About us
Schniering GmbH, based in Essen, has been active in the field of road investigation and assessment for more than 50 years. The focus of our activities lies in the recording and evaluation of road conditions as well as in the development, manufacture and deployment of the fast-driving measuring vehicles required for this purpose. Our success is based on the fact that we record the information that is important for road management with high precision and particularly economically in order to make it available to our customers in an optimally usable and standardised form. The essential basis for this is our scientific and practice-oriented knowledge in the field of construction material testing and our decades of experience in condition monitoring, damage analysis and assessment. In addition, there is the in-house development, design and production of the measuring systems including the necessary hardware and software, as well as, of course, the lively technical exchange with our customers and the cooperation in various working committees and working groups of the Forschungsgesellschaft für Straßen- und Verkehrswesen (FGSV).
HISTORY
In 1965, the company was founded as Straßenbaulaboratorium Essen GmbH.
A few years later, Alfred Schniering – already managing director at this time – took over today’s Schniering GmbH. The company has since gained both national and international recognition in the field of ageing and damage analysis of building materials and roadway structures. The need for objective, precise and network-wide available road condition data as a basis for systematic road maintenance was recognised early on in the professional exchange with particularly committed construction administrations.
In 1980, today’s Schniering GmbH carried out the first extensive skid resistance measurements in Germany with the SKM skid resistance measurement system in accordance with TP Griff-StB.
Since 1991, we have been the first German engineering office possess a high-speed measuring systems for the network-wide metrological recording of all condition characteristics.
Since 1992, we have been regarded as the market leader in Germany with our technology. The multifunctional measuring system ARGUS®, which we developed in close cooperation with the responsible committees of the Forschungsgesellschaft für Straßen- und Verkehrswesen (FGSV) (Research Association for Roads and Traffic), has since set standards for the metrological recording of road conditions in Germany and other countries.
In 2007, we developed the first multifunctional measuring system ARGUS®-Agil for condition monitoring of cycle paths, footpaths and service roads.
In 2010, we completely converted the previously analogue image acquisition by means of video technology to digital recording technology. For this purpose, not only the camera technology of the measuring vehicles was converted, but also the entire internal image processing from storage to the evaluation stations.
Since 2016, we have had a SKM unit (side force measuring method) at our disposal, which was completely developed in-house. This gives us direct access to all components that are necessary for the in-house production of a skid resistance measuring vehicle according to the SKM method.
Our main customers include the ministries of transport and road construction authorities of various countries as well as the administrations of counties, cantons, departments, cities and municipalities of European countries such as Switzerland, France, Poland, Austria, Italy and the Czech Republic. With more than 1.5 million kilometres of ARGUS® measurements and more than 750,000 kilometres of skid resistance measurements, we have extensive experience in the field of metrological road condition monitoring. We are by far the leading service provider in the particularly demanding German market. Our involvement in numerous research society committees guarantees that our services always correspond to the latest findings and regulations and ensures a lively exchange regarding new techniques and procedures.
QUALITY
In addition to the annual certification of our measurement vehicles by the German Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) and the in-house and external monitoring carried out during the measurement season, the company also uses a quality management system in accordance with EN ISO 9001. Compliance with the standard is regularly monitored and certified by TÜV.
RESEARCH
In order to further develop the various recording methods and to use current technologies and trends, the company works on various research projects on behalf of the German Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) and is a member of the following working committees and working groups of the Road and Traffic Research Association (FGSV).
Working Committee 4.1 “Management of Road Maintenance”.
Working Committee 4.3 “Surface Properties
Working Group 4.1.2 “Maintenance of Municipal Roads
Working group 4.1.3 “Condition monitoring and evaluation”.
Working group 4.1.4 “ZEB Cycle tracks”
Working group 4.3.1 “Surface appearance
Working group 4.3.2 “Evenness
Working group 4.3.3 “Roughness
Working group 4.3.6 “Texture measurement”.
In addition, the company is represented in the skid resistance quality association as well as in various working groups for the preparation of regulations.
