Wirtgen: Leading industry together

Wirtgen and Stabilised Pavements Australia have formed a strong bond over two decades, with both benefitting from a loyal partnership. Roads & Infrastructure speaks to representatives from both companies to hear how the partnership has gone from strength to strength.

Both Wirtgen and Stabilised Pavements of Australia (SPA) have more in common than you might think.

The former – one of the world’s premier road construction machinery manufacturers – and the latter – a leading provider of sustainable and cost-effective pavement solutions – have worked hand in hand for close to two decades.

This relationship goes far beyond just machinery. Their history extends back to 1997, when both companies were much smaller than their respective industry-wide capabilities and solutions today. Before elevating themselves to be among the leaders in their given industries, a fortuitous encounter gave birth to a lasting partnership. As Jason Parrish, National Plant Manager – SPA explains.

“Back in the day, Wirtgen was a relative newcomer to the sector in this space, they’d been out for 10 to 15 years and the reputation around their machinery was growing,” he says.

“They were slowly starting to get the mantle of the market leader; we could see more and more of their profilers and cold recyclers around. Immediately it was the German technology that set them apart from the rest.”

Such is the popularity amongst the SPA team, they’ve ordered an additional Streumaster Generation Two spreader.

Brett Ferris, Product Support Manager – Wirtgen says his earliest memories of working with SPA extend back to 2011.

By that time Wirtgen was already established as one of the biggest brands in the sector.

As he recalls, SPA’s willingness to embrace brand new technologies was evident right from his first encounter.

“Wirtgen has always been the market leader for a reason. Our technology is far and away advanced compared to what else is on offer in the market,” Ferris says.

“SPA are generally the first ones to take on new technology, no matter what it is. It’s not a case of just dropping off the machine and saying, ‘good luck’. We’ve always wanted to work together, to help push things further in our partnership. It’s not just about the machine itself.”

Ferris says the long-established relationship allows for honesty and accountability, allowing both sides to engage in beneficial discussions to further improve the Wirtgen product.

“If there’s a hiccup or something hasn’t gone smoothly, we always work through that together. We’re both really familiar with how each business operates,” he says.

“At the end of the day, we always want to provide what’s best for the customer. We’re always trying to push our products further and our customer relationships play a big part in that. It’s dynamic and always changing, but we want what’s best for everybody.”

SPA’s current fleet of 45 units is almost exclusively represented by Wirtgen machinery, a testament to the on-going success of the partnership.

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SPA has also been able to run its Wirtgen units for a considerable amount of time, thanks to the robustness of the equipment and the support provided.

So much so, that SPA still has a unit from 2004 in operation.

“Our purchasing these days is almost always leaning towards Wirtgen, as they’re the leader in the market, in my opinion,” Parrish says.

“Operationally, the maintenance, the support and the whole of life cost are all reasons as to why we keep going back.”

While SPA conducts its own maintenance throughout its vast network of workshops around the country, the company still relies on Wirtgen from time to time, especially when it comes to spare parts.

“A unique aspect of SPA is the remoteness of some of their projects,” Ferris says. “From a Wirtgen perspective, we do all we can to make sure that they can keep running, whether that’s having a long phone call, driving out or even flying out.

“It can be a challenge but it’s something that we’re more than happy to work through.”

For further assistance, Wirtgen can liaise with local service managers to ensure that customers can get their machinery up and running as soon as possible.

“That relationship and trust has only grown. We’ve both moved past traditional thinking to make sure that they’re efficient and productive with each of our products. And they trust us to show them how it’s done, if need be,” Ferris says.

Onwards and upwards

Both companies are eyeing further growth, with SPA already ordering additional units, including brand new Generation-Two Streumaster spreaders, along with Wirtgen’s W 380 CR Recycler.

The second-generation spreaders take what was one of the most advanced machines in the market and elevates it to a whole other level altogether.

Key developments in faster filling and another step change in accuracy means significant savings for users, while a lower centre of gravity through the unit’s chain path design helps to improve safety and reliability. Operator comfort was also placed very high on the priority list for the Streumaster, with a new multifunctional control panel bringing together all control elements in one single unit.

The relationship between Wirtgen and SPA is getting stronger day by day.

This provides an ideal overview of all machine functions at all times and offers a customisable user interface.

Ingenuity also ensures that operators can benefit from correct and precise discharging of their given binder agent, with said spreading performance also able to be tracked to allow for in-depth analysis and ultimately, improved performance.

These units form part of SPA’s commitment to recycling, with the organisation taking a leading position to encourage greater road rehabilitation and pavement recycling methods.

SPA has experience completing a variety of road construction projects, having worked with state road authorities, local government, civil construction companies and more. It’s also experienced in being the voice for the pavement sector, helping to represent and advocate for improved outcomes.

“With their equipment we can cut down on the number of graders and rollers, which means it’s not only safer, but there’s far less engine emissions and impact on the environment,” Parrish says. “We’re not getting rid of excess material either, it’s all staying on site. Between ourselves and Wirtgen, we can have much greener outcomes.

“With Wirtgen’s new Streumaster spreader technology you can select from three different spread rates coming out of the back of the truck at the same time. It’s features like that which are really going to help us out.”

Wirtgen shares the same views when it comes to sustainability.

“They’re always the first to market and are helping to push the sector to do things differently,” Ferris says.

“Pavement and cold recycling are a big part of our business, which is why we’re improving our machinery to reach greater sustainability outcomes.”