Aggregate Industries has opened a new sampling lab at its Express Asphalt plant in Doncaster, as part of ambitions to expand the supply of its SuperColour range.
Located in the Kirk Sandall Industrial Estate on Grove Road, the new sampling lab means the Doncaster depot will now be able to design and manufacture the company’s collection of distinctly coloured asphalts.
Highways understands s six figure sum was invested by Aggregate Industries on equipment and machinery for the new lab, though the exact figure has not been released.
The new equipment includes an industrial oven to heat the bulk samples, a high-tech industrial mixer for manufacturing new colours, as well as a sand blaster for exposing the aggregate within the sample.
Aggregate Industries said there had been soaring demand for coloured asphalts in recent years following greater use in private drives, bus lanes, cycle lanes, sports landscaping and parks and natural areas.
Duncan Reaney, general manager of Express Asphalt at Aggregate Industries, said: 'Given its unique colour capabilities, our SuperColour asphalt range naturally lends itself to a wide range of applications including bus lanes, cycle lanes, sports landscaping and parks. That’s why in recent years we’ve seen demand for this innovative product steadily increase as more and more architects, specifiers and contractors look to take advantage of its clear safety benefits and aesthetic appeal.
'Consequently, we hope the new sampling lab at our Doncaster Express Asphalt plant will ensure that our busy customers have access to a diverse range of asphalt materials and colours, as it can now offer SuperColour alongside our pioneering Express Asphalt service. We look forward to welcoming new and existing customers to this fantastic new facility.'
Aggregate Industries Express Asphalt sites include a ‘click and collect’ service with a guaranteed turnaround of 30 minutes for single loads of standard products, which enables busy customers to order asphalt, or tools and equipment, and pick it up from any one of the business’ 40 Express Asphalt depots nationwide, including the Doncaster plant.
