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Daniel is the Global Business Owner for Autonomous Mining at Scania Commercial Vehicles. He has worked with Scania’s mining solutions for 15 years in different roles, ranging from technical/application specialist to product/regional manager for several countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Currently, Daniel is responsible for defining the strategy and the consolidated profitability for Scania’s autonomous mining solutions. The mining industry as a whole is facing several challenges when it comes to safety and sustainability, where autonomy and electrification are critical technology solutions and Daniel is passionate about making sure Scania takes lead in these changes. 

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Keith Nare

Technical Head of Communications for GRT, Keith leads GRT's content strategy across various platforms, whilst coordinating internally to build the voice and opinions of the GRT team. Keith is a product of Nelson Mandela University and his PhD work focuses on Polymer and Physical Chemistry. He was a Research Associate at SANRAL in South Africa and later spent time as a Visiting Research Associate to NTEC at the University of Nottingham in the UK. He is a former Director of Communications for CALROBO in the USA.

Keith is passionate and enthusiastic about health and safety, sustainability, networking and finding synergy through conversations.

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The post Demolition Dust Suppression System appeared first on GRT.

On February 5th, 2019, two fires began between the Nelson and Tasman district. These fires would soon be known as ‘The Nelson Bushfires’ and one of New Zealand’s most devastating bushfires since the Canterbury forest fire of 1955. Due to the intensity of these fires, the New Zealand government not only declared a state of emergency the following day, but more than 22 helicopters were also put into action to fight the blaze – which is the biggest aerial firefight recorded. This emergency declaration would evacuate more than 3,000 residents from the Wakefield and Pigeon Valley areas which were located on the northern tip of the South Island of New Zealand. By the time the bushfires were declared ‘controlled’ on March 6th, the bushfire had already raged across more than 2,300 hectares (5,700 acres) with a 25km radius. These bushfires not only had immediate impacts on the environment and surrounding residents, but it also resulted in prospective long term adverse effects that include the human health (physical and mental) and the global carbon cycle (increase production of carbon due to loss of environment). 

Once the bushfires were controlled, the standard procedure was to minimize the disturbance of the soil around the affected areas. As this bushfire was so intense, any remaining root mass in the soil had already been destroyed. This meant that any significant rainfall would result in the soil becoming hydrophobic, causing large-scale erosion permanently. Rib Coulson and his team at RST Environmental Solutions (NZ) were tasked to come up with an erosion control system that would stop sediment getting into the waterways and the sea, which was only a short distance away.

For this erosion and sediment control project, RST Environmental Solutions (NZ) teamed up with Global Road Technology (GRT) to play a leading role in helping New Zealand recovery from one of the worst bushfires in the country’s history. Since this project was situated in a region where trucks would have difficulty moving, meticulous planning was needed to not only to guarantee compliance with regulations and standards, but to also ensure that potential health, safety, and environmental risks were realized, managed, and mitigated. 

Challenges

As this recovery project was located internationally in New Zealand and would cover 95 hectares of the affected areas, GRT Engineers were required to travel to the project site to assist RST Environmental Solutions in completing several area assessments before product application was to begin. Furthermore, due to mountain slope angles being greater than 30-degrees, there were several challenges in properly applying the product evenly on the affected areas. This project would require five days to apply 600 IBC loads. 

In addition, as it was determined that the natural soil of the affected areas would have no root mass after the bushfire, it was determined by the team that the affected areas should first be sown with grass seeds to raise the root mass in the soil and top cover. By raising the root mass in these areas, it is expected to reduce the damage that would potentially incur from future rainfall.

Solutions

Due to the immense size of the project and the unnatural terrain that the product would require to cover, RST Environmental Solutions selected GRT: Enviro-Binder as the best option in erosion and sediment control. This selection would result in the largest aerial application of an erosion control product in the history of New Zealand, if not the world. Our New Zealand distribution partner DuraVeg, a part of PGG Wrightson Turf, supplied the GRT: Enviro Binder to the project. DuraVeg offers New Zealand sustainable erosion and revegetation products and services and is at the forefront of innovation, delivering complete environment rehabilitation and erosion control solutions to meet the demanding characteristics across the New Zealand landscape. 

GRT General Manager Daniel Grundy said:  “GRT was proud to be part of this critical, environmental protection and rehabilitation project. The Nelson bushfire was a devastating event that left hundreds of hectares exposed to erosion – GRT: Enviro-Binder was a key part of the initial stabilisation of these areas.”

On June 13th, two fixed-wing aircraft travelled through the affected areas to sow the affected project areas with grass seeds. Once the initial task was completed, the product’s application would follow. Tararua Heliworks was the selected organisation that ensured that the application of the product went evenly over very rough and steep terrain. The pilot’s exceptional skills were very critical to the quality and success of the 95-hectare application.

GRT: Enviro-Binder, a non-toxic and environmentally friendly product, was the selected product for the erosion and sediment control as it:

• Was a uniquely developed product that followed the ideal of “STOP EROSION AT THE SOURCE”
• Provided exceptional erosion control immediately after application.
• Met the strict environmental criteria imposed by the New Zealand Government and partner company, RST Environmental Solutions (NZ).
• Required minimal maintenance, unlike conventional methods. 

GRT Enviro-binder is a drying polymer emulsion sprayed on or worked into the surface of rail embankment to provide a waterproof, durable, surface that prevents erosion. 

Benefits:

The GRT Enviro-binder also provided many innovative benefits and delivered high performing results that were expected from the product:

• Only required 5% of polymer in 5,000 Litres of water using modified buckets to ensure even application.
• Continued to provide exceptional results even through an unconventional aerial application.
• Minimal soil preparation for a production application
• Waterproof product; not affected by high rainfall or storm seasons. 
• Cost-effective results

Read more about how GRT played a critical role in helping New Zealand bushland recover from a devasting bush fire here.

The post New Zealand Nelson BushFires Case Study appeared first on GRT.

This partnership sees PGG Wrightson distribute GRT’s soil stabilisation, dust suppression, erosion control, and water management products across New Zealand with the aim of satisfying demand from the country’s nearly NZ$40 billion agricultural sector for fast and inexpensive infrastructure solutions.

Since the signing, PGG Wrightson and Australian dust and erosion control specialists, GRT, have both seen growth and interest in the range from PGG Wrightson’s client base.

Using technology it has developed for the civil, agricultural, mining and agricultural sectors, Australian based GRT delivers infrastructure and process solutions – saving time, money, resources and minimising environmental impacts. These are provided to clients as an environmentally friendly solution that can be applied into clay, silt, sand and gravel materials to create safer and sustainable infrastructure.

The products will be distributed through both the PGG Wrightson national store network and the PGG Wrightson Turf business, giving a good coverage of New Zealand.

PGG Wrightson Turf Business Manager Mark Shaw believes that GRT products are perfectly placed to meet the huge demand in the New Zealand market for cost-effective infrastructure solutions.

“We are excited to be working with GRT as an industry partner as we believe there is a huge-demand within the New Zealand civil and resources industries for fast and effective product solutions,” Mr Shaw said.

“The environmental element is also critical as there is now a national focus on the impact that soil run-off and increased dust from development and vehicle movements is having on the country’s unique eco-system. The tried and tested nature of GRT’s products to provide positive business and environmental outcomes for both of these areas is the primary driver for our partnership arrangement.”

PGG Wrightson provides an array of products and services to New Zealand industries and is considered a legacy enterprise due to its 160 plus years history as a business leader in the country.

According to GRT General Manager Daniel Grundy, it is this strong legacy and corporate pedigree that makes PGG Wrightsons the right partner for the business as it seeks to grow its global distribution chain.

“This announcement is indicative of our plans to sustainably grow GRT’s business globally by partnering with reputable partners in environments that we’ve identified as perfectly suited for our products,” said Mr Grundy.

“We are now working with clients in the public and private sector, to apply our process and infrastructure management and optimisation technologies for operations and projects in Australia, New Zealand and Brazil. We’ve identified that countries with large agricultural and resource sectors of particular interest due to their specific infrastructure issues – accessibility to fixed roads, availability of water, large distances and remoteness – all problems that our products can resolve.”

The post GRT Signs Distribution Deal With New Zealand Agricultural Giant, PGG Wrightson appeared first on GRT.

In a flexible pavement configuration, the repetitious wheel load can induce bottom-up fatigue cracking in bound materials and rutting and shape loss in sub-grade materials.

These wheel induced distress mechanisms include:

• Asphalt – Fatigue Failure
• Subgrade – Rutting Failure
• Cemented Material – Fatigue Failure

Given the importance of accurately determining the design traffic loading, careful consideration is typically given to the following:

Historical Heavy Vehicle volumes

Investigating and generating an understanding of historical heavy vehicle volumes are required to determine a daily HV count for the year of opening.

This is important as it is the basis in which the design traffic loading is calculated and can be influenced by growth trends.

Lane Configurations

The basis of a design traffic loading is passed over a single section of pavement (i.e. a single lane), where multiple lanes are used, consideration is often given to proportioning the traffic.

The magnitude in which this proportioning is undertaken is very much dependent on the nature of the section and the travel paths of the vehicles. It is, however, a common practice to adopt a reduced loading in the fast lane, particularly in a rural environment.

Heavy Vehicle Axle Configurations

The axle configuration of a heavy vehicle can affect the way in which the wheel loading is induced and how the pavement structure will perform.

The number of axles, location of the load and the payload can influence the design traffic loading and the number of ESAs/heavy vehicle.

Heavy Vehicle Growth

An aspect that can often result in premature pavement failure is the underestimation of heavy vehicle growth. To generate a sound design traffic loading, consideration should not only be given to historical trends but new development and growth in the area.

When incorporating these factors the design traffic can be calculated in terms of a design life in ESAs and SARs for input in to either empirical or mechanistic thickness design. The design life of flexible pavements can typically vary between 20 and 40 years depending on desired service life and local environmental factors.

For more information on Factors Influencing Design Traffic Loading or Global Road Technology Products please contact us:

The post Factors Influencing Design Traffic Loading appeared first on GRT.

Common modern services offered by erosion control companies are silt fences, matting, hydroseeding, permanent and temporary grassing.

Silt fences are temporary erosion control structures used to protect nearby waters from loose soil borne by stormwater runoff. Although quite popular, their effectiveness in controlling sediment movement is usually limited, due to problematic installation and/or inadequate maintenance. Studies about silt fences document issues related to installation and maintenance, implying poor performance. Field tests have shown generally poor results of this erosion control measure. Even if effective during useful life, silt fences are eventually buried with eroded soil and new ones have to be installed, or eroded soil has to be removed. This method is quite ineffective against wind erosion.

Stabilization mats are usually in form of meshes made from plastic or some natural material. Meshes enable plants to grow. However, this is quite expensive method considering costs of material production, transportation and installation. They are not efficient in arid windy regions. Stabilization mats offered by erosion control companies can be in form of soil blankets, which are denser structures, also made from plastic or natural material. They belong to group of protective erosion control methods as they cover soil completely. This also means that they are not providing conditions for planting. If made from biodegradable material, mats do not last long, and many synthetic mats are sensitive to solar radiation. To ensure that runoff flows over the blanket and not under it, higher ends of the blanket have to be buried, and all strip ends and the edges of adjacent strips must overlap. For the same reason inspections of mats have to be performed frequently and existing deteriorations have to be promptly repaired.

Hydroseeding is a planting method performed through use of mixture of seed and mulch, usually wood fiber mulch. The mixture often has other ingredients including fertilizer, tackifying agents and green dye. Hydroseeding is used to grow lawns. This method has to be followed by intensive watering applications in order to be successful. It also requires preparation of targeted terrain prior to mixture application. Preparation includes placement of a 5 cm layer of blended topsoil and compost, which provides nutrients, and treatment of soil with lime, which makes the soil more alkaline.

Permanent and temporary grassing is also one of frequently offered measures by erosion control companies. However, without effective support of other temporary erosion control measure, the grassing will not be successful since the wind or water runoff will remove seeds with topsoil.

GRT-ENVIRO soil binder is soil conditioner which provides erosion control and conditions for planting with minimal efforts. It is polymer based product which agglomerates soil particles and increases cohesion between them. GRT-ENVIRO soil binder creates stable and optimal porosity for plants growth and treatment. Unlike other erosion control companies, Global Road Technology succeeded to minimize need for ex situ materials. This kind of approach positively influences economic efficiency and environmental friendliness of erosion control measures.

Due to optimal soil porosity created, watering, treatment and fertilizing needs are decreased since retention periods of soil for water and substances are increased. Effect achieved through application of GRT-ENVIRO soil binder enables planting under extremely harsh conditions and on infertile soils such as in deserts. This product alone contains beneficial substances for plants such as nitrogen and carbon groups which are gradually released due to microbiological activity and UV radiation.

For more information on Global Road Technology or Erosion Control Companies please see: https://globalroadtechnology.com//grt-enviro-soil-binder/

The post Erosion Control Companies appeared first on GRT.

International road construction and maintenance company Global Road Technology (GRT) has appointed Australian brand R.M. Williams as its corporate outfitter, with the company’s staff and distributors worldwide now supplied with R.M Williams iconic work and business wear.

The partnership sees the provision of specially designed R.M Williams boots, pants, corporate shirts, hats, belts, and the quintessentially-Australian Driza-Bone jackets.

GRT Managing Director Troy Adams said the appointment signalled the coming together of two successful Australian companies.

“We felt it was important to have one cohesive look for the business, and what better way to honour our roots than R.M Williams, a brand rich with Australian history and essential to the Australian outback working culture,” Mr Adams said.

The choice of company and worldwide roll-out of the attire was an easy choice, one that Mr Adams hopes will create more international fans for R.M Williams and increase awareness of GRT’s Australian heritage.

“We have government ministers and dignitaries attending our south-east Queensland facility for meetings and presentations, and this is a great opportunity to send them home with a piece of Australian in R.M Williams,” Mr Adams said.

R.M. Williams

The R.M Williams Company was founded and established in 1932 by Australian legend, Reginald Murray (R.M.) Williams AO, CMG, after a chance meeting with Michael George Smith (Dollar Mick), a talented leather man.

In the months following their meeting, Dollar Mick shared his learnings and practices of leather work and craftsmanship to R.M., letting him in on the secrets of bush saddlery and stockmen’s accessories.  From there, R.M. created a team of dedicated craftsmen, targeted customers by way of rural press and thus, an iconic Australian company was born.

Over the following decades, R.M. developed his business, diversifying into bush saddlery and equipment and trademark moleskins, jeans and bush shirts. Today, Australia’s celebrated bush-wear brand exports worldwide to 15 countries, has more than 50 brick and mortar stores in Australia and a flagship store in London. R.M Williamss products are stocked globally at more than 900 locations and can be found in select Myer department stores nationwide.

http://www.rmwilliams.com.au/r.m.w.-the-company/Footer_company-information.html

Global Road Technology Appoints Australian Icon RM Williams

The post GRT Appoints Australian Icon R.M Williams for Worldwide Corporate Attire appeared first on GRT.

A recent local trial has led to a new partnership between an Australian infrastructure company and a local business that will pave the way to more water savings, less dust and safer worksites across the country during times of drought.

Australian infrastructure technology company Global Road Technology (GRT) last month conducted an on-site demonstration of its patented liquid polymer solution on a dirt haul road at the Napa Napa refinery. GRT sprays its solution on dirt roads and industrial areas to provide “instant roads” and suppress dust on worksites. The World Health Organization recognizes airborne dust as a workplace hazard, which can cause disease, disability and death. André Morris, Managing Director of Montana Civil Constructions PNG, said he was stunned by the results. “We’d trialed a few other different polymers, but they didn’t do what this product does,” Mr Morris said. “With the drought, we had to have security guards and roadside workers wearing dust masks literally all day long, which is bad for their health and tough on the vehicles. “An hour after this application, the workers had removed their dust masks and have continued to work without them despite hundreds of heavy vehicle movements each day. “Previously we needed to use a tanker to spray water each hour to keep down the dust. Three weeks later we still haven’t had to use water and people are coming to see how we did it.” Mr Morris said the company’s spray tankers would not be needed for dust suppression on the road for at least three months, at which time a minor maintenance application would be applied. “The instant demand for this technology has meant we are now having to expand Montana Civil PNG’s equipment and operations” Mr Morris said.

GRT has now signed an exclusive partnership with the Port Moresby-based company to be the exclusive PNG distributor of GRT’s products which included shipment of 600 tonnes of product and a Wirtgen Wr2400 road recycling machine. Mr Morris said in addition to the safety and environmental benefits, there were financial savings as well. “We were spending 10t per litre of water for up to 40,000 litres a day, which is a substantial saving.“I’ve been doing this for quite a while in PNG and if I had this product four years ago I can guarantee there would be a lot more all-weather roads in the Gulf province. “Using this technology on more industrial and local government roads will be good for nearby workers, for motorists and the community at large.”

GRT Managing Director Troy Adams said the company’s technology meant it could provide roads which would survive the wet season with minimal impact compared to dirt roads, could be built faster and cheaper than other technology such as bitumen, and were safer for workers. “Local workers should not need to wear dust masks to do their job, so we are pleased to see the improved health for workers who are already using our technology,” Mr Adams said. “Everyone in PNG knows the significant damage weather can cause to dirt roads, but this is proof that there are cost-effective solutions to cut dust and reduce maintenance costs, which is a win for all concerned. “Delivering this project took several days, compared to other technologies which would usually have taken months.”

With road works contracts now coming in GRT expects to open an office in Lae and expand its laboratory and engineering division, with the opening of a Port Moresby based geo-technical laboratory in the coming months.

To read this article please go to http://www.postcourier.com.pg/Stories/aust-firm-gains-local-help/#.Vhcds9ZNu-I

The post New Technology Cuts Drought Time Water Usage appeared first on GRT.

The new systems monitor everything from engine speed and seatbelt use to drivers’ hours and heavy braking, while providing two-way communications between the vehicle and dispatchers, and even plotting the safest route for the vehicle type.

GRT Managing Director Troy Adams said the new systems were chosen to provide the safest working environment for the company’s employees and with Navman Wireless giving us the ability to monitor our fleet globally.

“This new technology allows us to get up-to-the-minute information on the status of each vehicle to ensure it is being responsibly operated, which reduces operating costs but also lowers the risk to our drivers,” Mr Adams said.

“We have already seen an improvement in compliance for the safety basics such as seatbelt use, because the system tracks every aspect of driving performance and allows us to set clear expectations across our team.

“Every six seconds, a person is seriously injured or killed on the world’s roads, and our company is proud to be doing everything we can to reduce that toll.

“Our technology makes roads safer and we are confident Navman Wireless technology will help us make drivers safer.”

“Safer roads and safer drivers are vital to business success and often company fleets are run inefficiently because of distracted driving, manual paperwork and untimely exchanges of job site information,” said Ian Daniel, Vice President Asia Pacific, and Navman Wireless.

“The installation of our GPS fleet management systems into GRT will deliver real-time updates on daily jobs and driver activity, and enable GRT’s vehicles to stay connected, focused, on time and safe.”

GRT has installed the Navman IVMS systems in the company’s fleet, using the M-Nav 950 and the QUBE.

Combined, the systems allow standard in-vehicle GPS capabilities, enhanced by a suite of services including two-way messaging, engine monitoring systems, driver identification tools, speed monitoring and logging functions.

Navman Wireless is a global leader in GPS-based fleet optimization products and services, including real-time vehicle tracking and analytics that enable companies to monitor, measure and improve operational costs and efficiencies.

The company’s technology, in tandem with Teletrac Inc., currently tracks more than 500,000 vehicles owned by over 40,000 organizations on five continents, making it one of the world’s largest fleet management providers.

The company, headquartered in Glenview, IL, has offices in Garden Grove, California, Dallas, Texas, Monterrey, Mexico, Keele and Cranfield in the UK, Auckland, New Zealand and Sydney, Australia.

For more visit www.navmanwireless.com.au

The post GRT Partners with Navman Wireless to Improve Drivers Safety appeared first on GRT.

The stabilized soils have a higher strength, lower permeability and lower compressibility than the native soil. This is accomplished through chemical reactions between soil binder (cementitious material) and soil minerals (pozzolanic materials). Cementitious materials are cement, lime, fly ash or combination of these.

Cement is the oldest soil binder. It may be considered as primary stabilizing agent or hydraulic binder since it can be used alone to achieve stabilizing affect. Hydration process starts when cement is mixed with water and other components resulting in hardening of mixture. The hardening (setting) of cement will interconnect soil particles as glue. Cement hydration is a complex process with a series of unknown chemical reactions. This process depends on the presence of foreign matters or impurities, water-cement ratio, curing temperature, presence of additives and specific surface of the mixture. Therefore, the ultimate effect on setting and gain in strength of cement stabilized soil may vary.

Lime application results in an increase in strength due to cation exchange capacity rather than cementing effect caused by pozzolanic reaction. Clay soils become drier and less susceptible to water content changes. Quicklime is the most commonly used lime primarily due to higher available free lime content per unit mass. Quicklime in contact with wet soils, immediately takes up to 32% of its own weight of water from the surrounding soil to form hydrated lime. Pozzolana materials react with lime in presence of water to produce cementitious compounds.

Fly ash is a byproduct of coal fired power generation facilities. Most of the fly ashes belong to secondary soil binder group; these binders cannot lead to hardening on their own. They need activator to form cementitious compounds. Soil to be stabilized should have less moisture content and thus dewatering may be required. Fly ash contains heavy metals and other harmful compounds which leach easily into soil and water bodies and thus negatively affect humans, animals and plants.

Soil binder application with more certain outcome than when cement used, with less water demand than for lime stabilization and far more environment-friendly than fly ash, is designed by Global Road Technology. GRT soil binder is polymer-based without possibly harmful leachate to environment. It can be applied in all types of soils and under extreme climate conditions. Global Road Technology developed different types of soil binders designed for specific needs:

Erosion control – GRT-Enviro Soil Binder is an organic soil conditioner which can be added to irrigation water to reduce soil erosion by agglomerating fine particles that otherwise would be carried away by surface water runoff.

Revegetation – GRT Nature Plus is a specially formulated liquid polymer combined with a highly effective source of phosphorus and nitrogen to increase germination and strike rate. Applied over exposed areas and batters, GRT Nature Plus will lock the seed in place creating ideal growing conditions by retaining moisture levels in the soil and providing the nutrients needed for germination.

Pavement improvement – Polymer Cement Modifier (PCM) used in combination with traditional cementitious stabilizing agents that are currently used in road construction overcome the shortcomings and improve properties of using cementitious materials alone. GRT’s PCM, not only reduces shrinkage cracking but can also provide increased compressive strength and reduced water demand.

For more information regarding Global Road Technology or soil binder stabilization please contact GRT.

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