VEGAPULS at Sto’s Australian plant: inventory control lessons for engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on Roads & Infrastructure (AU)
30 Second Briefing
VEGAPULS non-contact radar level sensors have replaced traditional silo weighing systems at Sto’s building materials plant to monitor raw material and finished product stocks in real time. Each silo is now fitted with a VEGAPULS unit mounted on the roof, providing continuous level measurement unaffected by dust, material build-up or varying bulk densities that previously distorted load-cell readings. The upgrade is aimed at tightening inventory control and supporting punctual deliveries of cementitious and other construction materials to infrastructure projects.
Technical Brief
- VEGAPULS units are mounted on silo roofs, measuring vertically downwards through the full storage height.
- Radar measurement is unaffected by dust clouds generated during pneumatic filling of cementitious materials.
- Non-contact sensing avoids mechanical wear, drift and calibration issues typical of load cells under cyclic loading.
- Level readings remain stable despite changing bulk density between different binders, fillers and lightweight aggregates.
- Sensor performance is not impaired by material build-up on silo walls or internal fittings.
- Continuous level data enables tighter reordering thresholds, reducing emergency deliveries and underutilised storage capacity.
- Similar radar retrofits on existing silos can often reuse roof nozzles, minimising structural modification work.
Our Take
VEGA’s presence in multiple Roads & Infrastructure Magazine pieces, including the Quartzline radar instrumentation case, suggests the publication is positioning the company as a go‑to reference for level and process control solutions rather than a one‑off product profile.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
