The highly sophisticated BPO ASPHALT software system is at the heart of a major boost to productivity and efficiency from contractor Tarmac. The company is the first contractor in the UK to employ the package, developed by Volz Consulting in Germany.
Tarmac says that the software allows its contracting team to plan highways schemes and inner-city projects in detail, ahead of work starting on site. Using GPS data, the software utilises surface area values to produce fully optimised planning documents and work schedules, reducing waiting times and delays.
Based on the site’s parameters and project requirements, the software calculates the time needed to produce asphalt at the plant and the number of trucks required for transport. It can also calculate the density of material and the maximum volume of asphalt that can be laid/shift.
Paul Fleetham, managing director at Tarmac Contracting, said: “Rolling out this software across our contracting business allows our teams to create detailed project schedules and enhance our planning of material supply, resources and plant.
Teams on the ground can access information in real time through a mobile app, allowing them to track deliveries, monitor data relating to the quality of the pavement installation and to assess progress. The real time data also allows decisions to be made immediately across all parties, including asphalt production, to haulage and paving teams.
Tarmac has already used the new technology as part of the renovation of a busy 6.5km stretch of the M62 near Leeds for Highways England, completed earlier this year.
