Last week, Thermal Road Repairs swapped its steel toe caps for dancing shoes and headed to the Ballroom at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. The event was Strictly Highways, the annual conference for the Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG), a medley of speakers, exhibitors, awards and networking.
Conversations and Innovations
Truth be told, there was more chatting than Cha-cha-cha-ing, with lots of people dropping by the Thermal Road Repairs stand. Our slimline heater, designed for sorting out failed utility trench reinstatement problems and getting new reinstatements right the first time, was the star of our show. This tool attracted a lot of attention and prompted some interesting conversations about road maintenance machinery.
One of the most talked-about topics around the conference was LCRIG’s Innovation Procurement System (IPS). Launched in June this year and already being used by Shropshire County Council, this new framework has been designed in partnership with the Crown Commercial Service so that councils can engage directly and quickly with innovators and their market-ready innovations.
This is music to our ears at Thermal Road Repairs. “The Innovation Procurement System provides highway authorities with a tool which gives them flexibility in their delivery models and supplements arrangements such as term maintenance contracts,” explains Thermal Road Repairs’ business development manager Gabriella Balaguera. “It should really make a positive difference.”
As any small-to-medium-sized enterprise (SME) innovator in the highways sector will contest, it’s no mean feat getting new technology to market, however effective it is. Firstly, the SME must convince contractors to champion their product or service. Secondly, they must find a way to override specifications and standards designed for the processes you are trying to improve.
Speeches of Interest
It was interesting to hear that one of the speakers at Strictly Highways, National Highways’ roads development director Dr Joanna White, is also frustrated by the difficulty in getting innovations, that have been successfully trialled, into everyday use. Dr White told the conference that standards are not updated swiftly enough, contracts are not flexible enough and colleagues are sometimes just averse to changing the status quo, according to Highways Magazine.
Thermal Road Repairs is lucky that its low-carbon, permanent pothole repair technology is already being used successfully by several local road authorities either through direct contracts with us, through their framework contractors, or through self-delivery for those who have purchased our units. The new IPS will allow more local authorities to see how our technology can lower their carbon emissions, whilst also making a difference to their road networks - and their budgets.
Our Goals
At Thermal Road Repairs, we are committed to decarbonising the asphalt repair industry, using innovative technologies to our advantage. We aim to continue to consistently deliver excellent service to our customers, particularly following everything we had discussed at Strictly Highways. We will further continue utilising the thermal process for a sustainable pothole repair solution, all the while educating our community about its use and key benefits.
Get in touch with our team today to find out how we use our high-quality road maintenance machinery for thermal road repair.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thermal Road Repairs: Decarbonising the asphalt repair industry.
High output. Low emission. Zero waste. Permanent solution.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources: