A rapid increase in the adoption of new asphalt technologies will have a radical impact on South Africa’s economy and is a capital investment that makes sense for road contractors, large and small. Rocco Lehman, MD of Ammann SA, unpacks a powerful business case with maximum benefit to all stakeholders. 

Capex investment in South Africa’s road-building industry is long overdue, with 80% of its core equipment still not technologically equipped to meet national standards. Ammann SA has established a market model in South Africa that enables contractors of all sizes to adopt new, economically accessible asphalt technologies, fully supported by training programmes and maintenance contracts. Beyond meeting national standards, there are cost and efficiency benefits to investing in these technologies that far exceed initial outlay, with numerous benefits throughout the value chain.

Driving for better roads

A third of all asphalt produced in the United States last year was done so using warm-mix technologies and as much as 73.5 million tonnes of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) was used in new asphalt pavement mixes. Globally, the trend towards new asphalt technologies is being driven by environmental legislation, effective resource management and simple economics.

Sanral’s standard specifications and design parameters already insist on a minimum 40% RAP in new replacement pavement mixes, on the back of environmental legislation geared at optimising both aggregate and bitumen resources.

“Bitumen in South Africa is becoming increasingly expensive and in short supply, and because the local price is linked to global prices, local producers are making massive margins. Using 40% RAP shaves 19% off the cost of asphalt, while easing demand,” explains Lehmann. “It also eliminates a significant portion of the logistics costs; heating, storing and moving asphalt is a significant proportion of the cost of the final product.”

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