Smart Pave

The impressive extent to which the new smart automatic functions facilitate asphalt construction in practice was demonstrated on a construction site in Zerf, Rhineland-Palatinate. There, the Lehnen Group used the integrated Smart Pave control system for the first time – with a noticeable increase in efficiency.

Smart Pave – highly precise and stress-relieving

To reduce the burden on users and make the paving process even more productive, Vögele has developed numerous automation solutions. One of these is the Smart Pave digital control system. The integrated system, which was first introduced at Bauma 2025, controls the pave width, level, and direction of the paver fully automatically using virtual references.

Smart Pave takes automation in road construction to a new level and significantly reduces the workload for operating personnel on the construction site. The first practical application on a Lehnen Group construction site not only impressed Managing Director Markus Meerfeld, but also delighted the paving and surveying team. “Smart Pave makes my work preparation on the construction site much easier,” explains Benjamin Biewen-Schreiner. Thanks to Smart Pave, surveyors no longer need to stake out and set up tensioned wires on site. Instead, they can record the data digitally, process it in the office, and transmit it directly to the machine—resulting in enormous savings in time, resources, and materials.

How the process works in detail

First, a rover rod is used to record the coordinates and position data of the area to be paved. A CAD model of the structure is created based on this data. This is loaded into the Work Planner of the John Deere Operations Center™. Following automatic error analysis, the job data can be transferred over the air to the desired road paver via the John Deere Operations Center™, Wirtgen Group’s central job site management system.

During paving, the road paver simply travels along the specified route. Two StarFire satellite antennas from John Deere are located on the hardtop of the paver, which determine the exact position of the machine and ensure high-precision control.

The width of the screeds adjusts automatically, so the operator does not have to do anything and can focus entirely on the paving quality. Avoiding excess width saves costs and valuable resources, making the process both economically and ecologically sustainable. It also eliminates the need for operators to check the traffic lane edge, which contributes to workplace safety, especially in confined situations close to moving traffic.

Smart Pave is currently being tested with a number of customers and will be available in many countries in 2026.