making Roads

WELCOME ALVARO!!

New Head of Logistics at Bitafal

Completing the process of consolidating our new governance structure, in recent weeks we have incorporated Alvaro Brugman as Head of Logistics. Excellent news, since he is a young but highly experienced professional, who will surely contribute all his knowledge to reinforce a key area of our company's management.

Alvaro comes from the agricultural industry, where in recent years he specialized in the logistics area, focusing on the management of transportation fleets. And as he tells us, since joining BITAFAL he found “a company rich in values, with a very strong spirit and a clear vision.”

With a strong emphasis on customer satisfaction, BITAFAL's Logistics area has the permanent challenge of meeting the delivery of its products in a timely manner, in coordination with construction companies, often at long distances from our plant. “The logistics task is a key piece to being an efficient organization and meeting our clients,” Alvaro tells us, adding that “I am involved in managing an area that has solid foundations, we have a team made up of people who have been part of the team for a long time and are clear about both their role and the challenges of logistics itself.”

From all areas of BITAFAL we warmly welcome Álvaro and wish him much success in his management, which will undoubtedly benefit our organization and also the companies that have trusted us for many years.

PAVING EXPO 2025

Uruguay was present at the traditional paving fair in Brazil with a presentation on the development of warm mixtures and the control of IRI in paving works.

This year the event was held in the Anhembi District of San Pablo with the participation of more than 31,000 people who visited the fair and a Paving Conference that registered more than 4,000 attendees during the three days it lasted.

We were invited by the company Ingevity to present on the advances in the use of warm asphalt mixtures in our country and Eng. Max Iglesias from Interagrovial and Nicolás Olivera from Serviam were invited to present on the control of the IRI in paving works, showing the case of the construction of the double lane of Route 3 (San José).

From BITAFAL we made a summary of the pilot sections executed to date as well as the lessons learned that allowed a rich exchange with attendees regarding best practices in the incorporation of technology.

In the case of Serviam, they presented the IRI control strategy in the Circuit 7 PPP Contract, where the main objective was to minimize the IRI at the end of the work and keep it below 2 m/km throughout the service period, optimizing conservation costs. Optimized laying and compaction methods were implemented, using two finishers and combined compaction equipment (tandem and pneumatic rollers). Improvements in the methodology allowed the IRI to be reduced by 15% to 25% in the black base layers.

In turn, the incorporation of the Transfer VÖGELE MT3000-2 in the low-thickness tread layer (4 cm) also allowed the final IRI to be improved by 40%, obtaining values of the order of 0.7 m/km, considered the lowest recorded in Uruguay, along with a significant reduction in granulometric and thermal segregations. This guaranteed the continuity of the laying, giving more regular, durable surfaces and meeting the comfort and quality standards required in long-term contracts.

The fair had attendees from 25 countries in South America (53.5%), North America (19.7%) and Asia (15.7%) who toured the immense pavilion where more than 300 brands presented their latest innovations.

PROTAGONISTS IN THE 14TH ROAD CONGRESS

Stand and technical presentation at the main Uruguayan road event.

Between September 17 and 19, the 14th Uruguayan Road Congress was held, the event that brings together all members of the sector to analyze the reality of the national road industry, convened by the Uruguayan Road Association.

Construction companies, suppliers of materials and equipment, state organizations and the most prominent technicians in the field met at LATU for three days to learn first-hand about the new techniques, trends and also perspectives of this important construction sector for the coming years.

The inauguration of the event was attended by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works, Architect Claudia Peris, and the National Director of Roads, Engineer Federico Magnone, who led an important representation of national and departmental authorities present at the plenary session of the congress.

As is usual in these instances, BITAFAL had a leading participation with the presentation of the students of the CAS Bitafal-UM Chair as well as a presentation on the first year of the CAS and on the technology of warm mixtures by our General Director Santiago Kröger. Likewise, the company was present with a stand where professionals, clients and colleagues could learn, through our technical/commercial representatives, the innovative proposal of products and services that BITAFAL offers to the market, such as the AC30 MAX, AM2 MAX, AM3 MAX and HiMAX.

2nd INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF THE CAS TOGETHER WITH PADECASA-UAX

Prominent international exponents analyzed the incorporation of RAP into asphalt mixtures.

For the second consecutive year, the BITAFAL–UM Sustainable Asphalt Chair organized its International Meeting in conjunction with its sister Chair in Spain, Padecasa-UAX. The event was attended by specialists and researchers from Spain, Italy, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

On this occasion, the program focused on the use of RAP, presenting experiences and success stories collected in different countries, including one of the leading countries in the use of this technique, the United States.

The panel was made up of experts Javier Loma and Angel Sampedro (Spain), Luca Baccellieri (Italy), Mario Jair and Alejandro Bisio (Argentina), Rafael Zuchetto and Ivan Reginatto (Brazil) and the Uruguayan researcher based in the United States, the MSc. Faustina Keuliyan. The moderation was carried out by the director of the CAS David Fontans.

The event, held in hybrid mode with rooms in Spain and Uruguay as well as streaming, was attended by more than a hundred technicians, researchers and students representing the industry. The large gathering showed that this meeting is destined to be one of the obligatory references of the international road industry in the use of asphalt mixtures and the incorporation of sustainability concepts to the production of roads around the world.

MIXTURES AT LOWER TEMPERATURES ARE POSSIBLE

Successful experiences in the use of sustainable asphalts of the new MAX line in conjunction with Traxpalco on Route 9 and Serviam on Route 45.

With very good success, we have been advancing in the application of warm asphalt mixtures in the construction of the new double lane of Route 9. In recent weeks, the access to Pan de Azúcar was resurfaced with an F10 type mixture with AM3 MAX, an exclusive product from BITAFAL for the next revolution in the road industry of our country.

By reducing production and laying temperatures by approximately 35°C, emissions were reduced, the well-being of all involved was significantly improved, and around 20% of fuel per ton produced was saved.

Likewise, on Route 45 in Ciudad Rodriguez in the Department of San José, a dense mixture was applied with AC30 MAX, another product of the New MAX Line developed by BITAFAL. In this case, the temperature reduction was 20°C, making a significant difference in smoke emissions throughout the process and the densities achieved in the field were maintained.

Thanks to the joint work carried out with the companies Traxpalco and Serviam, and under the supervision of the technical team of the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works. In this way, the three companies and the State representatives demonstrate their commitment to sustainability applied to road construction, one of the great guidelines that BITAFAL has promoted for more than 30 years.