Joseph Vögele from Ludwigshafen is expanding its portfolio with three automation solutions for asphalt pavers. Grade Assist, AutoTrac, and Smart Pave are designed to relieve machine operators, increase efficiency, and save material. The development shows a clear trend: digitalization and automation are becoming standard in road construction – for sound business reasons.
Grade Assist: Automatic leveling relieves the operator
Grade Assist takes over automatic height control of the screed. The system automatically compensates for unevenness of the reference level and maintains the desired target height. The operator no longer needs to make continuous manual adjustments.
This is especially relieving on long stretches. On an expressway construction site with 8 kilometers in length, the system saves up to 15 percent of operator working time. The reason: fewer corrections mean fewer stops, less material waste from over-laying, less rework.
For companies facing labor shortages, this is a real lever. An experienced operator can focus on quality control instead of constantly adjusting the leveling. Grade Assist works with the existing sensors of the asphalt paver – no additional external system is required.
AutoTrac: Precise lane guidance without constant steering
AutoTrac automatically controls the paving path of the asphalt paver. The system uses GPS machine control and keeps the machine on the predetermined line. Deviations are reduced to less than 2 centimeters – across the entire paving length.
This offers two advantages: First, less material waste through more precise paving. On a 6-meter-wide lane and 500-meter length, AutoTrac saves up to 3 tons of asphalt if the deviation reduces from previously 5 to 2 centimeters. At an asphalt price of 90 euros per ton, that's approximately 270 euros per kilometer.
Second, less operator fatigue. Anyone who needs to maintain a precise lane for 8 hours straight is exhausted by the end of the day. AutoTrac takes over this continuous task and gives the operator more capacity to monitor paving quality.
Smart Pave: Data-driven process optimization in real time
Smart Pave combines paving parameters with real-time data and automatically adjusts machine control. The system analyzes material temperature, feed speed, tamper pressure, and vibration frequency – and adjusts these parameters independently to achieve uniform compaction.
The result: A more homogeneous asphalt layer with less post-compaction by compaction rollers. On an expressway project in Baden-Württemberg, Smart Pave reduced post-compaction by 12 percent – saving operating hours on rollers and lowering overall site costs.
Additionally, Smart Pave automatically documents all parameters. This facilitates quality assurance and meets increasing requirements for digital site documentation. Every meter of asphalt is recorded – with timestamp, coordinates, and all relevant machine data.
Automation as a response to skilled labor shortage
The three systems are not isolated features but part of an overall strategy. The construction industry struggles with labor shortages – according to the German Construction Industry Association, around 400,000 skilled workers will be missing in Germany by 2030. Automation cannot fully compensate for this shortage, but it can relieve existing teams and make them more productive.
An example: A paving crew typically consists of one operator, one spotter, and two to three helpers. With Grade Assist, AutoTrac, and Smart Pave, the operator can take on more tasks because the systems automate routine work. This doesn't necessarily mean less personnel, but more efficient use of available labor.
For construction companies, this pays off quickly. Saving 200 operating hours per year reduces personnel costs by approximately 12,000 euros – at an average hourly rate of 60 euros including payroll taxes. Add to this savings on materials and reduced rework costs.
Integration into the Wirtgen Group pays off
Vögele has been part of the Wirtgen Group since 2007, which in turn has been part of John Deere since 2017. This brings technological synergies: AutoTrac's GPS control is based on Deere technology, which has been proven in agricultural machinery for years. Smart Pave uses data analysis algorithms originally developed for optimizing harvesting machines.
These cross-connections accelerate development. While smaller manufacturers need years to bring a GPS system to production maturity, Vögele can draw on existing hardware and software. This reduces development costs and makes the systems available faster.
Outlook: Autonomous paving machines in road construction
Grade Assist, AutoTrac, and Smart Pave are intermediate steps toward fully autonomous asphalt pavers. Currently, they assist the operator but do not replace him. The next stage would be semi-autonomous systems that can lay certain sections without human intervention.
In open-pit mining, autonomous construction machines are already a reality – Caterpillar and Komatsu operate driverless dump trucks in Australia and Chile. Road construction is more complex: changing conditions, heavy traffic, tight job sites. But the foundations are being laid right now.
With the three automation solutions, Vögele is taking a gradual approach. The systems can be retrofitted, work alongside existing machines, and can be expanded modularly. This lowers the entry barrier for construction companies and makes automation accessible even for smaller operations.
For more information on the automation systems, visit the website of Joseph Vögele.
