SAT Civil is a part of Hiway Stabilizers Australia and is an Australasian stabilisation specialist company whose innovative solutions require a matching innovative fleet of equipment. Jan Weinert, general manager of SAT Civil sits down with Roads & Infrastructure to share their long-lasting relationship with Wirtgen.
When asked how their processes ran before using Wirtgen’s products, Weinert summed it up simply: “We didn’t really have one, since we’ve started out, it’s always been Wirtgen.”
Having worked with Wirtgen Germany in the past, SAT Civil made contact with Wirtgen Australia when the company expanded their operations into Australia, in 1997.
“We formed a close relationship over the course of 1997 and since then have almost exclusively used Wirtgen gear,” says Weinert. “We worked very closely with Wirtgen across almost all of our projects.”
According to Weinert, Wirtgen is a one-stop-shop for them.
“Wirtgen provides a complete package to the client, from sales to training, spare parts and the maintenance or repair of the equipment,” explains Weinert. “They are very efficient in solving problems over the phone and are giving our operators advice on how to repair the machines in the case of a breakdown.”
The Wirtgen team assists their clients in the field with service trucks and mobile mechanics with servicing and repairs.
This one-stop approach matches SAT Civil’s approach to delivering their services, with the team offering in-house pavement design capability as well as a wide range of pavement stabilisation solutions.
“The Wirtgen Soil Stabilisers that we are using are very reliable and economical to run due to the high-powered engines and the fact that the milling rotor is driven via belts directly from the engine,” says Weinert. “Having this extra power translates into higher daily production outputs and better mixing quality at greater depths.”
Our company offers many different stabilisation processes such as lime and cement, in-situ foam bitumen as well as the plant mixed foam bitumen stabilisation of pavement materials.
“All of the stabilisation processes rely heavily on the accurate application of the relevant binders and process controls and this is where the Wirtgen equipment really excels,” says Weinert.
“With SAT Civil offering a wide range of services, having access to the technologies that Wirtgen and its subsidiaries offers allows us to carry out our operations with the right equipment for the job” says Weinert.
“The equipment that Wirtgen and its subsidiaries offers to the market is considered to be amongst the most sophisticated technology in the industry,” says Weinert.
One example of this sophistication and constant innovation, says Weinert, is Wirtgen’s WITOS digital interfaced operating system that keeps record and manages plant performance and maintenance.
“This system can be integrated into their machines and relays all information, in real time, back to the factory or to Wirtgen technicians so they monitor the machines operating parameters from the office and give advice accordingly,” says Weinert.
With the ability to monitor, record and share data in real time, faults can be discovered and eliminated well before breakdowns occur.
Moreover, Weinert says the Wirtgen technology also allows for fewer staff to operate the machines effectively and safely. “The use of cameras and digital interfaces makes for a very user-friendly operating experience with great process control.”
But besides the advanced user interface, Weinert finds the Wirtgen equipment to be one of the most powerful available, particularly with the profilers and stabilisers that the company primarily uses.
“A great example of the reliability and power of the Wirtgen equipment was demonstrated on a large stabilisation project we have recently completed in Central Queensland,” cites Weinert. “The project required the subgrade to be stabilised to a depth of 350mm incorporating a triple blend cementitious binder followed by a 300mm in-situ stabilised foam bitumen base course layer. The Wirtgen stabiliser and spreader truck we used handled both processes very well and operated reliably throughout the works till the completion of the project.”
The machines completed the entire 14-month long project without any breakdowns or mechanical issues, the SAT Civil’ team was very satisfied with the outcome.
“During the duration of this project, we had to deal with soft ground conditions as a result of some rain events, but the Wirtgen equipment handled the soft ground conditions very well and we managed to push through the works with minimal disruptions,” says Weinert.
Another benefit of Wirtgen machines is that they are built with future proofing in mind.
“Wirtgen machines are built in the factory with all the cabling that is necessary for any additional attachments or upgrades that an operator might add to the machine later on,” explains Weinert. “This makes it easy to upgrade the machines to the newest systems or attachments with the use of conversion kits.”
With Wirtgen consistently “future-proofing” their machines, as Weinert describes, he’s confident in the continuation of their relationship.
“As Wirtgen continues to bring more efficient machinery to the market that translates into higher productivity and better value means that we will always consider Wirtgen when purchasing machines in the future,” says Weinert.
This article originally appeared in the June edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.
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