KUALA LANGAT, Dec 16 — Road maintenance and patching in Selangor has become faster and more efficient with the environmentally friendly Asphalt Reduce Reuse (ASRR) machine.
State executive councillor for infrastructure and agriculture Dato’ Izham Hashim said the machine, used by InfraSel Sdn Bhd, is a paving technology from Japan based on the reuse and recycling of existing road-paving material.
He said the ASRR will supplement the use of the hi-tech Jetpatcher from the United Kingdom, which was deployed in 2024.
“This is a catalyst for change as this technology has been used for over 20 years in Japan, but it hasn’t been expanded outside the country. In Malaysia, Selangor is the first state to buy this equipment.
“Before this, road-paving works produced excess material that is usually given to schools or used for rural roads without being reused, but with this technology, the leftover material will be mixed with additives in the machine.
“The result is a material that resembles the original granite aggregate that can be used for large-scale patching or serious damage, but it is not encouraged for building new roads.
“This initiative contributes to the zero-carbon target and saves the company up to around 69 per cent on operational costs through the use of recycled material,” Izham said.
He was speaking to reporters after an ASRR machine demonstration at Pasar Malam Banting here today.
He also said price negotiations with Kyuken Sogo Kaihatsu Co Ltd from Kumamoto, Japan, as producer of the machine, are underway, but expects the cost not to exceed RM1 million for around six units of the ASRR machine.
On differences between the ASRR and Jetpatcher, he said both have their own functions, and that the state government aims to coordinate the use of all available technologies.
“Every machine has its role and we will coordinate their use to ensure road conditions are always optimal at minimal cost,” Izham added.
