Enhancing the division's existing surfacing, cementitious and recycling offering located in Tinsley, Sheffield, northern England, alongside Aggregate Industries current asphalt facility, the new Centre for Recycling & Research has been independently certified by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), one of Britain's leading accreditation bodies.
In terms of key features, the new lab is mobile and can be moved to other areas of the country should major projects demand it. It includes new state-of-the-art laboratory equipment, a fully certified laboratory manager, technician, and an official Kickstart Scheme employer. Aggregate Industries has recently hired a kickstart employee working at the lab on a six-month placement. This supports the government's pledge to provide skills and training for young people – to make the role permanent after the initial period.
The new lab will also be an integral part of Aggregate Industries' vital work on recycled product testing. Testament to its immediate success, the Tinsley Center for Recycling & Research has already recycled circa 80,000 tonnes of reclaimed asphalt planings (RAP) from sites back into the local road network as asphalt mixtures and alternative foamix base and binder layers. Commenting on the new lab, pavement expert Neil Leake, National Technical manager at Aggregate Industries' Contracting division, said: "Responding to the dearth of testing facilities available in the market, we've invested in this new UKAS-accredited lab, which means customers can now enjoy an end-to-end quality service for full site compliance.
"The introduction of our in-house laboratory is a great milestone. It will not only help our customers achieve greater cost efficiencies and reporting times but also enable us to push the boundaries of utilising recycled materials as part of our ongoing mission to make construction more sustainable. We, therefore, urge all our customers – new and existing – to make the most of this new facility."
The investment highlights Aggregate Industries' commitment to sustainability and first-class customer service, as the launch of the new lab comes at a time when despite being busier than ever, the contracting sector faces a shortage of testing facilities.
The new facility means that Aggregate Industries' project partners and clients now benefit from an end-to-end quality assured process, from manufacture and installation to performance testing, driving a robust quality approach across all of its contracts.
As a result, customers will be able to take advantage of the lab's efficiencies from much speedier reporting processes and more accurate testing. Projects partners will also benefit from the peace of mind of knowing Aggregate Industries' experienced technicians are on hand to assist throughout site works.
