October 25, 2016: Invited Speaker Seminar: The Aspari Experience: Integrating New Technologies for Process Improvement in Road Construction

Dr. Seirgei Miller
University of Twente

Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at 2:00 pm
Room EV001.162

Abstract

Dr. Miller’s presentation is divided into three parts. In the first, he will provide an overview of the major changes occurring in the Dutch economic environment, diverting market dynamics and the resulting higher risk profiles for construction companies. Thereafter, he will provide insight into the research being carried out as a result of the changing contractual conditions and how this leads to better process control and opportunities for construction companies to excel in asphalt construction. He will end his presentation by discussing practical issues relating to technology integration in asphalt construction, barriers to change and the benefits of having a client-driven approach to stimulate innovation in asphalt construction.

Biography

Seirgei Miller is a researcher at the University of Twente in The Netherlands, where he addresses challenges facing the asphalt construction industry.  His Ph.D. thesis titled “The Hot Mix Asphalt Paving Process – Towards a More Professional Approach”, aptly describes the drive local contractors have to reduce variability in the entire asphalt supply chain and in so doing, improve quality and increase the durability of the constructed asphalt layers.

His research aims to transform the rather traditional, low-tech asphalt construction process into an advanced manufacturing process where technologies such as GPS, infrared thermography, sensors and sensor modalities are used to steer process parameters during construction. The research is carried out in collaboration with 10 of the largest construction companies in The Netherlands who collectively are responsible for more than 80% of the annual asphalt construction turnover. Changing market dynamics, especially longer guarantee periods, forces contractors to improve their primary processes and consciously work towards reducing variability in asphalt paving and compaction. An increase in the use of “non-traditional” contract forms by public clients changed the “rules of the game” significantly over the past 10 years, forcing contractors to think innovatively and find new ways of approaching process control in road construction. It is within this context that Seirgei and his colleagues within the Asphalt Paving Research and innovation (ASPARi) unit, are working hard to move the construction industry from traditional, experience-driven practices towards more method-based practices using new technologies, sensors and most importantly, explicit data.