The Wirtgen Group has belonged to Deere & Company since 2017 and positions itself as an integrated system provider for road construction. With its four core brands Wirtgen, Vögele, Hamm, and Kleemann, the group covers the entire process chain from milling, stabilization, and recycling to installation and compaction. Particularly in asphalt construction, the company sees itself as a complete provider – from removing old road surfaces to finishing new layers.
Wirtgen: Cold Milling and Recycling as Core Competency
Under the Wirtgen brand, the group distributes road milling machines and cold milling machines in various performance classes. The compact milling machine W 50 Ri with 0.5 m working width is suitable for maintenance and repair work, while large-scale milling machines such as the W 220 Fi achieve working widths of up to 2.2 m and are designed for highway renovation. Milling capacity ranges from 75 kW to over 550 kW depending on the model. Typical milling depths are between 0 and 330 mm, with high-performance milling machines reaching up to 500 tons of operating weight.
In addition to classical cold milling machines, Wirtgen offers recyclers for soil stabilization and cold recycling. These machines break down existing asphalt or soil layers and mix them with binders – a process that saves material and reduces transport costs. The WR series, for example, achieves working widths between 2.0 and 2.4 m with working depths of up to 500 mm.
Vögele Asphalt Pavers: From Compact Paver to Large-Scale Projects
The brand Joseph Vögele stands for asphalt pavers and covers the spectrum from compact pavers to high-performance machines with its Super series. Smaller models such as the Super 700-3i achieve paving widths between 0.75 and 3 m and are suitable for municipal construction projects. Large-scale pavers such as the Super 3000-3i achieve working widths of up to 12 m and paving capacities of up to 1,800 tons of asphalt per hour – designed for highway construction and major projects.
Technologically, Vögele relies on the RoadScan leveling system, which detects the reference height contactlessly via ultrasound or laser, as well as heated screeds for homogeneous compaction. The screed works depending on the model with vibration or tamping to pre-compact the asphalt during installation.
Hamm Rollers: Compaction for All Layers
Under the HAMM brand, the Wirtgen Group distributes rollers for asphalt and soil compaction. The portfolio includes tandem rollers (e.g., HD+ series with 7 to 14 tons operating weight), pneumatic rollers, and combination rollers. Tandem rollers achieve working widths between 1.3 and 2.1 m and are used during asphalt paving. For earthwork, Hamm offers single-drum rollers with up to 26 tons operating weight.
Technologically, Hamm offers systems such as HCQ (HAMM Compaction Quality), which measures and documents compaction quality in real time – an approach that is increasingly required for compaction quality control on construction sites.
Kleemann: Crushing Plants for On-Site Material Processing
The fourth brand in the road construction portfolio is Kleemann, which manufactures mobile crushing and screening plants. The jaw crushers of the Mobicat series and impact crushers of the Mobirex series enable the processing of demolition material directly on the construction site. Typical throughput capacities range between 100 and over 400 tons per hour. The plants are designed for use in recycling, but also for processing natural stone in road construction.
Market Position and Differentiation
In competition, the Wirtgen Group faces providers such as Caterpillar, Volvo CE, and BOMAG. The differentiation lies in system integration: while competitors often cover only partial areas, Wirtgen Group offers the complete process chain from a single source – including coordinated 3D machine control and telematics systems. Particularly for large-scale highway projects, this coordination plays a role, as all machines – from the milling machine to the roller – can work with the same planning data.
In recent years, the Wirtgen Group has increasingly focused on digitalization and automation. Systems such as Navitronic Plus for milling machines or RoadScan for pavers enable semi-automated work processes that increase precision and minimize operator errors. Additionally, the group is working on alternative drives: several pilot projects with electrically powered rollers and pavers are already underway, although series production models are still to come.
Current Developments and Product Announcements
In recent months, there has been quiet activity regarding new product announcements from the Wirtgen Group in road construction. The last major launch was approximately five weeks prior to the research date. However, industry observers expect new model generations for upcoming trade shows – including bauma 2025 – particularly in the area of electrified compact milling machines and pavers. The integration of telematics platforms for fleet monitoring and predictive maintenance is also likely to be further advanced to reduce downtime and improve machine amortization.
Further information about the product portfolio can be found on the official website of the Wirtgen Group.
