Everything is a little bigger in the US. The roads are broader, the bridges higher and the traffic a bit more complex. There is an enormous machinery working behind the scenes in completed roads, and these days Trysil RMM are making their way into this vast landscape, to help ensure that roads can be completed under safer conditions for the road workers. And we are now approaching an important milestone!
One step closer to the future
A Trafficprinter® for the American market is being completed these days. At the beginning of November 2023, the finished printer parts were sent by boat to the USA. After almost a month at sea, they arrived at the same time as a team of four men from Trysil RMM who, together with our partner in the USA, MRL, were to assemble it all on a new truck. “For the Nordic market, we assemble everything here in Trysil,” explains Jon Kjetil Jutulstad, CEO of Trysil RMM, “but this time we have chosen a slightly different route. Since we don’t use the same type of trucks, we decided it would be best if MRL ordered the truck before we arrived, and then our guys could assemble our equipment in the US. This way, both Trysil RMM and MRL get to know each other, and what we put together, better, so that in the long run we can optimize deliveries for the American market.”
Jon Kjetil talks about an industry where one has not been able to take advantage of the technological development seen in other fields. The result is that many people still work manually, which in turn creates dangerous traffic situations for those whose daily work is in the middle of the road. “A Trafficprinter® will make road marking a safe profession and make it easier for our customers to recruit personnel to do the job.”
Kick-off in February
The four who travelled over to install the newly manufactured equipment came home with new experiences and left a Trafficprinter® ready for testing at MRL behind. In the new year, there is plenty of time to make sure that everything works as intended before the real test comes along in February. This is when the car will be displayed to a joint American industry at this year’s big trade fair in San Diego, which is something Jon Kjetil is undoubtedly excited about. “The USA is a huge market, and we hope they welcome us with the same enthusiasm we have seen in both Sweden and Finland! The journey to get here has been long, and we have invested a lot of time and energy to get to where we are today.”
Fortunately, Trysil RMM has found a good partner in MRL. With a common goal of succeeding together, the set-up and progress has been tracked through weekly technical meetings. “We are pleased to have met a company with skilled and down-to-earth people who fit in well with us,” says Jon Kjetil and adds that the management of MRL will visit Trysil in January. “We think that says quite a lot about the kind of partner we have got, and the investment we are making in each other.”
After the big exhibition debut, the car will be part of a road show where the aim is to display it off in several of America’s states. “In the USA, you have a separate Department of Transportation (DOT) with individual rules in each state, so together with MRL we will travel throughout the continent and present our solutions to DOT personnel and contractors. We start in California, which is a pioneering state, and then we take one state at a time from there!” says Jon Kjetil.
Now onto the really exciting thing; to see if the USA is as interested in this new way of road marking as those we meet in the Nordic countries. In any case, Trysil RMM’s goal is absolutely clear – a long and good partnership with MRL with the goal of safer and more efficient road marking for everyone!
