Top News from JOSEPH VÖGELE AG

VÖGELE will be providing information on new company developments and products on the occasion of the WIRTGEN Group Technology Days held from 25-26 September 2008 on the premises of HAMM AG in Tirschenreuth, Germany. During these days, machinery will be on show including the full fleet of VÖGELE pavers, papers will be presented by professionals of the industry and live demonstrations organized.

VÖGELE moving from Mannheim to Ludwigshafen

In 2008, the WIRTGEN Group is set for more growth than ever before. All main plants in Germany are currently handling – parallel with their normal business operations – construction projects such as plant expansion or even construction of brand-new production facilities. When adding up all areas where construction work is currently underway, a job site covering more than 600,000 m2 results.

The plans for construction of VÖGELE's new plant are progressing at full throttle. The traditional works in Mannheim have reached the limits of their capacity and the current site, in terms of size, offers no more prospects for future growth. VÖGELE have been a member of the WIRTGEN Group since 1996. Thereafter, the global leader for road paving equipment has experienced a breathtaking growth due to the Group’s synergistic effects. While the annual production rate in those days was 250 machines, well over 2,000 units a year leave the Mannheim works now, destined for customers all over the world.

The new site in Rhineland-Palatinate covers an area of 380,000 square metres, this is four times the size of the Mannheim site. Dr. Pawlik, Member of the VÖGELE Board of Directors and responsible for the technology sector, is pursuing an ambitious goal: "When planning the new factory, we set ourselves the target of building the world's most modern production plant for road pavers." However, not only the production facilities will be receiving more space. The new and generously dimensioned training centre also offers plenty of comfort for in-house and customer training. In the past, some 3,000 participants have been trained each year. In the medium term, this figure is planned to rise to more than 6,000. In future, the focus will be on applications and machine technology, with three large training halls available. With the new training centre, VÖGELE will offer both their own apprentices and training participants from all over the world an optimal environment for learning and training

The building permit for the 70 million euros investment has been granted meanwhile and construction of the new plant has already begun. The civil engineering work started in September and construction of a production hall, 350m long, will be kicked off in early December. If things go according to plan, the first stage of the move will take place in the summer of 2010. And at the end of 2010, the world's most modern manufacturing plant for road pavers will open.

New products from VÖGELE

With their remarkable 'green fleet', VÖGELE will be presenting their entire range of products at the 2008 Technology Days. And the size of this fleet is remarkable, indeed. No less than 17 road pavers, a variety of screeds and innovative special-purpose machinery speak for themselves.

The event’s focus will be on the InLine Pave® process for paving two asphalt layers "hot on hot". This technology is a highly cost-effective method for building long-lasting road pavements. Furthermore, the SUPER 1800-2 with SprayJet module represents a cutting-edge solution for pavement rehabilitation. The system allows tack coat of bitumen emulsion to be applied highly economically for paving thin overlays. Last but not least, the four new VISION pavers conceived especially for the US market will be on show.

VÖGELE InLine Pave® - The Technology for "Hot on Hot" Paving

With InLine Pave®, VÖGELE offer an innovative technology suited especially for "hot on hot" paving when it comes to building compact asphalt pavements. However, conventional road construction jobs can also be realized with the InLine Pave® machine technology in high quality and extremely economically.

The InLine Pave® process involves paving the binder course and surface course by machinery working "in line", i.e. one after the other. A material feeder is used to transfer the binder material to a paver placing the binder course, and surface course material – via a transfer module and over the latter paver – to the machine following behind and placing the surface course. The special feature of this process is that compaction of the binder course by the SUPER 2100-2 IP paver with High-Compaction Screed is so high that the SUPER 1600-2, placing the surface course and weighing some 40 tonnes can travel directly on the freshly paved binder layer. The paver places the surface course on the binder layer while still hot. This results in a perfect bond between the layers, a vital requirement for a road pavement’s longevity.

The InLine Pave® process is based on the use of machinery very similar in design to VÖGELE pavers of series production, which can be easily and quickly modified for “hot on hot” paving. As a result, not only large road building contractors but also small and medium-sized companies can use every single machine of the InLine Pave® train also for conventional paving jobs at any time. This significantly increases the productive utilization of the contractor’s equipment pool and his return on investment. VÖGELE will present this innovative paving process in a live demonstration during the Technology Days.

SUPER 1800-2 with SprayJet Module: Use as a Spray Paver or Conventional Asphalt Paver

In addition to the standard version, the tracked SUPER 1800-2 is also offered in different versions for special-purpose applications. A SUPER 1800-2 modified into a Slope Paver is perfectly suited to handling paving jobs on steep inclines with a gradient up to 32°, as is often the case when building landfills, canals or water reservoirs. Combining the conventional SUPER 1800-2 with the SprayJet Module results in a cutting-edge Spray Paver. This paver allows bitumen emulsion to be sprayed and asphalt wearing course to be paved in a single pass.

The VÖGELE SUPER 1800-2 with SprayJet Module is ideal for paving thin overlays on spray seal, hot on hot. But also for non-specialized road building companies this paver is an economical and clean alternative wherever spraying of tack coat and subsequent paving are required. The SprayJet Module of the SUPER 1800-2 can be removed easily and quickly. The advantage: if there are currently no jobs requiring the use of the SprayJet Module, contractors can employ their SUPER 1800-2 for conventional paving tasks at any time, thus boosing the machine’s productive utilization.

The VISION Series: Concept of an All-American Paver with Modern 'Dash 2' Technology

The product range of VÖGELE distinguishes between road pavers in the SUPER series and the VISION series. SUPER pavers are developed and produced for the international market, while the VISION series is tailored specifically to the special needs of America and Australia.

The tracked VISION 5200-2 paver and the wheeled VISION 5203-2 model serve the 10-foot segment (3.1m approx.). These pavers are primarily used for building highways and for other large-scale job sites. With VISION 5100-2 and VISION 5103-2 VÖGELE offer two machines for the smaller 8-foot segment (2.4m approx.). These models are ideal for smaller contracts, such as secondary roads and municipal paving jobs.

As the 'dash 2' suffix implies, these four pavers are equipped with the technology of the latest 'dash 2' paver generation, successful all over the world. They come with ErgoPlus®, the innovative concept for paver operation, easy to learn and to understand. ErgoPlus® makes machine operation extremely comfortable for the paver and screed operators. However, ErgoPlus® offers much more than just ease of use. The operating platform has been designed highly ergonomically and provides the paver operator with a maximum of all-round visibility and comfort. In a seated position, he can closely monitor the paver’s feed with mix and the entire paving process. This is due to the excellent view of all crucial areas on the paver such as material hopper, the outer edges of the screed and the auger tunnel.

The VISION series was officially launched into the US market in March 2008. And despite the strained economic situation for construction machinery in the US, VÖGELE succeeded in constantly expanding their market position over there. Customers value the highly modern drive concept, the ease of operation and the reliability and quality of VÖGELE road pavers.