Reclaiming Cat

French contractor Sogea Satom chose a Caterpillar RM500 rotary mixer to stabilise the Douala road in N'Dokoti, Cameroon as a secure political climate and oil revenues combine to help the West African nation sustainably develop its transport infrastructure.

The Douala roadway project involved compaction of the road's existing surface with a Caterpillar PS300 pneumatic roller before the manual application of a cement mixture. With the cement in place, the RM300 made a single pass along the length of the road, reclaiming to a depth of 200 mm and mixing in the cement.

"The mixing chamber, precise depth control and mid-machine rotor enabled us to achieve unsurpassed blending," said a Sogea Satom spokesman.

Northwest in the Atlantic Ocean on the island of Fuerteventura similar road conditions exist, and the Government's Works and Machinery Department recently took delivery of a Caterpillar RM500 rotary mixer to help with renovations across the island.

Rosa Vera and Beatriz Suarez of the department believe the addition of the RM500 to its fleet will allow the island to maintain its roadways more economically and with less environmental impact over previous maintenance programmes.

"Fewer shipped in quarry materials will create far less environmental impact," they said.

"A critical factor when investing in equipment is knowing what we will get after the sale," said the pair. "It's important on an island to understand that spare parts are available and we can get them quickly."