Behind every successful business is a sound philosophy – one that drives every aspect of its operations. For Newpave Asphalt, that philosophy is simple: utilise quality equipment, people and products to achieve quality results. And if their latest project is anything to go by, that philosophy seems to be working better than ever.
Newpave is an independent, locally owned and operated asphalt company based in the Hunter Valley. Founded in 2013, they regularly partner with contractor companies to complete large-scale projects, specialising in asphalt manufacturing, construction, crack sealing, testing, haulage, traffic management, profiling, stabilisation, spray seal and line marking.
Top-of-the-line equipment is a core element of Newpave’s offering, and their first choice in equipment solutions is Cat machinery. WesTrac has provided Newpave with Cat products, maintenance and support since 2018. The company now has the largest Cat paving fleet in Australia, with 22 machines ranging from pavers and coal planers to asphalt and pneumatic compacters, a wheel loader and an excavator.
So, what is it that makes Caterpillar® the go-to brand for Newpave? Newpave Operations Manager Geoff Cox sums it up pretty succinctly: “Market-leading reliability and performance, an advanced telematic service plan offering better insights into our operations, and timely and responsive customer service support.” Pair all that with staff who boast a collective 30+ years’ experience in the asphalt industry, and you’ve got a sure-fire recipe for success.
“With the best product combined with some of the best operators in the industry, it’s no surprise Newpave are achieving outstanding results,” comments Jeff Dix, WesTrac Business Unit Manager (Heavy Construction).
The latest of those outstanding results is the product of Newpave’s partnership with Daracon, a Hunter-based business providing civil construction services to public and private clients. Together, Newpave and Daracon have completed several medium-sized projects for private developers, and most recently collaborated on the Scone Bypass, a significant state and federal-funded project on the New England Highway.
On large-scale paving projects such as this, consistent high-quality standards are vital. That’s why Daracon uses a quality measure called a “bump test” to ensure paving provides a consistently smooth ride for vehicles.
“The bump test results are a set of standards that allow a road surface to be rated and compared to other road surfaces for smoothness of ride,” explains Justin Foot, Daracon Project Manager.
“A standardised vehicle travelling at a set speed will have particular vertical movements of the rear axle. In simple terms, the more up-and-down movement or bumps the vehicle experiences, the worse the road surface is rated.”
The bump test ascertains the roughness of a surface by using a robust video system, a mechanical roughness bump integrator and an ultrasonic transverse profiling system. But bump test results aren’t just to ensure travellers have a comfortable ride. They’re a clear measure of quality, environmental and safety standards, and large clients consider test results when awarding further works.
In this case, the test also provided Daracon with further confirmation that Newpave is staying on top of their game by using the best possible equipment.
“With the knowledge that Newpave run a fleet of new and well-maintained Cat equipment backed up by WesTrac, Daracon can be confident that Newpave has the ability to meet and exceed the high expectations required on a job such as the Scone Bypass,” confirms Adam Kelly, Daracon Director of Business Development.
And exceed expectations they did: Daracon’s recent bump test showed that Newpave’s work on the Scone Bypass achieved an “Industry Best” finish. It’s a result that Newpave attributes largely to its Cat fleet.
“Quality equipment categorically contributes to high-quality results,” Newpave’s Geoff Cox reiterates. “Cat Grade Control, in combination with Cat profilers and pavers, has proven to provide superior ride results in the field when compared to all our previous paving equipment.”
