Astec developing European facility

681 Astec Industries is setting up Astec Mobile Machinery, which will be based at Hameln in Germany. The new facility will help the firm’s international growth, particularly in Eastern Europe and Russia where the firm already has a strong sales presence and where road construction is strong at present.

The manufacturing and office space is in Hameln, close to Hanover in Lower Saxony. The operation is being staffed by German engineers, service technicians, and sales staff and will serve all of Europe.

1252 Roadtec, part of Astec Industries, will be taking the lead in developing the facility. However the plans call for the location to serve as a European hub for most Astec Industries companies in the future. Roadtec core products are asphalt finishers, cold planers, Shuttle Buggy material transfer devices, soil stabilisers, cold-in-place recycling equipment and self-propelled brooms used in road construction. Among the projects in the works already at Hameln is the development of a tamper bar screed, which will be manufactured at Astec Mobile Machinery Europe from the quarter of 2012. This screed technology will allow Roadtec to begin marketing its pavers in Europe and in other international territories. The facility will stock parts and provide service to the growing Astec Industries European customer base and will be headed by Michael Pottkaemper.