Airfield Runway Specialist Jointline Makes Senior Appointment

Lincolnshire headquartered global airport runway specialist Jointline has appointed Matt Ragless as Head of Airfield Lining, Grooving and Distribution Centres.

Established in 1987, the British-owned business is defying the challenges encountered by the industry through the skill of its professional team and multi-million-pound investment in specialist technology and equipment. Jointline has three main divisions; highways; airfield lining/grooving/internal lining; and construction. Annual turnover for the current financial year is approaching £20m.

Matt Ragless

Matt Ragless joins Jointline from Lincolnshire-based BESA Group Ltd, where he was Head of Operations. Prior to that he was the Operations Manager for TMAK Construction Ltd, and previously a Contracts Project Manager for Education Business Partnership. Mr Ragless commenced his career at T&S Group, where he was based for five years. The 38-year-old brings a total of 17 years’ industry experience to the Witham St Hughs headquartered firm.

Jointline has undertaken renovation and improvement works at every major civilian airport in the UK as well as runways across continental Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America.

Matt Ragless has been appointed to lead a team of 20 experienced technicians, ensuring projects are programmed and delivered to schedule. He also undertakes the commercial aspects of running the department.

Gary Massey, Managing Director of Jointline, said: “Matt has made an immediate impact to Jointline. His ambition, commitment and professionalism are first rate. Matt also has outstanding technical knowledge to help our customers implement the most effective solution within budget. The team we now have in place will enable us to fulfil many more airfield projects overseas during 2024 and beyond. This year will be pivotal for the long-term growth and success of the business.”

Airfield, runway and highway grooving augments the friction of a wet runway by facilitating the removal of surface water. The intricate procedure aids in the rapid dissipation of water, thereby increasing surface friction and substantially reducing the risk of aquaplaning. Jointline specialises in anti-skid grooving on both asphalt and concrete runways, together with highways to provide additional grip and enhancing road safety.

Airfield Grooving

Jointline’s approach to anti-skid grooving utilises the latest cushion-cut technique, which provides grooves to the required centre, pitch, and depth specifications, while simultaneously vacuuming up the resultant spoil. For each unique project, the team identifies the correct depths of grooves and groove spacing to optimise water dissipation efficiency for each surface.

The marked improvement in the take-off and landing distances of aircraft is a factor that has been corroborated by rigorous testing conducted by NASA. Such tests have demonstrated that a grooved runway can achieve a co-efficient of friction that equates to 85% of that when dry.

Matt Ragless, Head of Airfield Lining, Grooving and Distribution Centres at Jointline, said: “Jointline is already known across the industry, but the new investment in technology, machinery and people at every level of the business is creating a new buzz. It’s a really exciting time to join such a brilliant team. We hope 2024 will be a year of ‘firsts’ as we put ourselves in the running for larger, more technically complex projects, while making significant inroads into the distribution centre market.”

Jointline’s investment in the expansion of its grooving division includes the purchase of an additional ride-on pavement groover and a Scania P240 18-ton box, with 4-tonne cantilever tail lift. The firm has also invested in the remanufacture of its 36,000ltrs capacity water tanker, which has additional safety features, full 360 coverage, and Chapter 8 compliant beacons. A new 44-tonne Daf XF Superspace tractor unit has also been purchased to undertake new projects.

A bespoke 40ft tandem axle box trailer has also recently been customised by the firm, which has a 3-ton capable cantilever taillight, can carry three grooving machines, and is 3.89m in height, which complies with UK & EU regulation for maximum height.

Jointline’s recent projects include runway grooving for Stansted Airport, and Shannon Airport in County Clare, Ireland.