ACI Group calls for faster route from road materials trials to wider adoption

The company will bring its message to Highways UK 2026 at the NEC Birmingham on 14–15 October, exhibiting alongside specialist chemicals company Nouryon on Stand AS11. On Thursday 15 October at 12:10, Andy Bowers, Business Unit Manager – Roads & Industrial at ACI Group, will join representatives from National Highways, Welsh Government and Cargill for the panel discussion ‘Materials innovation: What delivers and what doesn’t?’

According to Bowers, who has more than 20 years’ experience in construction and highways, the industry has become increasingly receptive to innovation. He believes closer collaboration, shared performance data and clearer routes from trial to practical application could help accelerate that progress. 

“A product can demonstrate its performance through multiple successful trials yet still face challenges achieving wider acceptance. Different approval processes and specifications across highway authorities can make it difficult to translate successful individual projects into broader industry adoption,” said Bowers. 

“We're seeing some excellent innovations emerge, but there's a fundamental difference between a promising idea and a product that genuinely delivers value to the road network. A material could, in theory, complete 20 successful trials across 20 different authorities and still struggle to achieve wider acceptance.

“By sharing evidence, building confidence in performance data and working more closely across the supply chain, we can create a more effective route for proven technologies to reach the roads that need them.”

Accelerating that progress is becoming increasingly important as road operators face heavier traffic, carbon-reduction targets and weather conditions that place additional strain on ageing infrastructure.

During the summer, Bowers recorded a road surface temperature of 58°C in the North East, within the softening-point range of some conventional bitumen grades. Heavy rainfall, water ingress and repeated temperature changes present further challenges, particularly for older surfaces.

For Bowers, these conditions underline why materials must be assessed against their performance throughout their working lives, rather than their initial cost or sustainability credentials alone.

“We've become much more focused on reducing carbon, but that has to go hand in hand with improving the lifetime performance of our roads,” he explained. “If an innovation can improve resistance to rutting and fatigue, extend the life of a road and reduce carbon emissions, we need to recognise that wider value rather than judging it on upfront cost alone.”

ACI Group's Ecoflakes material demonstrates how emerging technologies can progress beyond initial trials. Having completed the Live Labs 2 programme, the material has now been used at multiple sites across the UK, with promising early data on polymer-modified asphalt performance and CO₂ reduction.

Alongside emerging technologies such as Ecoflakes, established approaches including warm mix asphalt and preventative surface treatments have an important role to play. Warm mix asphalt can reduce production and laying temperatures, helping to lower energy consumption and associated emissions, while treatments such as micro asphalt and surface dressing can protect existing road assets, extend their service lives.

At Highways UK, ACI Group and Nouryon will showcase how specialist chemical and additive technologies, combined with technical support and knowledge of the UK and Irish highways markets, can help customers address practical challenges in road construction and maintenance.

“The industry is having more open conversations about innovation than ever before,” added Bowers. “We now need to build on that progress, share the evidence and give promising technologies the opportunity to prove what they can deliver.”

Visitors can meet ACI Group and Nouryon on Stand AS11 at Highways UK / Asphalt World UK, NEC Birmingham, on 14–15 October 2026.

For more information, visit http://www.acigroup.biz.