Airfield runway specialist Jointline invests £1m in grooving capabilities

Established in 1987, Jointline is meeting the challenges encountered by the industry through the skill and experience of its professional team, backed up by new investment in specialist equipment. The firm has three main divisions; airfield lining, grooving and internal lining; highways; and civils. Annual turnover for the current financial year is projected to be in excess of £20m. Jointline’s live and recently completed projects include runway grooving for London’s Heathrow and Stansted Airports, Belfast International Airport, and Shannon Airport in County Clare, Ireland, and several military airfields. Gary Massey, Managing Director of Jointline, said: “The current demand for runway refurbishment and development is the highest it’s been for the past decade. In order for us to fulfil the demand from existing domestic customers – while expanding our overseas operations – we have deployed company funds to purchase multiple new sets of specialist plant and machinery. “We have also invested in the training and development of long-serving employees and increased our skilled workforce by 20% to 120 employees. This is setting us apart from our competitors, while keeping the team and our customers safe as we carry out grooving assignments on live airfields. I am proud to be leading a business that is set up for the future and able to continue to grow sustainably and profitably.” Jointline specialises in anti-skid grooving on both asphalt and concrete runways and highways to provide additional grip and safety enhancements. Grooving facilitates the rapid dissipation of water, thereby increasing surface friction and substantially reducing the risk of aquaplaning. Jointline’s investment in the expansion of its grooving division includes the purchase of five ride-on pavement groovers, a bespoke 30-ft articulated trailer and two 44-tonne DAF XF Super Space tractor units. The firm has also invested in the remanufacture of its 30,000-litre capacity water tanker, which has additional safety features, Chapter 8 requirements, and full 360-camera coverage. The firm’s approach to anti-skid grooving utilises the latest diamond cut machines, which creates grooves to the required centre, pitch, and depth specifications, while simultaneously vacuuming up the resultant spoil. Jointline’s team identifies the appropriate groove depths and spacing for each project to optimise water dissipation efficiency. The marked improvement in the take-off and landing distances of aircraft is a factor that has been corroborated by rigorous testing conducted by NASA. Such tests have demonstrated that a grooved runway can achieve a co-efficient of friction that equates to 85% of that when dry. Witham St Hughs-headquartered Jointline has undertaken renovation and improvement works at every major civilian airport in the UK, as well as runways across continental Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America.