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commandalkon.com | 14 recent survey by Reester & Associates for the asphalt industry showed 59% of construction related firms surveyed across the country report boosting base pay and 29% gave bonuses. Productivity and Efficiency Gains Through Automation Even still, the worker shortage will remain a problem, as it is for most other markets that make up the industry. There just are not enough people right now, but one way to fill the gap is through automation. "Automation solutions make it easier for a new plant operator to slide into that seat," said Sandy. "Having controls that make the plant easier to operate eases training and streamlines workflows so that someone new to the space can come in and it's easier for them to get the right mix to the right customer in a timely fashion." But there is a caveat to new technology and automation implementations in asphalt operations. "Increasing the productivity of the workers on hand is like walking a tightrope," said Sandy. "Companies and contractors are implementing new technologies and trying to make the workload a little easier – they're training their workers so that the workers know how to use these new technology solutions, but there are only so many hours in a day." When there are not enough hours in the day to learn the system, people naturally want to stick with "the way it's always been done," because they have a job that needs to be completed now. So they retreat back to the old, less efficient and less productive way to do a task. In contrast, automating basic processes speeds job cycles; documents orders, deliveries, and payments; monitors and validates compliance; streamlines audits and quality controls; and encourages information-sharing and collaboration among all construction stakeholders, which can greatly reduce the amount of time that is spent in nonproductive activities. "Automating and collecting the data that we're getting off the automation systems helps us to troubleshoot and solve problems," said Dan. "It helps us to predict failures and understand performance and having this information can help us bridge the gap between the current and future workforce." It can be difficult to learn a new system, but when trained correctly, data collection and transference can streamline processes and offer insights that enable them to optimize area of the operation that could be performing better. Asphalt Is a Sustainable Paving Material Automation also offers the ability to reduce carbon emissions. "These new pieces of automation can do more than regulate the mix design; they can monitor additives that allow increased recycle use and regulate temperatures to keep the mix from overheating and possibly causing emissions. All of this helps in the industry's march toward net-zero," said Sandy. The asphalt industry has a target on its back when it comes to environmental friendliness, and it's a little-known fact of what good environmental stewards the asphalt market is. The challenge is setting the record straight. "According to a 2001 National Asphalt Pavement Association report, the asphalt pavement industry had increased production of its product by 250 percent and reduced total emissions by 97 percent since 1970," said Sandy Lender. "The amount the industry has increased its production of mix but reduced its amount of emissions is phenomenal." The industry is constantly trying to incorporate recycled products. Asphalt can be a perpetual pavement, being designed to last forever. Because of this, total pavement reconstruction is rendered virtually obsolete, only requiring periodic surface preservation or renewal. When the surface is renewed, the material is restored and recycled. Average, everyday citizens don't realize the effort that the industry puts in to build high-quality, yet environmentally-friendly products for society. Changing this perception is a challenge that the industry has been facing for the last 50 years. Nonetheless, operations working in the asphalt industry are still committed to preserving the environment through dedication to compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations and through continual efforts to minimize the impact on the environment. As sustainable construction continues to be a major initiative of the heavy building materials and construction space, these efforts will only grow. Sandy Lender is the Editor of AsphaltPro magazine and Dan Bauman is over asphalt operations at Glenn O Hawbaker. PREDICTIONS Collecting data from automation systems helps troubleshoot, solve problems, predict failures, and understand performance. Having this information will help us bridge the gap between the current and future workforce.

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