World of Asphalt and Beyond for Asphalt Production
BY AsphaltPro Staff
At the recent World of Asphalt (WOA) and AGG1 Aggregates Academy and Expo held in Nashville, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and service providers brought equipment, technology and information to the tradeshow floors. You can visit the WOA website to see the basic wrap-up of the show, including the good industry barometer of record attendance this year. When over 15,800 people descend upon 207,000 square feet of sold-out trade center space at the Music City Center, you can bet there’s a lot of “participation” in the industry going on. Let’s take a closer look at some facts about the iron and info that matter to your bottom line.
To kick off the show, the team from Raised on Blacktop collaborated with WOA to host a party at Kid Rock’s Big Honky Tonk and Rock ’n Roll Steakhouse. A number of manufacturers stepped up to help out with that Sunday evening, including AsphaltPro advertisers Dynapac and Wirtgen Group. A variety of company parties lured attendees out after the show each evening, including the first BOMAG Live! event, which attracted nearly 1,100 to the Walk of Fame Park just down the street from the convention center for food, live entertainment and chances to win one of four all-expenses-paid trips to Bomag’s upcoming Innovation Days in Boppard, Germany.
The majestic bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) awed visitors to the Eagle Crusher, Galion, Ohio, booth on the first day of the show. Photo courtesy of Eagle Crusher
Other events included the inaugural Women of Asphalt Day, held Wednesday, March 27, with guest presenters speaking to a sold-out audience on topics relevant to women in the industry, and the 2024 National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) annual convention.
Jim Nickolas, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Martin Marietta, will be the next chair of NSSGA. Outgoing Chair Seth Hankowski, All States Materials Group, handed off the gavel during a ceremony at the convention, where Nickolas said: “It’s an exciting time to be in aggregates. The stone, sand and gravel industry is the foundation for so many products we use every day. The nation’s infrastructure, including roads, dams and pipelines, depends on the materials we provide.”
From left, Brittany Wuori, COO, and Bryce Wuori, CEO, of Pavewise Inc., Bismarck, North Dakota, pulled the name of Brenton Young, Mountain Companies, Van Lear, Kentucky, to win an iPad with a year’s subscription to Pavewise and a bag of Raised on Blacktop swag on the final day of WOA.
Nickolas spoke about the importance of working together as one group to continue the momentum the aggregates industry has experienced in recent years. Acknowledging that the country’s political environment is often divided, he said he would strive, as NSSGA’s leader, to further the view that infrastructure investment is a non-partisan issue that affects every American. Nickolas further said he would work to unite all material providers around the NSSGA’s important mission.
“My goal is to work across the industry until 100% of producers are active members of NSSGA. No matter our size, we face many of the same challenges. We must seek solutions as one,” he said. “Among our many shared tasks is to make our value clear. The most effective way to do this is to share our recent successes while emphasizing that we are stronger together.”
You probably know Weiler for pavers and material transfer vehicles but check out this sporty CT3A rubber-tired roller the OEM had on display at the show.
The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) had a presence at the co-located event, giving away hardcover copies of the 2005 Paving the Way: Asphalt in America by Dan McNichol from both the association’s booth and publication bins near the doors.
See You in Cardinals Country! World of Asphalt and AGG1 will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, March 25-27, 2025.
The AsphaltPro staff noticed an overwhelming sense of positivity and optimism while at WOA/AGG1 2024. More than one exhibitor indicated the traffic at the booths included decision-makers making purchasing decisions. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) could—and did—point to machines that were headed to new homes from the show floor. One OEM spoke of silo orders in production through November of this year. Another spoke of taking orders for 2025. (This sign of health in the industry also reminds contractors to plan for expansion and stocking parts.)
The RPL/SSL cold planer attachment from FAE Group, Flowery Branch, Georgia, was on display connected here to the RCU-75 remote control skid steer, which the company unveiled at CONEXPO in 2023.
While the WOA/AGG1 information is almost “old news” at this point, there were elements of the show and conferences that will continue to help the asphalt contractor’s bottom line. For example, many of the People, Plants and Paving Conference learning sessions, press conferences and booth conversations held a common theme of incorporating more technology and automated processes to make the contractor’s job easier. Whether the product or service was targeted for the owner, equipment operator, safety director, estimator or other member of the team, data gathering, monitoring and use is being incorporated beyond mere telematics.
The team at Asphalt Materials Inc., Indianapolis, discussed the use of void reducing asphalt membrane (VRAM) under rumble strips to protect an agency’s investment. Check out the March 2021 article Innovate at Centerline Rumble Strips for more information. https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/innovate-at-centerline-rumble-strips/
In fact, the winner of the iPad giveaway from AsphaltPro magazine also received a year’s access to the Pavewise software solution on the iPad. Bryce Wuori, CEO of Pavewise Inc., Bismarck, North Dakota, and Brittany Wuori, COO, pulled the name of Brenton Young of Mountain Companies, Van Lear, Kentucky, to receive the iPad, year of Pavewise service and swag from Raised on Blacktop.
And of course, there was iron on the tradeshow floor.
Jim Nickolas, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Martin Marietta, took the helm as the next chair of NSSGA during the 2024 NSSGA annual convention. Photo courtesy of NSSGA
This month, we shine the product gallery spotlight on the products and services that assist the asphalt and aggregate producer’s bottom line. Let’s dive into offerings from WOA/AGG1 and from entities who were unable to exhibit at the Nashville event. Be sure to scroll through the AsphaltPro Instagram and Facebook pages to see a host of quick videos from the tradeshow floor posted both during and after the March 25-27 program. (Next month, we’ll shine the product gallery spotlight on the paving and pavement maintenance sector of the industry, bringing you a look at updates to tried and true equipment as well as new pieces to enhance job performance.)
https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/ammann-announces-new-counterflow-drum-mix-plant-ammann-acc-alpine/
https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/astec-industries-releases-astec-remix-cold-central-plant-recycling-system-and-intellipac-moisture-system/
https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/eagle-crusher-introduces-maxrap-25-portable-ultramax-1200-ocss/
https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/finlay-introduces-tr-80-radial-conveyor/
https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/haver-boecker-niagara-presents-rhino-hyde-liners/
https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/hcss-partners-with-bulk-exchange/
https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/john-deere-introduces-444-g-tier-wheel-loader/
https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/major-offers-flex-mat-modular-plus-advanced-screen-media/
https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/masaba-displays-drive-over-truck-unloaders/
https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/metso-offers-metso-remote-ic-for-crushing-screening/
https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/omi-industries-introduces-ecosorb-1300/
https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/rubble-master-americas-corp-exhibits-at-woa-2024/