To celebrate this 75-year milestone, we are proud to showcase two of our groundbreaking innovations developed by Aebi Schmidt Nederland that embody our group's commitment to excellence and environmental responsibility: the Rotopower Drive and Pre-Wet Spreading Technology. These innovations reflect our vision of delivering solutions that enhance performance, reduce environmental impact, and provide flexible options for winter services worldwide.
Rotopower Drive: Independent Power for Unmatched Flexibility
Traditionally, winter service equipment relies on vehicle hydraulics or built-in gasoline or diesel engines to power spreaders. This dependency limits flexibility and increases costs. Many contractors, who often handle winter service tasks for municipalities, use trucks without hydraulic systems, requiring an external power source. Previous solutions, like combustion engines or external wheels, had significant drawbacks, including high fuel costs, frequent maintenance, and difficulties maneuvering on rough terrain.
The Rotopower Drive eliminates these limitations by offering an independent, efficient hydraulic power source that is not reliant on the truck. "Rotopower was designed to solve this problem," says Hendri Verveda, Product Manager De-Icing at Aebi Schmidt Nederland. "By drawing power directly from the vehicle’s axle, it allows municipalities and contractors to use almost any truck.”
This independence from hydraulics or engines reduces fuel consumption and maintenance costs. It makes the spreader fully independent of the vehicle, simplifying the process of switching contractors or vehicles.
Pre-Wet Spreading Technology: efficient salt use
Another groundbreaking innovation from Aebi Schmidt is Pre-Wet Spreading Technology, designed to optimize salt use and reduce the environmental impact of spreading. Traditional dry spreading often results in salt being scattered by wind or passing vehicles, leading to waste, lower effectiveness, and unsafe conditions. Pre-Wet Technology tackles these issues by mixing salt and brine, creating a homogenous mixture that adheres directly to the road surface and activates immediately. This eliminates the delay caused by dry salt needing to absorb moisture before becoming effective.
Using a 70/30 salt-to-brine mixture, this method enhances precision and can reduce salt consumption by up to 50%. The brine mixture adheres firmly to the road, enabling faster application (up to 70 km/h) with minimal scattering and reduced salt loss along the roadside.
The use of higher brine percentages is an emerging trend in the winter service sector, as users seek both cost savings and environmental sustainability. In milder weather conditions, the dry salt percentage can be further reduced to FS50 or even FS100. At FS50, this approach delivers an additional 20% savings on dry salt usage.
“Pre-wet spreading ensures that salt stays where it is needed,” says Hendri Verveda. “It not only enhances efficiency but also significantly reduces scattering, contributing to the protection of local ecosystems.”
Moving Toward a Sustainable Future in Winter Maintenance
With the Rotopower Drive and Pre-Wet Spreading Technology, Aebi Schmidt is leading the way toward a more sustainable and efficient future in winter services. These innovations not only lower costs but also improve road safety and significantly reduce the environmental impact of spreading activities. By optimizing material use and reducing emissions, we ensure that winter services remain both effective and environmentally responsible.
Would you like to make your winter services more sustainable? Contact us to learn how our advanced technologies contribute to a cleaner, greener approach to keeping infrastructure safe—all year round.