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Infrastructure
By connecting information on materials, construction conditions, usage and performance, operators could also better predict wear and tear, schedule maintenance before failures occur and ensure the right resources and replacement materials are available when needed. The result would be a shift from fixing problems as they arise to anticipating them, reducing disruption while making every pound spent on road infrastructure work harder.
Common goals
Most of today’ s roadbuilding operators share similar goals. They want to reduce carbon emissions, build greater resilience and durability, make installation more efficient and cleaner, and, ideally, shift from reactive to proactive maintenance.
I believe that a more holistic, industrywide, data-led approach could provide the intelligence needed to achieve all of this and more. Therefore, while construction may have sown the seeds for the‘ golden thread’, I hope the concept ultimately finds its way into roadbuilding too – helping to shape a more connected, data-driven and innovative journey ahead. ■
better knowledge extending far beyond the immediate job at hand, decisionmaking could shift meaningfully, prioritising considered, durable sustainable options over reactive, short-term fixes.
Predictive maintenance is another significant opportunity. In the road-building sector, even relatively short periods of downtime caused by asset or road failure can have significant operational and financial consequences. Greater visibility across an asset’ s lifecycle could help operators identify potential issues before they escalate, anticipate recurring failures and better understand performance constraints.
Dr Paul Phillips www. associatedasphalt. biz
Associated Asphalt Contracting Ltd is a privately owned, multi-disciplined contractor specialising in airfields, highways, rail and asphalt production. Founded in 2014, the UK-based business has an established reputation for its flexibility, reliability and assured performance in high-risk environments, with clients including National Highways, Heathrow Airport, the UK Atomic Energy Authority, and the Ministry of Defence. Services include contracting teams, material design and material manufacture using bespoke asphalt mixing plants. The company was recently named in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list for the second year running.
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