Luigi Metelli Spa brings special concrete to the road
Economics & Logistics
A road construction material from a bygone era is back! Luigi Metelli Spa is providing a special concrete for the new state road 77 between Umbria and Le Marche in Italy. Five Arocs models are also at work on the construction site.
Fresh new fleet. New Arocs concrete mixers have recently been added to the fleet of 60 vehicles at Luigi Metelli Spa.
Concrete, a replacement for asphalt to pave roads, is starting a
revolution right under our wheels. In reality, it is more of a
rediscovery, since the first concrete road covering dates back to 1891
and can still be seen in Ohio in the USA. Use of the material
subsequently spread to Europe, although it was seldom used in Italy.
However, Italy might just start the renaissance of the concrete road,
thanks to the San Francesco consortium, which is using the concrete in
the new tunnels on the state road 77 between Foligno and Camerino –
part of the Quadrilatero delle Marche, which is under
construction.
This concrete is a new type of mixture developed specifically for
paving roads and offers more advantages and fewer disadvantages
compared to the conventional concrete mix. It is safer for the
environment, has a high level of heat resistance, is low maintenance
and generates less noise.
The consortium comprises Colabeton Spa, Calcestruzzi Spa and Luigi
Metelli Spa – the latter of which has been producing concrete for
almost 50 years. The company has actually been around since 1946, when
Luigi Metelli started supplying timber for railway sleepers during
reconstruction of the Italian railway network after World War II.
"In 1960 we began extracting aggregates in one of our quarries,
and in 1966 we started producing concrete," says Domenico
Metelli, managing director and son of the founder. He and his brother
Giuseppe took over the helm of the company in 1978.
Today, this concrete road covering innovation opens a new chapter in the history of the company based in Foligno, Umbria. "We had already been working on important projects up until the middle of the last decade, but only at the regional level. Then we began to raise company capital in order to increase our range of influence by partnering with other companies, including companies abroad," says his brother Giuseppe. He is in charge of the company's business management and finances.
The opportunity came with the establishment of the San Francesco
consortium, which supplies raw materials to Val di Chienti Scpa – the
company building the new state road 77. "As part of this project
we are also working with the Austrian-based company Strabag, which has
opened up a gateway for us to international markets," explains
Domenico. The construction on the road project sites will be completed
this year, but Metelli has already started a new project, which is the
Pedemontana Lombarda – the new 67 kilometre motorway that will extend
north of Milan. The company from the Umbria region is already working
on it, and it is possible that this road will also be paved using
concrete.
"The future is in large-scale projects and the international
market. We have pretty clear ideas, and we know what is required and
with whom we can do the work," says Giuseppe Metelli. The Umbrian
company seems to meet all the conditions for implementing this
strategy. The business is financially solid, is well organized, has
skilled employees and maintains constant control of management. It
even has its own vehicle fleet.
"The logistics both in terms of supplying our building sites and supplying customers who purchase our materials is of primary importance," says Domenico Metelli. "In a time of fierce competition, logistics is an attribute that reveals who has the capability and flexibility to transport the product quickly to the building sites. To be able to do this, however, you have to have reliable, safe and efficient trucks handled by experienced drivers."
The company has over 60 vehicles comprising tippers, work machinery, concrete mixers and concrete pumps and has initiated a three-year programme to replace all vehicles. This also includes the recent acquisition of five Arocs models: one 4143 and three 4145 concrete mixer trucks as well as one 4145 with a concrete pump. "We have been using Mercedes trucks for years. Almost the entire fleet has a star on the radiator grille," says Domenico Metelli.
To date, Luigi Metelli has produced 2.4 million tonnes of concrete for the state road 77 construction site, which was opened in 2009. The work was carried out over a 40 km long stretch of road, which connects the Umbria and Le Marche regions between Foligno and Camerino.
The decision to choose Mercedes is based on a variety of factors, he explains: "It starts at the negotiation stage. Over the years we have established an excellent relationship with the authorised dealer with whom we discuss which models best suit our needs and who has a local workshop to support us over the lifetime of the vehicle. As for the operation of the vehicles, we appreciate their reliability and fuel efficiency. But image is also important to customers, and the Mercedes star garnishes a great deal of attention. And at the end of the contract's term, Mercedes vehicles fetch a high resale price on the used vehicle market."
Metelli maintains strict control over vehicle management to ensure that the company always gets the highest level of efficiency and productivity out of the vehicles. According to Domenico: "Every vehicle is entrusted to a single driver and has its own control card. Along with productivity, we are continuously monitoring consumption, which is part of the company's driver reward program. Even cleaning the truck is extremely important because it contributes to the efficiency of the vehicle. This is why the vehicles are cleaned after each journey."
Photos: Michele Latorre
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