Airport Runway Maintenance/Rubber and Paint Marking Removal Service
Weigel Hochdrucktechnik's product line is centred around the TrackJet system, which has set new standards for the removal of rubber and paint markings on runways, taxiways and aprons. It also cleans the AGL during the rubber removal process and therefore it is of increasing interest to the runway maintenance organisations and departments of the airport industry. An additional feature is road retexturing, which allows the safety of the runway or road to be improved considerably.
Weigel Hochdrucktechnik has specialized in this business field for 30 years. In 1998, by request of a customer the TrackJet Rubber and Paint Removal System was developed and sold to an Airport Contractor in East Asia. Up until 2009 more than 29 systems have been sold.
TrackJet at Cape Verde - 17/08/2009
Last June, TradeTarget, the representative of the German rubber removal equipment manufacturer Weigel Hochdrucktechnik for Spain, Portugal, Angola and Cape Verde, won its first contract in Africa, Cape Verde.ASA, the airport management entity at Cape Verde has planned for S. Pedro, the airport that serves the second largest city of that country, an expansion programme aimed at turning it from a domestic structure into an international one.
Such intention required a strong investment and extensive works, including the runway markings layout revision. It was necessary to demark the complete existent markings and then repaint again, enlarging the runway length and width.
One of the most recent TrackJet models, TJ-24, went from Lisbon to Cape Verde by sea, exclusively to perform this demanding mission of removing paint without damaging the pavement.
ASA was committed to use the very best technology available to save the relatively new pavement and to assure homogeneous results.
The requirement of minimum manpower and logistics was also quite relevant, as several other jobs were being performed at same time and the Airport did never close.
Another crucial factor was related with the water consumption. Cape Verde is an extremely dry archipelago and all water available is produced on desalinization plants with high costs per litre.
“Even with several difficulties as the water quality, the fuel quality and the high temperatures during the day, the mission was performed without one single failure from the equipment and the initial schedule was successfully fulfilled”, said Ruben Figueiredo, the project manager from TradeTarget.
“We’re pleased when the customer is pleased and these works were a great example of cooperation and coordination between all parts involved”, he added.
The job took less than two weeks, during which the operator removed paint of the airports traffic zones with a cleaning rate of 200–225 m²/h.
The “new runway” gives S. Pedro more opportunities as the direct connection of the Island to Europe will certainly support a relevant growth on one of the most important sectors for Cape Verde tourism.