PIONEERING HIGH-TECH STABILISATION

Awesome Earthmovers was recently invited to the Salisbury Plain Training Area by Irish company SpreadTec, who have created a high-powered, high-tech machine for laying foundations & enhancing soil properties on critical projects.

Operated by Reeds Construction and Engineering Ltd the centre of the operation is being carried out by SpreadTec’s state-of-the-art MBM 15 binder agent spreader, a machine purpose-built for efficiency, accuracy, and sustainability.

Building Roads to Withstand Armour

Salisbury Plain’s vast network of gravelled military roads sees some of the heaviest wear of any infrastructure in the United Kingdom. The heavy machinery constantly operating places enormous stresses on these routes year-round. Ensuring the roads are high enough quality to keep equipment safe is the top priority.

Rather than opting for full-scale road reconstruction, the MOD’s chosen contractor, Reeds Construction & Engineering Ltd, is utilising soil stabilisation, a technique that chemically strengthens and binds the existing ground using cement or lime-based binders. The process significantly extends pavement, road, track life, increases load-bearing capacity, and reduces long-term maintenance costs, all while delivering major carbon savings compared to conventional aggregate-based methods.

SpreadTec MBM 15: Purpose-Built for Precision

The work on Salisbury Plain is being carried out by Reeds Construction & Engineering, SpreadTec’s official UK distributor. The machine they are primarily employing is SpreadTec’s MBM 15: a 15m³ automatic rate-controlled binder spreader mounted to a Hydrema 922G purpose built articulated dump truck chassis.

Unlike older spreaders that required constant manual adjustment, the MBM 15 uses an automatic metering rotor system with integrated load cells to maintain precise binder application rates, even as ground speed varies. The system is governed by an advanced in-house electronic control system, developed by SpreadTec’s own design & software team, ensuring pinpoint accuracy that reduces wastage and guarantees consistent soil strength throughout the project.

Operators control the MBM 15 via an intuitive in-cab touchscreen that monitors spread rates, allows real-time adjustments, and stores performance data for full job traceability. The system even allows for remote telematics, so SpreadTec or Reeds’ engineers can diagnose issues or assist operators in real-time, whether for training, fine-tuning, software updates or fault-finding.

Crucially, the machine's flexibility allows operators to dynamically adjust spread rates across different soil types and binder specifications, ensuring the optimal dosage is applied where it’s needed most. Safety has also been prioritised, with interlock sensors on all access panels, preventing the machine from operating unless every panel is securely closed. An integrated filtration & compressor system helps control dust emissions, improving on-site air quality, a welcome feature in dry and windy field or site conditions.

Why Hydrema? A Smarter Platform for Stabilisation

One of SpreadTec’s most innovative decisions has been to mount the MBM 15 on the Hydrema 922G platform, rather than the more traditional tractor and trailer approach still widely used in the industry. While tractor-mounted spreaders work well on smaller, level sites, they are less suited to the demands of large-scale infrastructure and military environments where terrain, gradients and ground conditions can change rapidly. On Salisbury Plain, soft ground, rutted tracks and steep inclines are part of daily operations.

The Hydrema 922G offers superb off-road capability, thanks to its articulated steering, wide low-pressure tyres and 6x6 drivetrain, providing excellent flotation and minimising surface damage – crucial when operating on sensitive MOD land.

By integrating the spreader directly onto a self-propelled dump truck chassis, SpreadTec also eliminates the logistical complexities of coupling, uncoupling, or transporting trailers, making mobilisation far quicker. The result is an all-in-one unit that arrives fully assembled, ready for work, maximising daily output and simplifying on-site operations.

Additionally, integrating the spreading and propulsion systems allows SpreadTec to build a fully unified electronic control system, improving not only application accuracy but also operator ergonomics and machine safety.

As Reeds’ Sales Manager Haydn Waters explains: “The Hydrema-mounted MBM 15 gives us true go-anywhere capability with the precision of a self-propelled unit. It’s efficient, highly controllable, and makes stabilisation more productive and safer across a much wider range of projects.”

Sustainable Stabilisation

Soil stabilisation is rapidly becoming a core method across UK infrastructure, not just for military applications but for major public works too. By strengthening native soils with lime or cement, the need for imported aggregates is vastly reduced, which slashes transport emissions, cuts costs, and minimises waste generation on site.

The stabilised ground also provides improved site access during poor weather, particularly valuable in winter months, keeping projects on schedule and improving safety for plant and personnel.

SpreadTec’s MBM 15 units have already been deployed on major national schemes including High Speed 2 (HS2) rail projects, the A465 Heads of the Valleys highway in Wales, and Coventry Airport, in addition to MOD contracts like Salisbury Plain.

We caught up on site with Daniel Knights, Site Manager at Reeds on the benefits of the MBM 15:

“Benefits of the machine are that we get increased production out of it, increased carrying ability of powder across site with stability. SpreadTec and Reeds in partnership created this to revolutionise and push forward the spreading side of binder application.”

From Dealer to Developer

Uniquely, Reeds Construction & Engineering didn’t just become SpreadTec’s UK distributor by chance, they helped develop the machine itself. Reeds soon identified a demand for larger, smarter, and more automated spreading equipment.

Partnering with AgriSpread in Ireland, the parent company behind SpreadTec, Reeds worked closely on the design and development of what eventually became the MBM 15, refining it through two years of testing before bringing it to market.

Today, over 20 SpreadTec units operate across the UK, supported directly by Reeds, who also distribute specialist plant and attachments from Stehr GmbH, MeriCrusher, Gyru-Star, Arrowhead rock drills, Nursan tankers, and a broad range of Wacker Neuson equipment.

With further projects in the pipeline and stabilisation technology rapidly gaining traction across multiple sectors, both Reeds and SpreadTec are poised for continued growth.

SpreadTec have newly been appointed sole distributor of STEHR products in Ireland, further enhancing their product offering to the Irish Construction Industry.

Future-Proof Roads

As the MBM 15 works across the Salisbury Plain, it represents a glimpse into the future of roadbuilding: fast, highly precise, more environmentally sustainable and capable of delivering the robust surfaces needed to keep Britain’s toughest equipment moving safely for years to come.