Asphalt Industry News October 2006

The National Pavement Association 52nd Annual Meeting to be held at the San Francisco Marriott, February 18-21; NAPA, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) sponsoring the National Workshop on Materials and Energy Conservation.

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NAPA NEWS
Key Industry Topics to be Covered at NAPA Annual Meeting
The National Asphalt Pavement Association announces that its 52nd Annual Meeting, February 18-21, 2007, at the San Francisco Marriott, will be filled with 12 educational programs and networking events. In addition, committee meetings will take place both prior to and during the annual meeting.

The meeting offers a range of educational sessions on issues from management to the environment to hot-mix asphalt (HMA) construction and the outlook for funding. Topics include:

  • "Warm-Mix Asphalt: Are YOU Ready?" with speakers Eric Harm, Illinois Department of Transportation; Roger Brown, Pace Construction; and Harry Bush, Jr., Vulcan Materials Co. Attendees will gain insight into how this technology will affect the market place, and will be given information on timelines for product acceptance by DOTs and a gauge for acceptance of warm mix by customers.
  • "Funding the Interstates of the Future," as discussed by Gregory M. Cohen, American Highway Users Alliance, and Dennis Faulkenberger, Ice Miller, LLC. The Highway User Trust Fund may be insolvent by 2009, and a new funding system is urgently needed.
  • "Developing an Environmental Health & Safety Compliance Tool," puts together a game plan that can be used to smoothly run EHS compliance operations. Attendees will be able to identify federal EHS regulations that may affect operations, design a compliance calendar for keeping track of federal reporting requirements and identify state specific and local EHS compliance obligations.
  • "An HMA Playbook for your Business," with speaker Dr. Vince Covello, Center for Risk Communication. Attendees will learn new tools to work with neighbors, develop positive messages for addressing negative concerns, and learn how to use the facts to support and communicate their message.

Register before January 9 to receive a discount. To register, visit www.hotmix.org, contact Assistant Meetings Planner Carol Metzger at [email protected], or call toll-free at 1-888-468-6499.

NAPA, FHWA, AASHTO to Host Workshop on Conservation
In other news, NAPA, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), in cooperation with the Asphalt Pavement Association of Indiana, are sponsoring a National Workshop on Materials and Energy Conservation for Hot Mix Asphalt. The event will be held November 1-2 at the Adam's Mark Hotel, Indianapolis.

This 1 1/2 day workshop will focus on materials and energy issues affecting the production and economics of HMA. Coping with the current reality of availability and cost of materials and energy is vital for ensuring the viability of our national infrastructure. Charles Potts, CEO of Heritage Construction and Materials and a nationally known leader in asphalt recycling issues, will provide the keynote address.

For more information and online registration, visit www.hotmix.org.

Roadtec Expands Factory
Efficiency to increase
Manufacturing of Roadtec's Shuttle Buggy material transfer vehicle and pavers has started up in the new addition to the company's facility in Chattanooga, TN. A state-of the art paint department is also part of the ongoing growth of the company.

The facility upgrade allows Roadtec to further refine its cellular manufacturing approach, which is a key component of the company's lean manufacturing methods. Roadtec builds its pavers, mills, material transfer vehicles and soil stabilizers in product-focused work groups —cells — which house all operations to manufacture a family of products. Roadtec is expecting a 30-percent average cycle time reduction across all products as a result of this upgrade.

Existing manufacturing space vacated by the Shuttle Buggy and paver teams will be used to provide more space for the increased production of Roadtec milling machines and the new line of soil stabilizers.

To handle the increased output of the manufacturing cells, the Roadtec paint department has also received a major upgrade in space and technology.

BMG Seltec Aquires Trakitgps
Acquisition expands Seltec's solutions-set to asphalt producers
BMG Seltec, a provider of site automation controls, point-of-sale ticketing systems, and operations software for producers of aggregates and asphalt, has acquired TrakitGPS. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT, TrakitGPS is a provider of web-based hosted signaling and payroll management systems focused exclusively on the unique requirements of aggregate, concrete, and ready mix producers and their respective haulers. TrakitGPS will continue to operate out of Salt Lake City.

The TrakitGPS solution typically sends and receives pertinent status and location information from Nextel cellular phones. Pre-integrated interfaces to BMG Seltec, as well as other dispatching systems (e.g. Command Alkon and Systech) are available. Users can access their fleet information from any location with an Internet connection, and pay a simple monthly fee per truck. There are no upfront license fees, and in most cases there is no extra hardware to purchase, install and maintain.

Multiquip-ammann Sign Roller Deal
Multiquip to be exclusive dealer for Ammann
Multiquip Inc. finalized an agreement with Switzerland's Ammann Schweiz AG to serve as the exclusive distributor for Ammann's tandem vibratory rollers in North America, plus in several Latin American and Caribbean nations.

Under terms of the agreement, Multiquip will market 1.5- to 5-ton weight class tandem and combination rollers. The rollers are the next generation of Ammann's AV Series asphalt rollers and emphasize maximum jobsite performance with high frequency vibration, superior operator comfort, advanced safety features, and a maintenance-free service concept.

"We're excited about this opportunity as it completes the MQ line of confined area and medium range construction equipment," says Roger Euliss, president.

Marketed as the AR Series tandem vibratory rollers, the units will carry the MQ/Rammax brand name to complement Multiquip's full line of light- and medium-sized compaction equipment which already includes rammers, plate compactors, and trench and asphalt rollers.

There are 10 diesel-powered models in the AR Series with drum widths from 31 to 51 inches (80-130 centimeters).

entrifugal forces range from 2,925 pounds (13 kN) on the AR-16 to 15,060 lbs. (67 kN) on the most powerful model in the series, the AR-40. Standard features include folding ROPS, dual frequency and amplitude, back-up alarms, pressurized water systems with dual filtration, noise attenuation, sliding seats, 100 percent side clearance through full flush drums, drum offset and lockable instrument panels.

Irwindale Asphalt Wins Award
Vulcan Materials Co. plant earns recognition
Vulcan Materials Co. announces that its Irwindale asphalt plant was recognized by the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) as an exemplary facility for the safety of its operations, environmental practices and commitment ot the Irwindale community. This is the fifth year that Irwindale Asphalt has been recognized with the NAPA Diamond Achievement Commendation for Excellence in Hot Mix Asphalt Plant/Site Operations.

ARTBA Names Recipients of Safety Award
Contractor and DOT offical named
Jim Ahern, president of Ahern and Associates, a roadway construction firm headquartered in South Charleston, WV, and Mike Crow, Kansas Department of Transportation (DOT) director of operations, are the respective private and public sector recipients of the 2006 American Road & Transportation Builders Association's (ARTBA) "Jake Landen Memorial Safety Award."

Established in 1989 by ARTBA's Traffic Safety Industry Division (TSID) in memory of safety industry leader and past ARTBA Chairman (1976) J.C. Landen, the award annually recognizes outstanding contributions to highway safety.

Ahern was recognized for his firm's strong safety record and his industry leadership advocating for federal policies aimed at improving transportation and traffic safety.

Crow has had a distinguished 34-year career with the Kansas DOT, holding several positions in planning, field construction, maintenance and traffic engineering.

He has been director of operations since November 2003. The 3,000-employee agency is charged with handling the state's road and bridge maintenance, transportation planning, data collection and evaluation, project scoping, designing and letting, and administrative support.

Crow is a long-time member of the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Subcommittee on Traffic Engineering. He has spent much of his career promoting safety through involvement in public- and private-sector roadway safety committees and organizations.

Click here to view PDF version of the Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation table.

 

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