BOMAG - Connected construction site 4.0.: Asphalt paving becomes Smart Construction.

12/09/2024 | Cases

ASPHALT PRO provides an innovative all-in-one solution that digitizes road construction, enabling construction companies to implement projects more efficiently, transparently, and sustainably – the construction site 4.0 has become a reality.

Initial situation

Roads are more than just traffic routes – they are the lifelines of our society and the key to our prosperity. However, the demand on roads are constantly increasing: more vehicles, larger dimensions, higher speeds, and heavier loads are making construction ever more challenging. Modern roads are made up of multiple layers and materials that require specialized machinery.

BOMAG, based in Boppard, is one of the leading manufacturers of road construction machines. Their compaction machines, ranging from small machines to tandem rollers and road rollers, are globally recognized. With pavers, feeders, and asphalt milling machines, BOMAG covers the entire asphalt paving process.

The durability and performance of a road depend on the even and precise placement of hot asphalt. This is a major challenge: the asphalt, which can reach up to 200°C, must be freshly prepared and precisely mixed according to specifications in the plant. Additionally, it can only be stored briefly and with high energy consumption in a silo. For easy planning, execution, and documentation of the asphalt paving process, a "Connected Construction Site 4.0" is required. BOMAG and M&M Software have jointly developed a system for the digital management of road construction sites. ASPHALT PRO is designed for construction companies and engineering firms and covers the entire cycle of an asphalt paving project. It connects all participants and systems and optimizes the project in terms of time and material costs, as well as the increasingly important CO2 footprint.

Project description

In the planning phase, the system calculates the required tonnage and optimizes truck routes. On the day of construction, the system's networking capabilities truly shine: Mixing plants send delivery notes digitally, and the foreman instantly sees truck details and arrival times. The digital delivery note records all key checkpoints. Data is continuously synchronized, and the project status is displayed on dashboards, allowing for quick responses to deviations.

M&M Software played a central role from the outset in requirements analysis and architecture development, gathering practical feedback from construction sites and trade fairs to develop technical concepts based on real-world insights.

ASPHALT PRO is built on a modern microservice architecture in the Azure Cloud, leveraging technologies such as Angular and modern UI components. It enables the integration of external components for efficient development and long-term maintainability.

The system creates a digital twin of the construction site, enabling seamless project planning and monitoring. Its flexible, modular data model allows for easy integration of platforms or customer-specific systems, such as additional mixing plants or fleet management solutions.

Through regular patent screening, M&M Software strengthened BOMAG's competitive position. Our CI/CD pipeline facilitated rapid responses to requirements and ensured high implementation speed.

The project brought together M&M experts from Germany, China, and India in an agile team. Germany took charge of backend development and architecture, while China and India handled frontend development and quality assurance, ensuring smooth and cost-effective implementation.

BOMAG has found a reliable partner in M&M Software for digital construction site solutions, enhancing efficiency in road construction.

With ASPHALT PRO, the construction manager can schedule truck trips to ensure the paver operates continuously—and quickly adjust plans if unforeseen events arise on the installation day.

"We are particularly impressed by the team's passion for asphalt road construction."

Florian Lange

- Head of Product Management, BOMAG GmbH

"For the cloud project ASPHALT PRO, BOMAG partnered with M&M Software, a company that transformed the initial project idea into a fully developed product. From the very first workshops, the commitment and sense of responsibility among all participants were evident, and a cross-company team quickly came together. The result was a modern, flexible architecture tailored precisely to BOMAG's needs.

We were particularly impressed by the team's passion for asphalt road construction. Even during hectic times, we could rely on the product being developed in line with our expectations. New features were implemented quickly and efficiently, while regular coordination ensured transparency and control.

Even when faced with last-minute changes, M&M provided economically viable solutions without compromising the application's integrity. We felt in very good hands with M&M Software and will continue to rely on their expertise in the future."

Value for customers.

Through workshops, site visits, and participation in sales activities, M&M Software quickly and actively developed specialized domain knowledge in the field of road construction.

Building on this foundation, M&M Software took responsibility for the development of ASPHALT PRO, contributing to the design of requirements and specifications. This significantly eased the workload of BOMAG's specialist departments.

Industry: Mechanical Engineering (Construction Machinery)

Client: BOMAG GmbH, Boppard – Part of the FAYAT Group

Development Process: Agile with continuous deliveries

Technologioes.

Cloud-native
Dapr
ASP.NET core backend
Microservices for logical domains
Kubernetes
Angular frontend
HTML5/CSS
Hybrid Webapp (Browser, Android, IOS)
Ionic
Capacitor
SignalR
DevExtreme
Google / Azure Maps
CI/CD pipelines
Infrastructure as Code
Keycloak

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