Skip to main content

Massenza getting good mileage out of its combined bitumen plant

Environmental issues are now more than ever shaping decisions that governments make when it comes to road building which means contactors have to prove their credentials. For that reason alone sales of the combined polymer and crumb rubber onsite bitumen plant the Italian family business Massenza have been doing well in Europe, said Diego Massenza, who has been in the business for 15 years and is now general manager. The plant was developed by Massenza, a 70-year-old company based in Bologna, around 2010, a
February 24, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Environmental issues have to be addressed during road construction
Environmental issues are now more than ever shaping decisions that governments make when it comes to road building which means contactors have to prove their credentials.

For that reason alone sales of the combined polymer and crumb rubber onsite bitumen plant the Italian family business 6805 Massenza have been doing well in Europe, said Diego Massenza, who has been in the business for 15 years and is now general manager.

The plant was developed by Massenza, a 70-year-old company based in Bologna, around 2010, and it appears to have come along at the right time, Massenza told World Highways during a break at the Pavement Preservation and Recycling Summit in Paris.

Many governments are under siege to come up with policies to help the environment and Massenza’s combined plant is a direct user of old tyres in the form of crumb rubber, so it’s a visible solution to an environmental problem, he said.

The Spanish and Greek markets have been increasingly important for the plant, but also the Middle East is coming up fast.

Massenza, who also outlined the plant to delegates during his presentation in the morning Innovation Session at PPRS, noted that the clients are also looking for increasing flexibility. The fact that the plant can easily switch from crumb rubber to polymer means there is a cost saving – only one plant is needed for the two processes. It also is set up on site within a day.

North America, which has some of the most stringent environmental rules and regulations, is still a market not explored be the family business, explained Massenza. The demand may be there but it’s a tough market to crack, he said, because of extensive machine licencing and permits required at all levels of government.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • The US FAST Act: a job left unfinished
    April 4, 2016
    US roads and bridges are crumbling at an alarming rate as state governments wring their hands over the increasingly scarce money for repairs. Enter the FAST Act. But is it enough? US state transportation department officials, as well as highway contractors and operators, breathed a sigh of relief in December. For months the highways infrastructure sector waited anxiously to see where the necessary money for road projects would come from. For several years, the Highways Trust Fund – the usual way of paying f
  • Turning the construction industry green
    July 19, 2023
    Green is good for industry – delivering sustainability can also help reduce costs for construction firms, ensuring better financial performance
  • LiuGong is committed to alternative power
    July 3, 2025
    LiuGong chairman Zeng Guang’an spoke to David Arminas
  • Chinese manufacturers plan to compete globally
    June 18, 2015
    Chinese construction equipment firms have been building their operations in local markets – but are now looking to develop globally - Mike Woof writes In recent years Chinese construction equipment manufacturers have been able to capitalise on local demand in the home market. The rapid rate of expansion of transport infrastructure, fuelled by government spending, led to a massive need for construction machines. The country’s manufacturers have grown rapidly in size, investing enormously in factory capacity