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Alfa-Tech: from peak load to process optimization
- Wepro
Asphalt plants don’t operate at full capacity year-round. As temperatures drop, the focus shifts—from production to maintenance, overhaul, and improvement. For Alfa-Tech, that dynamic is part of everyday reality. And that’s exactly why flexibility in engineering is not a luxury, but a necessity.
Alfa-Tech designs and builds asphalt plants as part of a close-knit manufacturing chain, together with Machinefabriek Diepemaat and Metaalfabriek Diepemaat. Large installations, complex processes, and a highly fluctuating workload. Since 2018, Alfa-Tech has been working with Wepro to remain agile in this environment.
Engineering capacity at the right moment
Within Alfa-Tech, Wilco Winters is responsible for day-to-day operations. He knows the company inside out: starting as a drafter and design engineer, he is now the operations manager.
“Our work is highly seasonal. In summer, we produce asphalt. In the colder months, the emphasis is on maintenance and optimization. That creates peaks and dips in our need for engineering capacity.”
That need is met through the deployment of Glenn Reijnders, a mechanical engineer via Wepro. Glenn works on a wide range of projects, aligned with whatever Alfa-Tech needs at that particular moment.
From analysis to optimization
One of those projects focuses on heat loss in asphalt plants. During the asphalt drying process, energy is lost. But how much—and why? Glenn mapped out the entire process, from energy input to heat dissipation, under different conditions.
Temperature, weather influences, and machine configuration all play a role. By analyzing energy consumption across various scenarios, clear insights emerge into where optimization is possible.
It’s not just about analysis, but about improvement. With a background in industrial design, Glenn looks beyond the numbers. He combines theoretical knowledge with manufacturability, identifying where changes in design or process will have the greatest impact.
Substantive support, real relief
For Alfa-Tech, the added value of the collaboration lies in trust and relief. The right person at the right time, with substantive guidance that fits.
“When we have a need, we want to be heard,” is the starting point. “And we want someone who truly matches the question. We also see that Wepro invests heavily in the development and guidance of their people. You can tell—in the quality.”
Glenn feels that space as well. What started as mainly drafting work has grown into a role in which he analyzes processes and proposes improvements—with the freedom to take initiative and responsibility.
Moving forward together, even outside peak season
For Alfa-Tech, working with Wepro means continuity of knowledge, flexibility in capacity, and room to improve—even outside the production season.
Not just stepping in when things get busy, but thinking ahead when things slow down. That’s what makes the difference.