Romix, a South African company which has a new method of building roads has caught the attention of the Ministry of Works resulting in an invitation to further demonstrate the use of the new technology here.

The company is scheduled to hold a demonstration in the use of Romix SoilFix to stabilize a portion of the Ituni road while it will also repair some potholes in the city using Romix Pot Fix. Chief Executive Officer of Romix Industries, Pieter Prinsloo at a workshop last Friday touted the benefits of his company’s product stating that with the new technology building roads will be quicker and cheaper. The seminar, for engineers and contractors, was held at the Ministry of Works building.

This is the second visit here by Prinsloo.

Engineer Coordinator in the Ministry of Public Works Leon Goring said at the workshop that tests and field work had been conducted and they have decided to take the process further. If the product is found to be fit and no doubt it will be, the technology will be adopted here, hence the need for the workshop, he said.

In his presentation to the engineers, contractors and students, Prinsloo noted that the current road-building technology is about 50 years old. He said that his company is offering an alternative to these traditional methods. The technology used by his company involves a Polymer-based adhesive that binds soils to create durable road foundations.

Prinsloo said that the unique polymer blend allows for the binding of practically any soil particle regardless of the quality or grading of the material. This allows for the use of mostly in-situ materials rather than importing scarce, expensive material, he declared. He emphasized that SoilFix improves marginal materials to become usable materials. “It’s like taking garbage and eating it,” he said.

The CEO declared that using the technology to build a road will result in one that that will last a long time and will require minimal maintenance. He said that the method is quick, easy, affordable and permanent. He stressed however, that proper drainage is vital.

The CEO noted that the material had been thoroughly researched and tested and already utilized in a number of countries and also by the US military. Using the new technology will reduce the cost of building roads by 30 to 40 percent, he stated.