Skip to main content

Tarmac’s productivity boost with new software

The highly sophisticated BPO ASPHALT software system is at the heart of a major boost to productivity and efficiency from contractor Tarmac. The company is the first contractor in the UK to employ the package, developed by Volz Consulting in Germany. Tarmac says that the software allows its contracting team to plan highways schemes and inner-city projects in detail, ahead of work starting on site. Using GPS data, the software utilises surface area values to produce fully optimised planning documents and w
December 13, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
UK contractor Tarmac is now adopting sophisticated logistics software developed in Germany by Volz Consulting
The highly sophisticated BPO ASPHALT software system is at the heart of a major boost to productivity and efficiency from contractor Tarmac. The company is the first contractor in the UK to employ the package, developed by 8820 Volz Consulting in Germany.


2399 Tarmac says that the software allows its contracting team to plan highways schemes and inner-city projects in detail, ahead of work starting on site. Using GPS data, the software utilises surface area values to produce fully optimised planning documents and work schedules, reducing waiting times and delays.

Based on the site’s parameters and project requirements, the software calculates the time needed to produce asphalt at the plant and the number of trucks required for transport. It can also calculate the density of material and the maximum volume of asphalt that can be laid/shift.  

Paul Fleetham, managing director at Tarmac Contracting, said: “Rolling out this software across our contracting business allows our teams to create detailed project schedules and enhance our planning of material supply, resources and plant.

Teams on the ground can access information in real time through a mobile app, allowing them to track deliveries, monitor data relating to the quality of the pavement installation and to assess progress. The real time data also allows decisions to be made immediately across all parties, including asphalt production, to haulage and paving teams.

Tarmac has already used the new technology as part of the renovation of a busy 6.5km stretch of the M62 near Leeds for 8100 Highways England, completed earlier this year.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Trends in compaction machine technology
    February 20, 2012
    More efficient and productive compaction solutions are coming to market shortly, Mike Woof reports. Several key trends are emerging in the asphalt compaction market with the development of the latest generation machines. Performance and productivity remain key issues for compactor manufacturers with firms keen to maximise output from their latest units.
  • Take the lead in milling
    April 30, 2024
    Being an early adopter of machine control systems has been a benefit for a US contractor.
  • Efficient construction using advanced technology
    August 19, 2020
    Advances in asphalt paving control systems are helping contractors deliver higher efficiency
  • Tarmac tyre trial on UK motorway
    August 7, 2019
    Highways England is carrying out trials of rubberised asphalt on a busy stretch of UK motorway. A section of the M1 near the city of Leicester has been repaved by contractor Tarmac, using a special asphalt mix containing crumb rubber from recycled motor vehicle tyres. Tarmac has developed the mix specially to meet tough requirements from Highways England. This trial will determine how the stretch of highway, located between junction 22 and junction 23, behaves in terms of running wear, skid resistance and