State Asphalts’ flagship, high capacity asphalt plant in Prestons services the greater Sydney area, Central Coast and Southern Highlands of NSW.
Capable of producing up to 250 tonnes of asphalt an hour, the Prestons plant is primed to cater for large operations in the region.
James Ng, Project Manager, calls it the organisation’s “heavy lifter” when it comes to the company’s product supply to the region.
The industry-leading plant sets State Asphalts apart from the crowd in NSW, and now the company is raising its profile even further.
State Asphalts, a Kypreos Group company, established a batch asphalt plant in Nowra in May to tap into the regional market and complement its Prestons plant.
The Nowra location – south of Wollongong – was a major attraction for State Asphalts in establishing its newest fixed-plant operation there. “For us the advantage is having the ability to supply the entire eastern coast and reach as far south as Canberra,” says Mr. Ng.
“There’s a lot of government investment in the local area which is why we’ve set up a plant there,” he says. “It’s a strategic location for us, as we already feed the area out of our Prestons site.”
With many suppliers and major projects, such as the Princess Highway in the local vicinity, Mr. Ng asserts that the location is definitely a winner for the company.
Prior to setting up this newest plant, State Asphalts was running a mobile asphalt plant at the Nowra location after winning the tender for the South Nowra Deviation project on the Princess Highway. The site also supplied the surrounding area.
Following the completion of the deviation, the mobile plant was moved to another contract, leaving a noticeable gap in supply to the local area. State Asphalts responded to local demand by establishing a fixed-site operation at the Nowra location.
The plant was built by Italian plant manufacturers Marini S.P.A., part of the Fayat Group, and commissioned in July. State Asphalts and Marini S.P.A. have been working together for 15 years and the Italian company offered the best option for the company in establishing its latest site.
It can produce hot and cold mix asphalt, modified bitumen products, bitumen emulsion products and supply cutback spray seal. The site includes 120 tonnes of asphalt storage and 200 tonnes of bitumen storage.
“It can produce 120 tonnes of product an hour, but it is really efficient at producing smaller batch quantities,” says Mr. Ng, “That’s the value of having a batch plant – it’s very flexible.”
The plant uses state-of-the-art control systems, minimising the need for multiple workers on site. Up to three individuals operate the plant and receive intensive training from the manufacturers. “Our team doesn’t need much to run the plant effectively. It has very sophisticated software,” adds Mr. Ng.
The plant is specifically designed with recyclable asphalt product capabilities in mind and can run between 30 and 40 per cent reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). “That’s pretty much the mandate from our customers,” explains Mr. Ng.
Since going into full operation in August, the Nowra small batch plant is now proving its worth in the area.
“At the moment we’re supplying to Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) and the local council – the two primary road construction authorities in the area – and a number of smaller private companies,” he says. “The plant’s capabilities give our customers a lot of flexibility in what sorts of products they want.”
Due to demand in the local area, the Nowra plant is being developed with the capabilities to produce even more products.
A warm mix asphalt system will be installed within the next 12 months to allow the plant to produce foamed bitumen and cater to a wider variety of road projects. Mr. Ng says that a NATA certified laboratory will be on site too, a way of adding to the site’s already high-level of product quality assurance.
Even though it’s in its infancy, Mr. Ng is confident the Nowra plant will prove a major stepping stone for State Asphalts as the company continues to grow. “We’ve seen some pretty strong demand from the local area,” he says. “A couple of years ago we only had one plant and as for the future, we’ll continue to move on any opportunities if they arise.”