4 Keys to Meeting Project Deadlines

Ammann Plant Helps Ensure Indonesian Toll Road Finished on Time

The Cipali Toll Road in Indonesia was an enormous undertaking. Yet its benefits were just as big.

The Cipali Toll Road is part of a larger network, the Trans-Java Toll Road that connects key freeways in Jakarta and beyond. The Trans-Java Toll Road runs for 653 km and reduces the existing route by 40 km.

What all observers witnessed was a project that finished on time and within budget. A key player in meeting both goals was asphalt producer PT. Dirgantara Yudha Artha, based in Bandung, Indonesia.

The Cipali Toll Road covers 110 km and its development required around-the-clock asphalt production, with daily totals approaching 3000 tonnes. “We installed Ammann JustBlack 150 to finish this project,” said Jahja Tear Tjahjana, owner of the asphalt company.

How, specifically, can an asphalt manufacturer meet its deadlines – and help others do the same – on such a demanding project?

Leverage your experience. Dirgantara Yudha Artha has been in business since 1990 and has manufactured asphalt for many different types of projects.

“We have worked on general construction and property/housing projects,” Jahja said. “We also build roads, toll roads and airport runways.”

The experience paid dividends in 2 ways on the toll road project. First, it ensured the plant team was familiar with the required mixes. A second benefit was the team’s experience in switching mixes. Their history of making quick, frequent recipe adjustments made the minimal switches on the toll road project easy. Production continued without a hitch when a new mix was needed.

Consider capacity. Dirgantara Yudha Artha utilised an Ammann JustBlack asphalt batch plant with a capacity of 150 tonnes per hour. It typically produced about 120 tonnes per hour, but the extra capacity allowed for additional production when necessary.

Capacity also involves reliability, as an idle plant produces nothing. Dirgantara Yudha Artha purchased its plant in large part for its reliability. In particular, the company appreciated that all core components are manufactured in-house in Switzerland and fit together seamlessly to extend plant life and reduce interruptions.

The result was outstanding production with the Ammann JustBlack plant producing 120 tonnes per hour for 20-hour shifts, providing 2400 tonnes per day.

Take care of your finances. This point is crucial yet often overlooked. “We are always on time in making payments to our suppliers,” Jahja said. “This makes them happy to work with us. They then support us with good prices and make us their priority partner/customer.”

When a need is sudden and urgent, the suppliers come through.

Dirgantara Yudha Artha also has an exceptional reputation with banks, which support the company decisively and quickly when needed.

Find a good plant manufacturer. The supplier and financial partnerships are crucial and contributed to meeting deadlines, but Dirgantara Yudha Artha also realizes there is no substitution for a good plant.

The Ammann JustBlack plant is reliable, helping Dirgantara Yudha Artha hit deadlines on the toll road and other projects. After-sales support is strong to maximise availability – and ultimately capacity.

The company’s use of the JustBlack plant has brought it bottom-line results that help perpetuate the timeliness on projects.

“JustBlack saves about 20 per cent on fuel when compared with other plants,” Jahja said. That savings improves profit and also provides the company with more money to invest in improving its ongoing operations.

When the project was complete, Dirgantara Yudha Artha had produced enough mix to cover 55 km of the 110 km of multi-lane highway. Production had gone well and set the pace for the entire project.

“We are proud of this project,” Jahja said. “We were a key, flexible pavement contractor in developing the road, which will have a significant impact on travelers and will improve our economic growth.”

CIKOPO-PALIMANAN PROJECT
Start date: 5 July 2014
Completion date: June 2015
Length of road: 110 km; is a segment of Trans-Java Toll Road
Estimated cost of construction: About 8 trillion Rupiah for total reconstruction
Daily vehicle volume: About 30,000