Roadmaster® features at the Enterprise Innovations day on the Isle of Anglesey. - (18-June-2008)

On the 18th June, Archway Products Roadmaster® Patcher was featured in the Enterprise Innovations day on the Isle of Anglesey. The event, organized by Enterprise Plc. featured many new and innovative processes in the area of road repair and materials recycling.

A brochure of the event is vailable here. Similar events are planned for the future.

Velocity Patcher in action.

Resurgence in Velocity Patcher sales in Ireland and UK - (18-June-2008)

Having been dormant for a number of years, sales of Velocity Patchers in Ireland have rocketed in recent times.

As some of the last generation of Patchers approach the end of their working lives, many Councils are taking a fresh look at what new technology has to offer. Recent developments in Velocity Patching equipment have led to a whole new approach to the use of this equipment. Gone are the days when the patcher was deployed only to fill potholes - often referred to as reactive maintenance or "shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted".

Many Councils have now realised that timely placing of a quality patch over a cracked or eroding surface can provide a long lasting and cost effective repair where in the past no action was taken until the surface started to break up. Equipment available previously was designed primarily to fill potholes, whereas today's new generation of Velocity Patchers can not only fix the pothole, but also prevent next years pothole, all for a fraction of the cost.

Using carefully selected materials and new application methods, today's patch is neater, more durable, properly compacted, and can drastically reduce the amount of residual loose chips.

Cork County Council (Mallow area) has recently taken delivery of four new Roadmasters®, with automatic gearbox, brush and compactor system. Galway County Council has purchased two units, with a third on order. Other Councils who have opted for the Roadmaster® system are Laois, Sligo and Wicklow, while many others are actively considering either purchase or hire.

Meanwhile, the trend in the UK market is towards hire in many cases, with only some Counties with large rural road networks opting for outright purchase, eg Shropshire, Dumfries and Galloway, and South Lanarkshire. Many Councils and term Contractors are opting for a few months hire each year, as a means of better utilising scarce resources. This allows a restricted budget to be used to better advantage, thereby covering a much larger area than any conventional or alternative repair method. (See Customer Comments) Archway Products currently operate a fleet of four Roadmasters® on hire in the UK and Scotland, between the months of March and September, with an ever expanding customer base.

                   

                   

Telemetry Tracking in collaboration with Plant i Ltd. - (02-May-2008)

Plant i have developed a bespoke telemetry solution for the Roadmaster®, giving detailed position and utilization information with optional inputs for monitoring machine activity. See the data sheet.

                   

                   

Rear from the left: Ray Shaw, Archway Products (England and Wales); Phil Edwards, Assistant Divisional Surveyor, Shropshire County Council; Councillor John Everall, Cabinet Member for Environment, Shropshire County Council; and Kevin Rudd, Enterprise PLC. Front: Aidan Prior, Archway Products, and Andy Pitt, Enterprise PLC

Roadmaster® makes fast work of Shropshire’s potholes - (21-Sept-2007)

Two new, one-man operation, Roadmaster® pothole and surface dressing machines have been purchased by Shropshire County Council for use by their Term Maintenance Contractor, Enterprise PLC.

The Roadmasters, supplied by Archway Products, have proven to be a more economical way of repairing and maintaining the county’s roads, compared to traditional, manual gangs.

Shropshire’s, Head of Network Management, Chris Edwards, says the new Roadmasters have brought an extra dimension to road repairs, particularly in rural areas. “The driver/operator is given the authority to make the most use of his time. If he sees that the surface has degraded elsewhere while he is repairing the pothole he can then use the Roadmaster’s surface dressing capability to treat that. It’s effective preventive maintenance.”

Roadmaster® uses compressed air to blow any water or dirt out of a pothole or a section of road that needs repairing. The pothole is then filled with a mixture of hot bitumen and chippings. The repair is compacted by a roller on the machine before being sealed with a layer of surface dressing. Finally the machine can either sweep or blow away any excess chippings.

The machine can lay up to 14 tonnes of material a day, compared to the two to three tonnes laid by a conventional two man pothole gang. Repairs made by the Roadmaster® will typically last more than three years – considerably longer than normal potholing repairs.

Chris Edwards added: “We used to send out Inspectors to identify potholes and then a gang to provide a short to medium term repair. The Roadmasters allow us to provide a medium to long term repair, faster and more productively.”

John Everall, Shropshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for the environment, said: “These new machines have been purchased following an extremely successful trial last year. They are both economical and produce excellent results. I look forward to seeing them on the county’s roads.”