winning RAP equipment, • blue smoke capture systems, • reverse air baghouses, • warm mix systems and more.

We constantly strive to maximize efficiencies across every piece of equipment at the plant, leading to savings in power, fuel, and plant emissions. At ALmix, we are focused on building plants that are better for both our customers’ bottom line as well as the environments in which they operate.

Get Zoned

Being a leader in the asphalt plant industry for as long as we have, we’ve learned how to consult each of our customers individually through the strategic process of plant ownership, including the often lengthy zoning and permitting process. Whether we are dealing with a first-time buyer or a seasoned, multiple-plant owner, we understand the unique challenges of their situation because chances are, https://almix.com/the-uf-series we’ve been there before.

(260) 672-3004

32 | JULY 2022

ASTEC INDUSTRIES, INC. Categories:

• Plants/plant components pertinent to production (includes crushing equipment) • Plant controls/automation • Paving and/or compaction equipment/automation • Pavement recycling/pavement reclaiming equipment

Industry-Changing Innovation

Expanded Double Barrel Lineup: The Double Barrel drum dryer/mixer delivers guaranteed productivity and top-quality mixes while keeping operating costs per ton of mix low and meeting the most stringent environmental codes.

The Double Barrel drum dryer/mixer revolutionized the market with its ability to handle RAP effectively and efficiently with a unique drum-within-a-drum style and an exclusive sequential mixing process.

Today’s Double Barrel drums still rely on sequential mixing to deliver high quality mix while continuing to advance mixing technology with the addition of patented V-Flights and the expansion of the Double Barrel product line with the Double Barrel X and the Double Barrel XHR which can handle high RAP mixes of up to 70%.

SB-3000 Shuttle Buggy® MTV: Powerful and practical, the SB-3000 material transfer vehicle stores and transfers hot-mixed asphalt material from truck to paver for non-stop paving, while enhancing safety, comfort, and productivity. The anti-segregation auger remixes material just before delivery to the paver and the 35-ton storage capacity allows trucks to unload HMA immediately. Engine, fluid checks and other important daily maintenance items are at ground level for safe and easy access. Bright, LED lights illuminate the wheels, egress ladder and operator platforms. The main operator is closer to the action while maintaining excellent sight lines, and the ground operator is protected inside the structure of the machine.

FT4250CC Mobile Impactor Plant: The hybrid-powered FT4250CC mobile impactor plant, with an added prescreen, features easy access to all controls for quick set up, operation and maintenance. The two-deck pre-screen minimizes the amount of undersized material that passes through the chamber, reducing wear costs and increasing the amount of final product by up to 30%. The hybrid power option allows producers to operate using either line power or diesel fuel for added flexibility.

Sustainability with Asphalt

Astec is committed to respect for the environment. We are focused on the innovation of Rock to Road products used to recycle natural resources and reduce carbon footprints for the good of all. We have a long history of bringing products to the market that support sustainability, such as the high-RAP Double Barrel XHR drum, the hybrid-powered FT4250CC mobile impactor plant and Cold in Place Recycling Systems.

Environmental Stewardship is important to us because it demonstrates our commitment to ethical values and behaviors and a sustainable future. These values inform our decisions, help us attract new and diverse talent, and add value.

Get Zoned

An on-staff Director of Environmental Compliance for asphalt plants provides expertise to make the permitting process as easy as possible. Additionally, representatives from Astec are active in a number of industry associations and Astecindustries.com organizations that promote the industry and support the (423) 867-4210 continued growth of the asphalt industry.

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B O M A G A M E R I CAS Categories:

• Paving and/or compaction equipment/automation • Pavement recycling/pavement reclaiming equipment • Fleet management/telematics

Industry-Changing Innovation

The BOMAP app and related technologies of BOMAP Connect and BOMAG JOBLINK help to document and analyze critical project data such as location, number of passes made by the roller and compaction values. This helps to eliminate unnecessary roller passes, lower fuel consumption and costs, and increase operating efficiencies.

The scalable technology starts with the free BOMAP app download for Android devices. Offering smart compaction control, intuitive BOMAP goes to work immediately after download without the need for special hardware. It can be used for any roller on all earthworks and asphalt construction sites, and, using the devise’s GPS positioning, it can be used to document passes for any roller, regardless of maker, and is transferrable from roller to roller.

To realize BOMAP’s full potential, BOMAP Connect and BOMAG JOBLINK upgrades offer even more options for networking the entire fleet used on constructions sites and more easily processing recorded data. BOMAG JOBLINK picks up all process-relevant readings—Evib, frequency, amplitude, temperature (asphalt), travel speed and direction, and number of passes—and makes them available in BOMAP. BOMAP Connect affords parallel planning of different projects in BOMAP, including simple site and resource planning as well as project archival.

The integration of technology and data digitization with equipment are bringing about a sea change of efficiency and productivity gains for the industry as well as for BOMAG customers. BOMAP and BOMAP Connect improve time management on site by offering easy, intuitive operation for drawing a compaction map of the jobsite with progress visible in real time. This increases compaction efficiency by lowering the number of passes required. In turn, this reduces working time to complete the work, lowers fuel consumption and wear on the equipment, and decreases CO2 emissions.

Quality in the Industry

The integration of technology and data harvesting into our equipment not only make customers more efficient, productive and profitable but also delivers a better finished product. BOMAG offers rollers featuring TanGO for compacting around sensitive areas; ASPHALT MANAGER to take the guess work out of determining when compaction has been achieved; and now our new BW 174 AP-5 AM HYBRID roller that delivers the same power with less fuel and CO2 emissions.

TanGO technology allows contractors to compact sensitive areas like hot and cold seams, bridge overlays and around buildings. It offers easy operation with only one amplitude, optimum for any application. Because it compacts with tangential vibration to the surface, the drum doesn’t bounce and will not fracture the aggregate or generate waves. Differing from conventional oscillation rollers, TanGO’s eccentric weights are positioned at the drum’s edge, so they are smaller and require less output than standard oscillating systems, resulting in a 0.29-gal/hr (1.1-l/hr) fuel savings on average than other oscillation rollers.

Automatically adjusting drum vibration direction, the ASPHALT MANAGER system can be used to efficiently compact breakdown, intermediate and finish rolling on asphalt applications. ASPHALT MANAGER requires only layer thickness to be inputted, and it automatically handles the rest of the compaction process, allowing any operator to achieve optimum results. Continuously measuring compaction process through BOMAG Evib, the system automatically adjusts drum vibration between vertical and horizontal as mat stiffness increases.

34 | JULY 2022

The new BW 174 AP-5 AM HYBRID features ASPHALT MANAGER plus a hybrid system to cover peak loads and save fuel. The roller’s hydraulic hybrid drive stores braking energy, which is released during peak loads, and the diesel engine covers the base load with maximum efficiency. This hybrid roller uses up to 20% less fuel and reduces CO2 emissions to help companies operate more sustainably, while offering the same performance.

Get Zoned

With an aging workforce and many workers lost to retirement, the extremely tight labor market for qualified equipment operators remains one of the biggest challenges to the construction and asphalt industries. Through integration of technology and advanced equipment designs, BOMAG equipment is designed for simple, intuitive operation as much as possible. BOMAP and BOMAP Connect offer simple ways to improve compaction efficiency at the jobsites and plan and document multiple projects.

Advanced compaction technologies such as ASPHALT MANAGER helps to take the guesswork out of meeting compaction specifications by simply inputting the material lift and automatically adjusting drum amplitude as material stiffness increases. Plus, our new hybrid roller helps companies operate more sustainably by lowering fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

This is all about making it possible for all operators, regardless of experience, to achieve quality results efficiently and profitably. To that end BOMAG also offers customers a variety of operator and service training opportunities—either at the factory or on the jobsite—such as our upcoming Innovation Days in September.

Going beyond the iron and technology, BOMAG Americas is helping to support the families of industry workers through our charitable efforts. We have supported Construction Angels, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides immediate financial assistance and grief counseling to the children and spouse left behind when a construction worker suffers a fatality on the jobsite. OSHA reports that there are well over 5,000 worksite deaths in the United States annually with the construction industry accounting for over 20% of those fatalities. Roughly 4.5 construction workers are killed per working day in the United States.

During World of Asphalt in Nashville this past March, we helped raise $1,300 for the charity through our “Kickin’ Asphalt” t-shirt campaign.

www.bomag.com/us-en/ 803-337-0700

BROCK

Categories:

• Plants/plant components pertinent to production (includes crushing equipment)

Forward-Thinking Technology

The number one thing we bring to the marketplace is an authentic focus on delivering on our vision with customers. Our vision is to be known as having the best quality, service, and relationships in the industries we serve.

Having a supplier that can dependably supply quality products, take care of things with quick competence, and be dependably available is the pain-point we strive to solve for customers. Our commitment to executing on our vision is strong and we are told it is uncommon in today’s world. It takes commitment to stick with it. We are committed to our vision.

We partnered with E5 Engineers as a licensee to sell their patented drum flight called the Flex Flight. It has worked well from day one in the field. It aids the customer’s ability to run different types of mixes at different rates of production without having to modify the flight design between runs.

• Not having to modify flights saves time and money in a big way for customers.

• It also allows them to keep running, which increases sales for them.

• Finally, it assures proper material veiling in the drum for efficiency in drying the material (saving energy).

Quality in the Industry

1. Supplying quality equipment customers can depend on is first in assisting with their quality control goals.

2. Second, we stand ready to help when called upon when issues arise so that downtime is limited, if any. It is hard for customers to control quality if they stop and go a lot. Running consistently is critical for elite level quality control.

Get Zoned

We are dues paying members of the National Asphalt Association (NAPA). NAPA, through its dues paying members, provides help with plant permitting, DOT materials selection, workforce development and other asphalt-centric matters to advance the industry.

36 | JULY 2022

www.brock.llc (423) 476-9900

C O M M A N D A L KO N Categories:

• Plant controls/automation • Fleet management/telematics/hauling/ticketing software solutions

Forward-Thinking Technology

Libra Drum captures real-time visibility and control for blending and total plant automation. With Libra Drum, a fully graphic operator interface eases monitoring complex drum control operations to increase production and accuracy and seamlessly integrate with overhead loadout.

Libra Drum is reputable for reliability, configurability and accuracy. The system’s highly-customizable design allows the user to design custom software switches, create reports, and adapt to the current and future plant control requirements. Each bin can hold multiple materials at multiple calibration points, increasing productivity and efficiency. The system is simple to read and provides complete plant status at-a-glance.

Libra Drum monitors motor currents and plant parameters to aid optimization of efficiencies and allow predictive maintenance before failures take down the plant. Dynamic, color-coded graphics provide at-a-glance status pertaining to valve changes, material flow, tank levels, temperatures, interlocks, and any alarm conditions that require the operator’s attention.

Sustainability with Asphalt

Truck fleets average about a 25% increase in fuel economy. Command Alkon’s trucking management solutions help to shorten drive times with optimized routes so that less fuel is used. Solutions like these can map truck locations in real time so that managers will know when a load will arrive at the jobsite or at the plant. The yard can be cleared prior to delivery so that trucks do not sit and idle, releasing CO2 into the environment, while they wait to unload.

Another great way to cut carbon emissions is to optimize truck usage by reducing empty-bed time. By creating geofences for loading and www.commandalkon.com/ unloading locations, systems like this can provide visibility into how getlibradrum long trucks are spending on those sites. Clear visibility into traceability (205) 879-3282 of material properties and orders ensures that products arrive in the best possible quality, reducing delays and productivity lags.

STOP ACCIDENTS BEFORE THEY STOP YOU! Overhead loadout mishaps put your employees, your vehicles, and your entire operation at risk.

Command Alkon’s Silo Safety System’s infrared sensors indicate when a vehicle is under your silo and determines if the criteria to open the silo gate is met. Reduce overhead accidents and eliminate costly mistakes.

Learn More Online commandalkon.com/getsilosafety

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CWMF Categories:

• Plants/plant components pertinent to production (includes crushing equipment) • Pavement recycling/pavement reclaiming equipment

Forward-Thinking Technology

CWMF specializes in drums and baghouses.

However, we can offer the entire catalog of hot mix plant equipment. I would say that our most important product offering is customer satisfaction.

Customer satisfaction is a result of total communication. Generally speaking, it is solving all of the specified pain-points.

In this industry, the big things have already been done. We would like to look at our equipment and see where we can make the enhancements. We have a patented silo batcher that features removable gates. This allows for maintenance to be done with ease and safely. Our Wedgelok tire suspension system is a clever design that gives you the ability to properly secure the tire to the barrel. This system also works fantastically as a retrofit to existing set-ups.

We also offer our Honey Badger RAP crusher to process RAP millings in real-time. Versus pre-processing, this method drastically reduces the cost. It also allows you to run the RAP at a lower moisture level as there is less surface area in stockpile in a milled state. Less moisture in the product benefits the bottom line.

Sustainability with Asphalt

In the case of Net-Zero, we like to take a look at the complete plant and compile the metrics so we can see where we can increase efficiency. Often the little things are ignored, I.E., we look for leaks in the drum and baghouse and recommend corrective action. We will also take a look at the baghouse temperatures to ensure the plant is operating optimally. Additionally, VFD’s (variable frequency drives) can be looked at on the plant components.

When applicable, the conversation of increasing RAP percentages is always a go-to.

Get Zoned

We will help with plant permits by submitting some of the requested documents declaring the efficiencies of specified components. We like to have conversations about workforce development. It is good to have these conversations to share some of the creative things we have implemented that have been positive on our end and vice versa.

https://cwmfcorp.com/ (320) 251-1306

38 | JULY 2022

G E O P H YS I CA L S U R V E Y SYS T E M S , I N C .

Categories:

• Paving and/or compaction equipment/automation • Lab/Testing/QCQA equipment and/or its software

Industry-Changing Innovation

Most recently, GSSI introduced the PaveScan RDM 2.0 and PaveScan MDM systems, building on our 30year legacy of developing ground penetrating radar products for the transportation industry.

PaveScan RDM is an asphalt density assessment tool that provides accurate real-time measurements to ensure pavement life and quality. PaveScan RDM is ideal for uncovering inconsistencies that occur during the paving process, including poor uniformity and significant variations in density. By detecting these problems early, PaveScan RDM helps avoid such premature failures such as: • road raveling, • cracking, and • deterioration along joints.

With the PaveScan MDM, paving contractors can now be alerted immediately to changes in the mix since the system is sensitive to subtle changes in aggregate, mix and moisture. With one five-minute lab test, users can accurately reveal problems before any need for silo dumps or other costly remediation.

Quality in the Industry

PaveScan MDM turns PaveScan RDM into a powerful quality control tool for asphalt density assessment.

PaveScan MDM creates a correlation between the dielectric value of the mix at different percent voids. This correlation is used by PaveScan RDM to show accurate density variability within the asphalt mat. This degree of process control means bridge decks and longitudinal joints can be rolled to specification in real-time. If compaction problems occur from delays or paving train stoppages, QC managers can now fix pavement defects before it’s too late, saving time and money in the field.

Using PaveScan MDM and RDM gives paving contractors a comprehensive and accurate view into pavement quality without the expense, risk, and errors from spot coring.

More importantly, reducing the need to core exposes fewer workers to the dangers of work zones.

40 | JULY 2022

https://www.geophysical.com/ gssi/pavescan-technologies (603) 681-2072

I N G E V I T Y ( PAV E M E N T T E C H N O L O G I E S ) Categories:

• Additives/Emulsions/Polymer blends/Fibers/ Patching materials

Industry-Changing Innovation

Ingevity Pavement Technologies offers the asphalt paving industry a suite of sustainable pavement solutions to achieve its global net zero sustainability goals through our warm mix asphalt additives to our emulsifiers for cold in place/cold central plant recycling and rehabilitation treatments. We also have developed emulsifiers for pavement preservation treatments all of which make an asphalt pavement last longer. Our Evotherm DAT product allows contractors to reduce mix production temperatures >100°F which will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the asphalt mix and help eliminate harmful fugitive emissions and blue smoke.

As contractors are being required to supply EPDs for their asphalt mixtures, warm mix asphalt technology at >50°F reductions are going to be necessary to achieve meaningful greenhouse gas reductions. Furthermore, as more environmental regulations are put into effect, contractors have a proven/off the shelf ready technology that will help them meet those state and federal regulations and in turn provide a safe and sustainable solution for both people and planet.

Sustainability with Asphalt

Ingevity developed one of the first EPDs for Evotherm M1 and submitted it to the NAPA Emerald Eco Label tool. Now contractors can quantify the global warming potential for asphalt mixtures using Evotherm M1. In addition, Ingevity is partnering with asphalt contractors around the country who want to eliminate fugitive emissions at the plant and in the field, which will help them become better neighbors and stewards of the environment.

Get Zoned

Ingevity’s asphalt technology solutions provide you with economical products to improve the quality and environmental performance of your mix and give you a path to reaching your sustainability goals. Our products are best-in-class when it comes to increasing adhesion and reducing temperatures.

Our Evotherm warm mix asphalt technology enables you to meet balanced mix design requirements because it contains a built-in adhesion promoter to meet Hamburg Wheel Tracking Test results and allows asphalt to be produced at lower temperatures, which helps improve cracking.

Additionally, by incorporating Evotherm into your mix and lowering your temperatures, you can eliminate blue smoke and reduce GHGs. This is extremely helpful when it comes to obtaining permits in nonattainment areas, creating a safer work environment for your employees and the surrounding neighborhoods, and meeting your own sustainability goals.

www.ingevity.com (800) 348-6323

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KENCO ENGINEERING INC. Categories:

• Plants/plant components pertinent to production

Quality in the Industry

At Kenco Engineering, we help companies in all aspects of the asphalt industry maintain a higher quality in their products by allowing them to maintain a high consistency of their products.

Kenco specializes in wear products that give the longest possible wear life. From pugmill mixing components to Horizontal Shaft Impactor apron liners, Kenco products perform at a consistent level longer allowing our customers to make more tons of their product without needing to constantly adjust their components.

Greater consistency in the creation of a product means a higher quality final product.

Kenco Engineering, Inc

Sustainability with Asphalt

It is well known that a well-tuned car runs more efficiently than a poorly maintained car. Likewise, a wellmaintained asphalt plant or crusher plant will run more efficiently than a poorly maintained example.

With the longer wear life and more consistent production, running Kenco Engineering wear parts will allow your piece of equipment to maintain its “day one” productivity longer. That extended productivity eliminates the need to run equipment longer to meet production goals, thus reducing the amount of fuel burned and reducing the emissions created by running a piece of equipment longer than necessary.

www.kencoengineering.com (800) 363-9859

42 | JULY 2022

You spent big money on your equipment...

MAKE IT LAST! Protect the investment in your production equipment with Kenco longer life wear parts.

Kenco offers innovative products for the aggregates, road building, and biomass industries. Spend more time making money and less time on maintenance!

800 363-9859 www.kencoengineering.com

MEEKER EQUIPMENT CO. INC. Categories:

• Plants/plant components pertinent to production (includes crushing equipment)

Forward-Thinking Technology

At Meeker, we provide high quality retrofit components to your asphalt plant. We consider ourselves the “home remodeler” to your asphalt plant. We make your plant run better, more efficient, and provide products with enhanced features that improve upon your original asphalt plant purchase. We now provide mechanical installation services which allows the owner to get a clear picture for overall project investments.

Understanding overall project investments is very difficult today due to inflation and supply chain issues.

At Meeker, we are providing more products and services to the owner so that entire projects have a clear vision and understanding of the scope of work.

We are focusing on safety to the owner of the equipment. We created the Liquid Vision system to allow for remote operation of the hot asphalt valves. We monitor tank level so that employees don’t have to go on top of tanks to “stick” for liquid level. Our asphalt tank ladders come with safety cables for workers to tie off in the event he/she loses footing on the ladder. We are building tank farms with stairs in lieu of ladders to make the area around tanks safer. Our silo batchers have cages so that any pinch points are eliminated which helps worker safety.

• Better inventory management • Safter control of tank valves • Workers don’t have to go on top of tanks to “stick” tank for level anymore

Quality in the Industry

Our job as a manufacturer is to supply high quality and accurate equipment. Our pump skids for rejuvenator or additives are very accurate throughout the entire range of operation. We use a progressive cavity pump to meter additive into mixes. This is the most accurate method of pumping additive plus we use a mass flow meter to accurately measure product.

Get Zoned

We manufacture asphalt tanks and hot oil heaters that are electrically heated. We build our asphalt tanks with 6 inches of insulation to allow for minimal heat loss. We work with customers to add fabric structures to cover aggregate and RAP stockpiles. We are constantly striving to make products that minimize carbon footprint. www.meekerequipment.com (717) 667-6000 x 120

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P R O C E S S H E AT I N G C O M PA N Y I N C .

Categories:

• Plants/plant components pertinent to production • Plant controls/automation • Paving and/or compaction equipment/automation

Quality in the Industry

Process Heating Company (PHCo) Lo-Density® low-watt-density drywell-style heaters improve product quality because they dissipate controlled heat as low as three watts per square inch on the heater’s sheath. This prevents coking or damaging of temperature-sensitive asphalt, oil, and emulsion materials, as it also eliminates the need to drain and clean the tank. Because the drywell-style elements are accessible from outside the tank, they also may be serviced without draining it. Electric heat requires little maintenance, further reducing downtime.

Unitized Storage Tank Heaters can easily be installed into any above-ground tank or vat. Hot-Oil Heat Transfer Systems use PHCo’s LoDensity heating elements with a patented coil-lock design that eliminates coking or carbonization of transfer fluids. Fuel-Oil Preheaters increase atomization, ensuring a smoother flow and more accurate temperature control for heavier or reclaimed fuel oils. Electric Distributor Truck Heaters safely heat and maintain temperatures for asphalt and emulsions, increasing quality and efficiency.

Sustainability with Asphalt

Lo-Density heaters provide unique environmental benefits that can help asphalt producers achieve sustainability goals, including those aligned with NAPA’s “The Road Forward” climate action plan. This is because low-watt-density electric heat operates without combustion or emissions, and it eliminates a source of fuel and material spills.

Electric heat is safe, consistent, and it offers 100% energy efficiency because all of the energy is used to heat, when compared to the inefficient burning of fossil fuels. In addition, the efficiency will always be 100%, even after many years of operation, without costly www.processheating.com maintenance. Electric heat also eliminates stacks that must be (206) 682-3414 monitored for emissions, along with eliminating air quality and boiler permits that must be pursued and maintained.

TURN ON THE HEAT: REALIZE THE REWARDS Lower Your Operating Costs

Improve Your Product Quality Improve Your Sustainability

Enjoy Decades of Trouble-Free Efficiency Reduce Your Maintenance Needs

Lo-Density® Is Better!

Our 100%-efficient Lo-Density® drywell-style electric heaters provide clean, safe, reliable, and cost-effective heat — making them the best choice for heating your asphalt tanks, hot oil circulating systems, fuel oil preheaters, distributor trucks, and more.

866-682-1582 info@processheating.com 44 | JULY 2022

PROCESS HEATING COMPANY

www.processheating.com

If this looks familiar, we’d like to talk.

“Overall, we have cut our downtime due to control issues to zero hours across three plants!”

Brandon Watson, Quality Control & Asphalt Plant Operations Manager

The MindsTronicTM family of automation systems optimizes production, collects key performance indicators, standardizes workflows, simplifies maintenance, allows the standardization of operator training, and improves workplace collaboration.  Drums, Batches, Combos, Emulsion, and Liquid terminals  Loadout, (e)Ticketing, Cloud-based Desktop, and Mobile Apps  Proven industrial PC, Fieldbus, and sub-concepts technology  Professional hotline and remote support

Better data.

Increased control.

Higher profits.

S A L E S I N Q U I R I E S :  8 5 5 - 9 6 3 - 49 76  co nt a c t@ min d s u s a . co m  min d s u s a . co m

R E L I A B L E AS P H A LT P R O D U C T S I N C .

Categories: • Plants/plant components pertinent to production

Forward-Thinking Technology Reliable Combustion LLC, a subsidiary of Reliable Asphalt Products Inc., offers the revolutionary Vulcan total air burner. The Vulcan burner offers several solutions.

• Reduced emissions • Reduced horsepower requirements • Ease of maintenance • Reduced noise The Vulcan burner and our new touch screen heater panel that monitors our customers complete tank farm is an innovation our company has brought to the asphalt industry that is bringing great momentum to our customers.

Our new Vulcan burner and heater panel technology are assisting customers with fuel efficiency and diagnostic information to help them meet the competitive demands of the industry.

Sustainability with Asphalt We’re assisting in our customers’ stewardship of the environment and their ability to meet upcoming netzero goals because the revolutionary Vulcan burner is highly efficient.

Replacing older burner technology with a new Vulcan burner will increase our customers’ fuel efficiency while reducing gaseous emissions, thereby making our customers better environmental stewards.

reliableasphalt.com (502) 529-9043

46 | JULY 2022

GETS THE JOB DONE JUST LIKE YOU With Evotherm®, you can hit your density numbers and get the job done.

With bonus pay.

Learn more:

EVOTHERM.COM

S R I PAT H T E C H N O L O G I E S ® Categories:

Sustainability with Asphalt

• Additives/Emulsions/Polymer blends/Fibers/Patching materials

Sripath’s recycling agent ReLIXER®, is a specially formulated elixir of environmentally friendly bio-based oils. It generates no volatile organic compounds, lowers greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint, and is not a burden on the food supply chain.

ReLIXER allows contractors to recycle and reuse higher levels of RAP while delivering excellent roadway performance and durability. It is user friendly, highly dosage efficient, easy to use, and safe to handle. ReLIXER containing high-RAP mixes have been commercially used since 2016 in North America and Asia. Trials are underway in South America, Australia, and Europe.

Sripath also markets PGXpand®—a specially-engineered polymer additive. PGXpand easily mixes into bitumen using low energy mixers, lower mixing temperatures and shorter mixing times. A highly dosageefficient additive, it helps lower mix viscosity, paving temperatures, energy consumption and overall cost. At the same time, it delivers roadways with excellent rutting resistance, fatigue performance and durability.

Quality in the Industry Sripath Technologies deploys forward-thinking technologies to deliver better asphalt through engineered materials. Sripath® thrives on the challenge of confronting long-standing issues facing the bitumen and asphalt industry, and engineering additive solutions through research, innovation and testing.

Since 2006, Sripath has been developing, manufacturing and marketing a wide range of innovative additives, such as: rejuvenators, oils, polymers, and anti-strip agents to enhance the performance of bitumen and asphalt mixes. Sripath’s additives have been tested, evaluated, and vetted by leading experts in academia, industry and transportation agencies from around the world. Sripath products are trusted and used on asphalt roadways across the globe.

Sripath’s ReLIXER is a highly effective rejuvenator, which restores functional performance of aged binder in RAP, allowing the recycling of high levels of RAP in a mix. An environmentally friendly product, ReLIXER lowers the overall mix costs by reducing the need for virgin bitumen.

Sripath additives Make Asphalt Better™.

https://www.Sripath.com/pro (484) 919-9117

ReLIXER® A Bio-Based Oil Rejuvenator for Reclaimed Asphalt

PGXpand® A Unique Innovative Polymer ReLIXER® • PGXpand® • NuMIXER®• ReNUBIT® • SriCote® 1-800-562-6276

1-201-721-7562

Learn More At Sripath.com 48 | JULY 2022

Tested.

Proven.

Trusted by users worldwide.

S TA N S T E E L - H O T M I X PA R T S & S E R V I C E Categories: • • • • • •

Plants/plant components pertinent to production (includes crushing equipment) Plant controls/automation Pavement recycling/pavement reclaiming equipment Fleet management/telematics/hauling/ticketing software solutions Additives/Emulsions/Polymer blends/Fibers/Patching materials Lab/Testing/QCQA equipment and/or its software

Forward-Thinking Technology

Tank Manager System™ Stansteel’s Tank Manager System™ allows you to monitor and regulate all your AC tanks and hot mix silos. Users can set individual tank high/low parameters for level and temperature to initiate a pump shutdown, thus preventing tank overflows. In addition, you can operate AC tank supply, return, and fill valves with the push of a button.

The system also allows you to send emails and texts to specific plant personnel notifying them during alarm events that action needs to be taken, such as “Low Hot Oil Temperature.”

Completely mobile-friendly, the System can be operated on any internet compatible device. Simply put, the Tank Manager gives you the control to run your business while it runs your tank Some of the many powerful benefits of the Tank Manager System™ for you: • Prevent Tank Spills • Avoid AC Waste and Contamination • Remote-control all Valves and Pumps • Know Exact Silo and Tank Levels 24/7 from Anywhere • New Non-Contact Accu-Level Technology.

Quality in the Industry

Stansteel’s Accu-Track Advantage™ is a comprehensive system for controlling the entire plant – from proportioning the cold feed bins to selecting the storage silos. With today’s high production rates and stringent state specifications, it is essential that all possible control be provided to insure maximum plant operation with minimum downtime and superior mix quality.

The system is the only one in the asphalt industry to control all operations using standard components and designed, programmed, manufactured and supported in the USA. Some obsolete controls use a rebuilt style computer or specially designed E-prom chip cards for basic plant blending.

The Accu-Track Advantage™, using patented technology and techniques, was developed over the past 40 years from an accumulation of installations on all brands and types of asphalt plants. The new user-friendly interface is made for the modern era of fast communication, remote accessibility and SAFETY. The system utilizes a Linux-based operating system that allows for the use of automatic and manual operations to ensure your plant is always running and making quality mix. It also has the ability to interface with any web-based device including smart phones, tablets, or desktop computers, so users can view pertinent plant data in real time.

Get Zoned

Stansteel-Hotmix Parts & Service proudly hosts Hotmix University courses every year to increase communications and information exchange within the hot mix industry in light of continuous industry changes and other fluid conditions. Our aim is to establish and teach industry methods to factually define performance criteria and how to take corrective actions to achieve improved hot mix quality and return on investment of time, effort and financial resources.

Since its founding in 2014, we have facilitated over 25 Hotmix University courses that have equipped close to 1,000 asphalt plant owners, superintendents, managers, operators, foremen and Q.C. staff stansteel.com/controls/ across the USA and beyond to operate their plants more profitably, (502) 245-1977 efficiently and safely. To learn our Hotmix University course dates for 2023, visit us at hotmixu.com.

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 49

S U R FA C E T E C H L L C Categories:

• Additives/Emulsions/Polymer blends/Fibers/Patching materials

Forward-Thinking Technology

ACE XP™ aramid polymer fiber additive is a technological breakthrough in both asphalt hot mix and balanced mix design.

Surface Tech bundles high-strength para-aramid fibers and coats them with Sasobit wax that dissipates at 170 F to create ACE XP Polymer Fibers™. Compared to raw aramid fibers that are almost impossible to measure and control, ACE XP delivers rock solid assurance that you get what you’re paying for.

With ACE XP and our precision dosing, fiber into the plant equals fiber into the mix. You won’t see any fly away fibers. Plus, you get reports you can trust, and ACE XP precision dosing delivers guaranteed spec compliance and maximum fiber reinforcement.

With ACE XP, you can spend more time tightening up plant performance instead of feeding fibers into the mix.

This product helps solve balanced mix design challenges. Asphalt professionals can expect outstanding results in both crack and rut resistance.

Sustainability with Asphalt

Surface Tech completed the verification process to achieve an Environmental Product Declaration for ACE XP Polymer Fiber®, its advanced aramid polymer fiber additive.

ACE XP utilizes the tensile strength of aramid to address the two major distresses affecting asphalt performance today—cracking and rutting.

It disperses over 19 million para-aramid fibers throughout each ton of mix, providing a three-dimensional reinforcement that increases the asphalt’s resistance to reflective cracking, rutting, and fatigue. ACE surface-tech.com/ XP makes asphalt pavement stronger and last longer, thus increasing asphalt-solutions/ the pavement’s life expectancy, reducing maintenance costs, and (619) 880-0265 providing enhanced sustainability to asphalt pavements.

Proven Sustainability Our solutions make any asphalt mix stronger and last longer with improved:

• • • •

Strength (structural modulus) Crack resistance Rut resistance Fatigue resiliency

Easy to adopt and proven in projects throughout the United States and Canada.

Take a closer look. It pays to compare.

50 | JULY 2022

AQU P O LY M E R F I B E R

SYS T E M S E Q U I P M E N T C O R P O R AT I O N Categories:

• Plant controls/automation

Forward-Thinking Technology

With the changes taking place in the industry, SYSTEMS Equipment Corp. is proud to be a leader in the controls/automation industry.

SYSTEMS’ controls are not just for new projects. We cut our teeth on retrofitting older plants with new and updated controls. Not only are we competitive with the technology but competitive in the price point.

This allows manufacturers of all sizes to run quality, easy to operate controls with the reliability that SYSTEMS is known for. These easy to operate, reliable, controls can greatly reduce costs with losses to downtime.

Quality in the Industry

Our company assists in customers’ quality control goals.

This goes back to quality products, engineering and ease of use.

SYSTEMS products simply work and in the event that the customer needs assistance, our network of dealers, OEM manufacturers, and independent service personnel are ready to help the customer through those times.

SYSTEMS also stocks a large inventory of parts and products for fast and efficient turnaround when these parts are needed.

systemsequipment.com 563-568-6387

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 51

TARMAC INTERNATIONAL INC. Categories: • Plants/plant components pertinent to production (includes crushing equipment) • Plant controls/automation • Pavement recycling/pavement reclaiming equipment

Forward-Thinking Technology Tarmac’s Low NOx Burner and Control allow your plant to operate with low emissions.

Our new PLC Controls come with mobile phone “Dash Board” which allows operators and management to see important plant variables.

Sustainability with Asphalt Our new Low NOx Burners, Burner Controls, and CO Reducing Combustion Chambers allow plants to meet emission standards in a growing state by state strict emissions arena.

https://www.tarmacinc.com 816-220-0700

52 | JULY 2022

WEM AUTOMATION LLC

REPLACEMENT CONTROLS FOR ALL MAKES & MODELS

Categories: • Plant controls/automation

Forward-Thinking Technology WEM Analytics is the most important product our company is bringing to the asphalt marketplace as we head into a CONEXPO-CON/AGG year.

WEM Analytics improves production, mix quality, and identifies operational opportunities.

As a web-based software, it can be accessed by a smartphone or computer. You can monitor various functional areas of your plant, across any time span.

Additionally, you can compare multi-tiered data for Mix Production, AC Usage, Aggregate Consumption, Waste and Overall Plant Output. All with the ability to export various file formats.

C

M

Y

CM

Sustainability with Asphalt Our company helps members of the asphalt industry with asphalt-centric stewardship initiatives on the march to net-zero goals. One advancement of WEM controls is Waste Management. Whether it be in the form of start-up waste or waste due to outof-specification mix, WEM has created a solution to common problems for plant owners and operators to reduce waste. Reducing waste in turn reduces material usage and energy, which will also increase cost savings and your bottom line.

MY

CY

CMY

K

Our easy-to-use, configurable automation & control systems are: Reliable, Expandable, Flexible, and Durable.

Batch Plants • Drum Plants Silo Loadout • Ship & Receive Data Analytics • And More 24/7 Service & Support Put WEM to work for you!

Since 1955 Contact us to learn more about the WEM advantage.

wemautomation.com/ asphalt/ (262) 782-2340

262.782.2340 WEM@WEMAutomation.com www.WEMAutomation.com

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 53

P R O D U C T GA L L E RY

Change Out a Drum liver time-critical projects within the asphalt industry,” said Marcus Jinks, director of Dixon Engineering. “These projects range from like-for-like replacements, retrofits and adaptations requiring various skill sets for heavy plants and equipment.”

The replacement drum on Breedon Group’s asphalt plant has a skin thickness of 15 mm and should last at least another 15 years, Coles said.

“Further benefits include improved overall plant efficiency due to heat retention,” he concluded.

For more information, visit www.ammann.com.

Steam evacuation pipework was removed on the first day. The old drum was removed by crane on the second day.

FROM AMMANN GROUP

Ammann Group, Langenthal, Switzerland, reported on a dryer upgrade to extend the life of a plant for customer Breedon Group in the United Kingdom. The Ammann ABP Universal Asphalt-Mixing Plant began operation in 2004.

T

he Longwater plant, located near Norwich, England, was well maintained and had much more operating potential.

Yet the dryer had surpassed its life expectancy. It was time for a replacement.

“We allowed for five days,” said Richard Coles, parts sales manager at Ammann UK Ltd. “On the first day, the steam evacuation pipework—from mixer and screen to raw gas ducting—was removed by crane, as was the suction hood. The slinger conveyor was disconnected and moved out of the dryer. “ The old dryer then was removed by crane. This was completed by the second day.

“On the third day, the new drum was positioned, and the disconnected items were reinstalled on the plant,” Coles said. Mechanical installation was finished the next day. On the fifth day, tracking was completed, marking the end of the project.

Mark Wood, area operations manager for Breedon Group, spoke of the process.

“When it was decided that the dryer drum on our Longwater asphalt plant was due for renewal, we went out for quotes for the replacement,” he said. They decided to use Ammann as the preferred supplier. There was good communication from Ammann as to lead times and delivery dates, which were all on time and as quoted, Wood said.

“The contractors (Dixon Engineering Ltd.) that Ammann used to install the drum were exemplary in providing all relevant safe systems of work and risk assessments,” Wood said. “We didn’t find any fault with their work during the entire operation. The job was completed on schedule and with no incidents.”

Coles was pleased with the smooth project as well. He counts on Dixon Engineering to handle such work. The experienced firm based in Derbyshire is committed to quality and timeliness.

“Over a period of time, Dixon Engineering has formed a strong business relationship with Ammann UK—working together to de54 | JULY 2022

The Astec M-Pack asphalt plant is engineered as a set of modules and can incorporate one of four exclusive mixing systems: Double Barrel, Double Barrel X, Double Bareel XHR or UniDrum.

ASTEC

The Astec M-Pack from Astec Industries, Chattanooga, is designed for quick setup. The plant has the capacity and size of a permanent facility with reduced setup costs. It is engineered as a set of modules that are transported by truck. Each Astec M-Pack plant ships in ready to set up loads when it leaves the manufacturing facility. Level and pave your site, then lift the pre-piped, pre-wired modules off the trailer and bolt them up. If you ever have to move to another site, most loads fit on lowboy type trailers and the built-in foundations go with them. The Astec M-Pack features high-production, large capacity, full-size control rooms, high-quality components, and excellent maintenance access, according to the manufacturer.

For more information, visit www.astecindustries.com

CATERPILLAR

Caterpillar announced its new compact wheel loaders May 4 with an expected arrival date in the United States and Canada in fourth quarter 2022. The 906, 907 and 908 are the updated machines built in Lester, England, and featuring new amenities for operators as well as enhancements to hydraulics. All three machines offer air conditioning as an option and a spokesperson explained this “has been upgraded versus the previous HVAC system by +60% increase in performance.”

Also check out the LED roading and working lights, some of which can be rotated 90 degrees and feature light guarding for extra safety.

The 906 has an 18.5-gallon fuel tank, which represents a 30% increase over the earlier model. The 907 and 908 models have 24-gallon fuel tanks. None of these require DEF fluid.

CRUSH RAP COSTS with the

HONEY BADGER From replaceable abrasion-resistant steel wear liners to a 1/2" steel pulverizing hopper, this machine is ready for wear and tear. And by reducing material handling and minimizing moisture, the Honey Badger increases production and saves on fuel costs. Average return on investment is 1/8 the cost of other crushing operations.

Fully-equipped with max power, reliable operation, and easy maintenance, the Honey Badger is ready to crush your costs!

Reduced RAP moisture = lower fuel consumptions Reduce or eliminate crushing costs Typical 6 month ROI (300,000 ton/season plant)

Minimize material handling

STATIONARY

PORTABLE

877.457.3938

cwmfcorp.com

P R O D U C T GA L L E RY All three models offer touch screens in the cab and touch-screen controls for operators. If the owner wishes to assist new operators, he can “lock the system” into a simplified mode. A representative explained, “This can be done in the field via a service menu, which has a separate password that an administrative fleet manager could know.

Dealers aren’t required in this instance.”

For more information, contact your local Cat dealer.

CWMF

CWMF, Waite Park, Minnesota, now offers a fines metering system for its portable Dust-Eater® baghouses, allowing producers better control of fines and reducing set-up time. As mix designs evolve, controlling dust is imperative to producing a quality product that will meet specifications. This device is designed to consolidate a remotely located dust pod and additional augers. It works when baghouse fines are first conveyed to the discharge auger on the baghouse. The discharge auger has a drop-out point where the dust will be stored in a small pod. This pod will have a rotary vane feeder attached, which will meter the amount of fines returned to the drum. If you are producing more fines that you are returning, the auger will bypass the dust pod, discharging them to a wet auger. At this point, water will blend with the fines, and it can be rejected.

For more information, contact sales@cwmfcorp.com.

EVOQUIP

EvoQuip, a Terex Company, launched its “Think Green, Think EvoQuip” campaign in April 2022 and with it demonstrates continued growth by creating equipment that is increasingly sustainable, according to the manufacturer. The compact crushing and screening brand have also posted a sustainability responsibility statement on their website stating 4 key commitments.

For more information, visit the EvoQuip website.

HONEYWELL

Honeywell, headquartered in Houston, has introduced the Honeywell Safety Watch, its real-time location solution (RTLS), to help drive safety and security and boost workforce efficiency. Supporting continuous operational improvement, the Safety Watch gives organizations actionable information on their workers and assets to help meet the demands of modern industrial operations.

Leveraging Honeywell OneWireless™ infrastructure, the solution is designed to work with all major industrial wireless standards; the Safety Watch uses active wireless tags integrated into employee badges and Honeywell’s OneWireless multi-protocol infrastructure. The infrastructure also supports other applications such as instrumentation, control and mobile devices.

“Our new Safety Watch RTLS helps organizations improve compliance, productivity, security and the safety, reducing the risk of incidents, and if one should occur, enabling a quick and effective response,” said Nisha Lathif, safety solutions business director, Honeywell Process Solutions. “Providing relevant information and real-time data processing, Safety Watch is purpose-built for industrial settings.”

Real-time location data is an integral part of the Industry 4.0 ecosystem, which combines the latest technologies and digital capabilities to tap into data anywhere and everywhere. RTLS meets this need 56 | JULY 2022

The Honeywell Safety Watch technology is designed to give organizations actionable information on workers and assets, leveraging the OneWireless infrastructure.

to help organizations achieve digital transformation through the industrial Internet of things.

For more information visit https://bit.ly/3afGayN.

INGEVITY

Ingevity, North Charleston, South Carolina, announced May 12 an environmental product declaration (EPD) was published for its Evotherm® M1 Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) technology. The Evotherm M1 EPD distinguishes Ingevity as the first chemical additive supplier to be included in the National Asphalt Pavement Association’s (NAPA) Emerald Eco-Label tool that provides supply chain-specific upstream environmental data for asphalt mixes. The EPD for Evotherm M1 denotes Ingevity’s compliance with environmental impact assessment standards for manufacture of the warm mix additive by measuring and reporting the cradle-to-gate impacts of manufacturing and packaging, and assessing the material, energy, waste and emissions impacts of processing and transporting the raw additive materials.

“Ingevity’s decision to publish the EPD for Evotherm M1 demonstrates the industry’s commitment to transparency and sustainability,” said Richard Willis, NAPA’s vice president for Engineering, Research, and Technology. “Additionally, it aligns with NAPA’s The Road Forward initiative, which launched this year and challenges the asphalt pavement community to achieve net zero carbon emissions during asphalt production and construction by 2050.”

Another company committed to The Road Forward is Kokosing Materials Inc., headquartered in Westerville, Ohio. A spokesperson for Ingevity shared that Kokosing Materials recently decided to use exclusively Evotherm WMA technology at all 18 of the company’s asphalt plants for complete warm-mix production in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint and move towards a more sustainable mix design.

Watch for that full story in the August edition of AsphaltPro. For more information, visit https://www.ingevity.com/featuredproducts/evotherm/

PHCO

Process Heating Company (PHCo), headquartered in Seattle, offers Lo-Density® Drop-in Tank Heaters for 100%-efficient heating of asphalt and emulsions in both underground tanks and distributor trucks.

The Drop-in Heater is designed to be installed by simply dropping it through the tank’s manway and attaching it horizontally to the tank bottom. If needed, multiple heaters can be laid end-to-end using flexible high-temperature power leads.

PUGMILL SYSTEMS

P R O D U C T GA L L E RY

We’ve been designing and manufacturing custom mixing solutions in Tennessee for nearly 40 years.

The Lo-Density Drop-in Tank Heaters from PHCo offer electric, drywell-style heat for underground as well as above-ground tanks and distributor trucks.

RCC • CTB • Pugmix • Stabilized Sand

Coldmix • Fly Ash • Salt Treatment

Producers know of the numerous benefits underground asphalt storage tanks can provide. Lo-Density, electric, drywell-style heat requires no permits or stacks, requires little maintenance, and is always 100% efficient, according to the manufacturer, but the Lo-Density Drop-in Heaters are also appropriate for above-ground applications, including static installations up to 50,000 gallons, as well as distributor trucks. The heaters install the same way as in underground tanks. Above-ground tanks must have a minimum of 3 inches of fiberglass (or similar) insulation and weatherproofing.

Drop-in Heaters from PHCo are available for tank capacities ranging from 1,000 gallons to 50,000 gallons, and they will maintain temperatures from 125° F to 325° F. The heaters’ recommended capacities include sufficient heat to maintain the temperature shown, plus a reserve capacity for heat-up requirements.

The Drop-in Tank Heater kit includes a UL-Listed control panel with digital thermostats for tank content temperature control. The complete kit includes heaters, controls, temperature sensors, wiring boxes, and transition fittings for the tank top. As with all of its heaters, PHCo stands behind its equipment, offering a one-year element replacement guarantee.

For more information, call 866-682-1582 or visit www. processheating.com.

RUBBLEMASTER

Rental Plants Available

Check out additional projects at:

PUGMILLSYSTEMS.COM or give us a call at:

931-388-0626 58 | JULY 2022

Rubble Master, Ennis, Texas, announced it is elevating the service and operating experience for users through its digitalization, electrification and automation efforts with the launch of the RM XSMART telemetry & fleet management product, which is designed to help contractors get more clarity about their operation, to identify blind spots and improve processes.

It also assists operators with more information about the condition of their machines to become more proactive and accelerate service processes. RM XSMART is available as an app on your phone or your desktop computer to access machine data anywhere, at any time. Operators can monitor fuel levels, reset belt scales, and track tonnages with an optional belt scale from their cab. RM XSMART documents machine use such as run time, operating hours and tonnages, which can be shared with your client or back-office. The operator can choose between a job report that documents the progress of a specific job or a daily report that summarizes the day’s achievements.

For more information, visit the Rubble Master website.

FE ATURED EQUIPMEN T

GTB-5543E Hauck® StarJet 580 Burner with TBA-36-100 Blower

GTB-5542 Dillman® 400 TPH Highly Portable Parallel Flow Drum Plant

GTB-5489 Astec® 400 TPH Partial Portable Counterflow Drum Plant

GTB-5513 Astec® 300 TPH Portable Counterflow Drum Plant

GTB-5516D Astec® 200 TPH Double Barrel Stationary Counterflow Drum

GTB-5540I Cedarapids®/Standard Havens® Nominal 60,000 CFM Portable Baghouse

For more information on the items above and more, call or visit our website.

Our trusted and knowledgeable asphalt experts will come to your site and appraise your equipment or plant. All you will have to do is sit back and let us bring approved buyers to you!

Turn your surplus asphalt plant equipment into much needed plant upgrades.

Inspection Marketing Showing Sales

Availability, price and condition subject to change by Stansteel®. Specifications are accurate to our knowledge, however; they are not guaranteed. All prices are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted. Equipment is sold on the basis of as is, where is, therefore, Stansteel® recommends inspection by buyer of any used equipment to determine suitability to their requirements.

NEW TECH

Increase Profitability with Pittbos

BY SARAH REDOHL

P

ittbos is a new technology platform that aims to help asphalt paving contractors build better estimates and proposals. The platform was designed to meet the estimation, sales tracking and order management needs of asphalt paving companies of any size.

The platform is the brainchild of asphalt industry veteran Mark Peach, former vice president of Benevento Companies, Wilmington, Massachusetts.

“A lot of tools are built by companies who aren’t familiar with our industry and may not understand how complex it is to build a road,” said Peach, who serves as CEO of Pittbos. With more than 20 years of experience in the asphalt industry, Peach hoped to develop a tool that would help asphalt contractors grow their businesses. Pittbos is the result of that vision. “Our first products are based on estimating because every job won or lost should start with an accurate and professional proposal. Our long term goals are to build more products that make using Pittbos a full cycle business platform that will strengthen customer bottom lines.”

“We’re not a technology company trying to enter a market blindly to simply capitalize on a business space,” Peach said.

“Pittbos contains all the knowledge that comes with managing asphalt paving crews, milling crews and asphalt plants for over 20 years.”

That firsthand experience in the asphalt industry gave the team behind Pittbos a deeper understanding of the pain points faced by asphalt professionals, Peach said. “A lot of contractors running $5 to 30 million businesses are doing so without the technology to fully understand their costs, how much work they have, or their sales pipeline,” Peach said. Furthermore, he and his team felt existing estimating software options were too expensive and required too much of a learning curve for contractors.

“There are a lot of great products out there, but many of them are designed for larger companies in our market or are general tools that don’t factor in the unique needs of asphalt contractors,” Peach said. “That’s why we’re dedicated to serving the asphalt industry with a tool that works for contractors of any size.”

THE FINER POINTS OF PITTBOS

Pittbos is a cloud-based tool, which means its users don’t need software or servers to run the program. This also means users can manage proposals and documents from anywhere on any device and that these are always backed up. With the amount of data entering the platform, Pittbos takes the security and protection of its customer data very seriously.

“We know that the lifeblood of any organization is the data that they have on hand—that is why we include military-grade encryption on all data on our systems,” said Peach.

The company ensures data stays safe by using the industry standard AES-256 algorithm, the same technology utilized by financial service institutions to secure sensitive financial infor60 | JULY 2022

mation. Additionally, all data that enters and leaves the platform happens over secure (SSL/TLS) connections and telemetry data and logs are sanitized to remove personally identifiable information (PII).

Peach said his team spent a great deal of time on user interface/ user experience so Pittbos would be easy to use, even for contractors who aren’t tech savvy. One of Pittbos’s first customers, Todd Coviello of Pavements Inc., Middleton, Massachusetts, was running his commercial and residential paving company without ever having owned a computer. “He’s been able to jump right in, running Pittbos on his iPad and his first laptop,” Peach said.

One feature Peach said makes Pittbos stand out is its flexibility.

For example, it has a library of reusable estimating items to create proposals more quickly. “Users can build out resource libraries with the fullest details or keep them as basic as they want,” Peach said. “We want to meet the contractor where they are, instead of telling them how we think they should estimate.”

The platform also allows users to add notes and reminders, so everyone within the organization can be on the same page.

In addition to creating proposals, Pittbos can also be used as a sales tracking tool to organize proposals, track proposal status, oversee a company’s book of work, and recently added area takeoff functionality. The platform’s reporting dashboard can be used to view proposal wins and losses, performance insights and analytics. Pittbos can also be used for backlog management to monitor workload, reduce downtime and forecast more accurately.

“We want to help contractors easily see where they stand as a business and apply that information intelligently to their individual markets to drive more profit,” Peach said. “Our tools give contractors a way to understand if they’ve got too much work at the moment and perhaps it’s time to raise prices or if they don’t have enough work and need to get more aggressive in the market without having to wait 30 days for financial reporting.”

Another benefit of Pittbos, Peach said, is that all these features are available within one platform. “We’ve heard from our early adopters that they’ve been able to replace four or five different software solutions with Pittbos,” he added. “That eliminates data loss, reduces confusion, and makes it so the contractors don’t need to learn several programs to do what we can offer in one.”

And this is only the beginning, Peach said. “As a dynamic company grounded in asphalt industry experience, our vision is to bring in the supplier side as well in order to create seamless communication between the contractor and supplier.” Eventually, they want Pittbos users to be able to order mix, dispatch trucks, schedule orders and trucks and access live job site cost data.

“This is a high stakes industry that involves an expensive and perishable product,” Peach said. “Solid logistics and the right software is a must, today and in the future.”

MIX MASTERS Visit us at Booth 1710

THE BEST BUSINESSES DON’T JUST BUY AN ASPHALT PLANT. THEY ACQUIRE A COMPETITIVE EDGE. Why do asphalt producers turn to Ammann when investing in batch and continuous plants?

The plants’ advanced technology drives ownership and operating costs lower – and profits higher.

In addition, Ammann’s unique approach to heating and mixing yields higher-quality asphalt than conventional methods.

Ammann has you covered with:

Get more information about Ammann plants

• Advanced heating and mixing systems • Intuitive operation • Outstanding productivity

CONTACT US NOW

• Remarkable reliability and durability • Exceptional training and service support after the sale

ADVANCED BATCH PLANTS

Tom Devonshire, (405) 990 2460, tom.devonshire@ammann.com

PREMIUM CONTINUOUS PLANTS

Ammann America Inc. 1125 SW 101st Road, Davie, FL 33324, USA Phone (954) 493 0010, Fax (954) 493 0020, info.aaa@ammann.com For additional product information and services please visit : www.ammann.com PMP-2761-01-EN | © Ammann Group

INDUSTRY-LEADING RECYCLING

O F F T H E M AT

Predict Your Asphalt Cost

BY SANDY LENDER

B

idding July 2022 a project your crew will perform September 2023 requires additional antacid when liquid asphalt cement (AC) prices are rising dramatically. We all understand the concept of bidding low enough to win the job but high enough to not only recover costs, but also to make a profit. Brian Lawrence, the president of Asphalt Unlimited LLC, Kennesaw, Georgia, has developed an app designed to forecast future liquid asphalt prices to assist contractors in bidding without guessing the future price. It’s designed to help asphalt producers and highway contractors bid future work, particularly in states or in instances where price escalators don’t exist.

Yes, we asked the questions.

Lawrence recently retired as a senior vice president from C.W. Matthews Contracting, where he worked for 21 years, and was chief operating officer for Bright Star Energy (liquid asphalt purchasing), for 13 years. He created Bright Star’s liquid asphalt business, which included design and operation of a green field asphalt terminal in Rockmart, Georgia. He also negotiated the successful purchase of an asphalt terminal in Chattanooga, Tennessee. During his career, he has purchased more than 2 million tons of liquid asphalt on a wholesale and retail basis via truck, rail, and brown-water barges. He has also produced more

This graph shows the high degree of correlation between existing, real data and the algorithm Brian Lawrence developed. Graph courtesy of Asphalt Unlimited LLC

than 260,000 tons of polymer-modified asphalt and has bid more than 7,000 asphalt projects.

In July 2008, he began his data collection that let him do more than track trends. It let him study reams of data, and that will come into play in a moment.

Connect With Us! CLEAR THE AIR AT YOUR ASPHALT PLANT The Blue Smoke Control system from Butler-Justice, Inc., captures and filters blue smoke from emission points in your plant — with 99.9% overall efficiency.

Stay in touch with AsphaltPro between issues where you can find how-to content, trends and technology, and industry insight.

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asphaltPRO asphaltPRO The Production

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• How to Build an ADA Ramp • How to Rejuvenat e Your • C.W. Matthews Crushes Recycling Pavement Maintenan ce

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“ANYTHING THAT CORRELATES THAT WELL TO PAST DATA IS DE FACTO PREDICTIVE OF THE FUTURE.”—BRIAN LAWRENCE Let me state up front that Lawrence is not claiming to predict the future. What he’s offering is a tool for the estimating team to recognize upcoming trends and see forward pricing data, based on their location and time of interest.

“Plant owners, producers, paving companies that must give a fixed price bid without an index use their own local-market knowledge. This app gives the estimating team sitting around the table a tool and guidance based in market realities instead of guessing.”

The app is based on Asphalt Unlimited’s proprietary algorithm, which pulls the daily closing prices of a variety of energy products from the NYMEX and provides an asphalt projection that mirrors the coker values of asphalt. It has been back-tested against 13 years of published coker values and it produced a correlation (r-value) of 0.988041. That’s almost perfect.

“The algorithm never predicted a value below the published value,” stated Lawrence, creator of the algorithm. “To me, that fact, along with the high degree of correlation, provides a lot of confidence when either producing a financial outcome or predicting a future price, whether up or down. Anything that correlates that well to past data is de facto predictive of the future.

The certainty of it is in the r-value.”

“The genie in the bottle is the algorithm,” Lawrence continued.

“When the market closes each day, it pulls closing futures prices from the NYMEX and uses that data as the basis of the projections. It’s based on the reality of the current market, and it forecasts the current quarter plus five more in the future. I also use this data and algorithm to create financial hedges for asphalt.”

For Lawrence’s audience, and ours, 18 months of forecasting should be more than sufficient. “Most resurfacing projects are happening within that timeframe anyway,” he said.

The values produced by the app are a retail (rack) projection and are also tailored to specific geographic areas in the 48 contiguous United States. The prices are given in ranges and are suggestive of what is a reasonable value to possibly include in a bid. The app is subscription based and all annual subscribers receive private asphalt pricing consultation with Lawrence, if desired.

“I’m not offering to sell anybody asphalt at a certain price,” he said. “I’m not predicting the future.” What he’s offering is future guidance with a high correlation to market reality.

For more information, contact Brian Lawrence at brianl@asphaltunlimitedllc.com or (770) 361-1668.

Elise Posillico 781.738.5805 Peter Brickman

516.353.9177

Brian Lawrence is the owner and president of Asphalt Unlimited LLC and creator of the algorithm on which The Asphalt App is based.

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 63

AD INDEX ALmix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Minds, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Ammann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

National Asphalt Paving Assoc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Asphalt Drum Mixers, Inc . . . 16, 17 Astec Industries . . . . Inside Front Cover, Inside Back Cover, 11

National Credit Card Processing . . . . . . . . . . 63

B&S Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Olson-Homestead Valve . . . . . 26

Blaw-Knox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Process Heating . . . . . . . . . . 44

Blue Smoke Control . . . . . . . . 62

Pugmill Systems . . . . . . . . . . 58

Bomag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Reliable Asphalt

BROCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Products . . . . . . . . . Back Cover

Cargill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Sripath Technologies . . . . . . . 48

Command Alkcon . . . . . . . . . 37

Stansteel . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 59

CWMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3, 55

SurfaceTech . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Fast Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Systems Equipment . . . . . . . . 27

Gencor Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . 4

Tarmac international . . . . . . . 52

Greenpatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Top Quality Paving . . . . . . . . . 64

GSSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Weiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Ingevity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Wirtgen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

KENCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

WEM Automation . . . . . . . . . 53

Meeker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Willow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

AsphaltPro’s advertiser index is designed for you to have quick access to the manufacturers that can get you the information you need to run your business efficiently. Please support the advertisers that support this magazine and tell them you saw them in AsphaltPro magazine.

64 | JULY 2022

We’re on it.

BROCK is proudly manufacturing equipment and supplying parts for hot mix asphalt plants. www.brock.llc | 2011 West Polymer Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 | 1.800.441.9528 | 1.423.476.9900

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