Astec ambition shines bright in the Hillhead 2026 sunshine
With eight new products and patented technology innovations spread across two large stands and in the ‘Crusher Alley’ Rock Processing Demo Area, Astec made a big statement at Hillhead 2026 with its ambitious growth plans in Europe and the rest of the world, built on its rich 150-year engineering history.
At Astec’s Day 1 exhibition press conference, attendees heard that the company’s new product line is focused on innovation and application. This includes new washing plants, material handling equipment, screening technology, and mobile crushing and screening units. The eight products on show at Hillhead 2026 (23-25 June) are among more than 20 that will enter the quarrying, roadbuilding, construction, and recycling markets over the next two years.
The Astec senior management team panel of Jaco Van Der Merwe, CEO; Michael Norris, Group President Materials Solutions; Damian Power, Managing Director, Astec Europe; Stephen Whyte, Vice President, Product Management; and Malachy Gribben, Vice President, Channel Management stressed how the company's investment in its Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, facility has established a strong European footprint, enabling local manufacturing of the new Frontier range of tracked crushing and screening units unveiled at Hillhead 2026.
“We are global but local in Europe,” said Damian Power. “We have 230 people in our Omagh facility, across manufacturing, engineering and product support. We now have a critical mass for product support and parts and service in the European region. This facility was built with expansion in mind, offering a runway for growth over the next five years.”
Astec differentiates itself through unique product features, including its patented Multi-Frequency Screen, which addresses blinding issues, and its new patented Vari LPV screen, which represents next-generation technology.
Stephen Whyte said, “If you look around some of the products here, there are not many companies in our industry that have the level of NPD [New Product Development], either completed in recent years or ongoing, that we do.”
Further emphasising how Astec stands out in a highly competitive crushing and screening solution marketplace, Jaco Van Der Merwe said, “Customers buy the whole team, not just the equipment. That includes the dealer network, some of whom we have here, who are among the best people in the industry. We are a parts and service business that sells equipment, and if we provide that to our customers, the features and benefits you see on every other machine [at Hillhead 2026] become a whole lot less important.”
The European quarrying sector has faced challenges in recent years, but Malachy Gribben said Astec sees significant growth opportunities and projects an upward trend in aggregate production over the next three to five years. The company aims to increase its market share in Europe, even in a soft market. “We see the bright lights of opportunity,” stressed Gribben.
“There are some big markets in Europe, such as Germany, but establishing a strong base here in the UK will be a firm start for us,” said Van Der Merwe, who, when asked a question on whether Astec’s engineering heritage, dating back to 1876, will be a notable benefit in executing its European growth strategy, responded, “We have done this for a while. We are definitely not a new player in the market. Our legacy was built on innovation and customer service, and that is what we bring to Europe, and it is an offer that will work anywhere in the world.”
During the press conference, attendees heard Jaco Van Der Merwe highlight that Astec, a major U.S.-headquartered off-highway equipment manufacturer with a 4,500-strong global workforce, is actively pursuing growth in Europe through organic development and strategic acquisitions, leveraging a strong balance sheet. Astec’s CEO said the company's acquisitions will focus on areas within its core business, such as crushing, asphalt, and concrete equipment, to bolster its European platform.
Jaco Van Der Merwe and Stephen White explained how customer needs are evolving towards lower cost per tonne, driven by challenges such as labour shortages and rising fuel and energy costs. Astec is responding with more efficient equipment, digital telematics-based platforms for remote monitoring and predictive maintenance, and a focus on energy efficiency. The Signal connectivity suite from Astec Digital delivers seamless communication and monitoring across all customer plant and mobile assets, generating actionable insights to boost efficiency, productivity and profitability.
“If you look at our Signal platform, you can compare it to the Apple environment, with your MacBook, your iPad and your iPhone, which are all working in the same connectivity suite. A lot of our customers work across the aggregates, asphalt, concrete, and paving spaces, and we can provide them with a digital resource to drive their businesses,” explained Michael Norris.
At the Hillhead 2026 press conference, attendees heard how Astec is integrating AI and automation across its operations, from product development (predictive maintenance, autonomous breakers) to business processes (energy efficiency calculators, AI-driven vision systems for asphalt plants). Jaco Van Der Merwe highlighted Astec DropZone, an intelligent, AI-powered load-out safety system designed to streamline asphalt delivery and prevent costly misloads. It replaces manual silo loading by utilising computer vision to precisely verify truck positioning beneath the silo, safeguarding both drivers and equipment. The press conference heard how Astec is also investing in training its leadership in AI.
As Astec’s senior management team emphasised, the company’s Hillhead 2026 showcase focused on solving real operational challenges by reducing downtime, improving throughput, and lowering cost per tonne.
As well as Hillhead 2026, marking the European launch of the new Frontier tracked mobile crushing and screening range, built for flexibility, fast setup, and high-performance production in demanding hard rock environments, Astec staged the global launch of the Kolberg Washing brand and featured the Eco-Scrub modular washing solution, delivering wet processing with a design especially suited for semi-mobile locations. The exhibition launch of Astec’s Modex brand, displaying the patented Vari-Frequency Technology, which minimises binding and maximises output, was showcased on Astec Modex’s Pioneer 6203LPV horizontal screen. Proven for over two decades on tough materials and unveiled in Europe at Hillhead 2026, Astec’s Multi-Frequency Screen is available on tracks, wheels or static, and notably reduces blinding even with sticky materials. In certain applications the product can produce manufactured sand from CRF (Crushed Rock Fines) without washing and turn quarry scalpings into saleable products. It is also well-suited for RAP (Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement), topsoil, compost, and skip waste fines.
Celebrating 25 years Astec’s Telestack brand was also well represented at Hillhead 2026, with the worldwide launch of the LF527 low feed hopper, which reduces double handling and ensures smooth, controlled material flow, and the TCL 1031 Zero, a heavy-duty stacker engineered to handle high tonnage reliably and efficiently. Furthermore, ‘Crusher Alley’ attendees watched Astec’s Frontier JA45 Mobile Jaw delivering consistent, high-output crushed aggregate to the Frontier SDF16 Mobile Scalper, resulting in multiple products with peerless flexibility.
Astec recently appointed Red Knight 6 (England and Wales) and O’Kane Equipment Solutions (Scotland and Northern England) as its official GB distributors for the new Frontier tracked crushing and screening brand. The press conference heard how both distributors bring deep industry knowledge and strong customer relationships, making them ideal partners for Astec and its globally recognised engineering and UK-manufactured equipment.
Commenting on Astec’s approach to growing its European distributor network, Malachy Gribben said, “You walk around this quarry [at Hillhead 2026] and see line after line of crushing and screening plant. We invested a lot of time and effort talking to the European market and industry stakeholders, including end users and potential dealers, and asking, ‘What’s going on in your world and where do you see things going?’ One very consistent message was that those stakeholders were seeing less and less differentiation in the market. Like everything else, when you’re buying a crusher or a car, you want choice. We quickly realised that if we could offer a proven and credible alternative, not just on the product side, but also in parts and service, and a team that truly walks in the shoes of the customer, we would stand out.”
Asked about what Red Knight 6 and O’Kane Equipment Solutions will bring to Astec’s offer to UK customers, Gribben responded, “Although the announcement has been made within the last couple of months, we have been working closely together for the last couple of years. Their strong relationships with customers and within the wider industry are clear, and they have a similar outlook to ours.”
Stephen Whyte added that, as part of its wider company development programme, Astec works with customer and dealer advocacy groups worldwide to ensure its product and service offerings meet market needs.
Speaking from the press conference attendee floor and responding to a question on whether Astec still had gaps in its product and linked technologies range, Paul Donnelly, managing director of Red Knight 6, said, "It’s the others [OEMs] that have gaps. Kieran [O’Kane, MD O’Kane Equipment Solutions] and I both have 30 years in the industry and have lived with some many changes and false dawns. With the technologies Astec have, such as the Multi-Frequency Screen, we’ve been testing it here in the UK, and Astec is doing things others can’t. It’s exciting for us as dealers. Equipment costs have risen significantly, customers are not getting much more money for the material they are extracting from the ground, so equipment now has to last five or six years, when before it was financed in a three-year cycle. Quality build and innovation is why Astec is the partner we want to work with.”