6 minute read
NPE 2023 Preview
regarding new business, you can enter info into the application and send out an email estimate in less than five minutes. We do our maps right in the application, our coding for pricing and descriptions are all in PavementSoft. We also get the ability to update a bid with a nice map and send it to customer as a Docusign file. Once it is sent back, we can do work order off of that. As long as there are no change orders, it is one click of a button to invoice it off of the estimate.”
In projects that do involve change orders, they are hand written in the field but use a similar workflow to the estimate if they originate in the back office.
“In the field, we have tried to equip our crews with tablets,” Yoss said. “But they don’t get plugged in and charged, or they get dropped.”
PAVING EQUIPMENT TECHNOLOGY Synergy Pavement group is not involved in the scale of civil work that would make 3D asphalt paving, milling or compaction attractive.
“We have something similar to that on our grading and milling machines, but not on the actual paving machines,” Yoss said.
Synergy Pavement Group relies for milling on the Bomag 1330, giving them access to a number of productivity technologies including the BOMAG TELEMATIC app that: • Monitors fuel consumption • Tracks operating hours against duty cycle-based maintenance activities • Captures and exposes location • Prevents theft by triggering alerts when the equipment moves outside of a defined geomap
The company also runs LeeBoy pavers, Dynapac rollers, Case skid loaders and Sealmaster seal coating equipment. Actual autonomous equipment — those “robotic workers” Yoss mentioned, are high on his list.
“We’ve got to see more automation in our line of work,” Yoss mentioned. “Nobody wants to work out in the heat or do anything difficult. The older guys that have done it are retiring. A lot of our stuff already has some automation — BOMAG is looking to have a selfmanned roller.”
DRONES IN PAVEMENT CONTRACTING A modern contractor should be as much a technologist as a tradesperson, able to identify and use technologies to deliver value. Yoss’s credentials as this type of practical construction technologist become even more apparent given his group’s early use of drone technology.
“We were one of the early ones to start using drones and including maps with estimates,” Yoss said.
The company has relied mostly on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from DJI.
“Our first drone was through them — was a very large drone,” Yoss said. “Then we got the Mavic — which was about the size of a VHS tape, then the Mavic Mini. We could carry it anywhere, but the video footage was not very good. Most of what we use the drone footage for is really just for marketing purposes. With Pavement Soft’s program, we can get a picture of the site by satellite. But if we have a larger project where you can’t get good image off of Google Earth, we use the drone.”
Drone-related technology Yoss wants to explore next includes smaller drones that can launch from a truck bed or can hover or follow another object. Less interesting is advanced drone photogrammetry software that unites the drone images with a geographic information system (GIS) or building information model or use machine vision to process photogrammetry into progress reporting. “The progress reporting would be kind of cool,” Yoss said. “We could follow crew and use that to inform people. But we don’t do a lot where we are on the job for three weeks at a time and need to deliver those progress updates.”
EVOLVING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS Technology is a pivotal tool for Synergy Paving Group from an operational perspective, but also helps Yoss and his team meet customer expectations that are more and more demanding.
“I am seeing more of that since COVID started rather than just a change over time,” Yoss said. “Customers want things done right now — and want it done to a standard that may be difficult. Someone may sign that Docusign agreement for the work and expect you will be on the site a couple days later.” ■
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National Pavement Expo 2023 PREVIEW
Events like NPE are a vital resource for industry pros. Whether you're new to the field or a long-time veteran, there's something for everyone.
Winter weather slows or even halts paving in many parts of the country, but slower times offer the perfect opportunity to think about the new year and implement fresh ideas. Todd Eichholz, owner and CEO of A&A Paving, Roselle, Ill., is one of those operators who is essentially done with outside work for the year.
Back inside the cozy office it’s a different story. “Now we get to plot and plan and figure out how to conquer 2023,” says Eichholz, who also serves on the Educational Advisory Board (EAB) for the National Pavement Expo (NPE) and Conference.
Eichholz and pavers throughout the country will look to match their motivation with a bit of inspiration when NPE convenes Jan. 25-27, 2023, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The show brings together vendors and contractors who make their living from asphalt and concrete paving, sealcoating, striping, sweeping, crack repair, pavement repair and snow removal.
NPE delivers more than 55 conference sessions over a four-day span, and there is much to be learned. Outside of the structured sessions, networking events provide a chance to chat with speakers and cement relationships with professionals (mostly non-competitors) who face many of the same challenges.
Three Talk Shop: NPE Speaker Meet And Greet events are scheduled for: Thursday, Jan. 26 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 27 from 11 a.m. to
noon and Friday, Jan. 27 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. As an NPE speaker, Eichholz will be available to chat with attendees in a casual setting that may prove to be more comfortable than in-session or post-session Q&A.
“The Speaker Meet And Greet is a little more personable,” Eichholz says. “It's more relaxed and you can do some networking with the speakers and ask questions. Sometimes people are hesitant to ask questions at the end of a class or during a class. They don't want to say something that they may think is obvious and/or they should know. There's also a pretty good line after educational sessions are over, and sometimes you can't get to everybody. The Meet And Greets are great opportunities to ask those questions and get to know the speakers.”
Located within the Charlotte Convention Center, the NASCAR Hall of Fame will host another networking event, a three-hour party from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26. It’s a great way to have fun and learn about the best drivers in the history of professional racing. “It's relaxing and you can get to know people,” Eichholz says. “I've solidified some of my best working relationships at these types of networking parties, and those relationships have lasted a decade.”
As attendees prepare for the trip to Charlotte and still others are on the fence, Eichholz has a final word of encouragement that involves a new mindset, particularly when it comes to the rationale for NPE attendance. He explains: “Rethink the word ‘spend’ when it comes to time, money and effort. Replace the word with ‘invest.’ I am going to bring about a dozen people from my team to NPE, and that is not inexpensive, but it is a wise investment. We are investing in learning and in growing the company. If team members go in open-minded and humble enough to ask questions and learn, they are going to get 10 times whatever they spend out of it. I've gotten a 100 times my investment back from NPE. I attribute a lot of our success to the things I've learned year over year, not just going once or twice.” ■
