As roadbuilding becomes more digital, Wirtgen is introducing technology that allows milling machines to work from detailed digital terrain models rather than simply following the existing pavement surface.
A key part of this digital evolution is accurate pavement data, and that is where Surface Systems & Instruments (SSI) plays a role.
SSI’s SmoothRoad scanning technologies help contractors collect, process and transfer detailed pavement data into workflows that support Wirtgen’s Smart Level Pro automated milling system.
The result is a connected process that links pavement scanning, project planning and machine-controlled milling to build smoother roads.
“In a normal milling process, the milling drum would simply follow the existing road profile and build the prescribed depth,” said Tom Chastain, Milling Product Manager for Wirtgen America. “While this does a good job removing the damaged road surface, it does not remove any bumps in the road and therefore does not improve the road roughness.”
Wirtgen Group’s Smart Automation in Roadbuilding solution combines Work Planner in the John Deere Operations Center with Smart Level Pro machine control to automate milling depth and cross-slope adjustments on Wirtgen F-series large milling machines.
The system improves precision while reducing the need for additional on-site survey resources.
However, contractors first need accurate information about existing pavement conditions.
That is where SSI enters the equation.
SSI captures detailed information about pavement smoothness, elevation, cross-slope and surface geometry using lidar scanners and surface-modelling software.
Rather than replacing Wirtgen technology, SSI’s technology can create the digital surface models used to plan and carry out automated milling operations.
Turning scans into models
One of SSI’s primary pavement-scanning products is the CSL-90 lidar survey profiler. The system collects millions of data points, allowing contractors to build detailed models of existing pavement surfaces.
“This is done at highway speeds. It does not require the road to be closed,” Chastain said.
Those models can then be processed through SSI software to identify irregularities, determine milling depths and create digital designs for rehabilitation projects.
SSI software can transfer machine-control models through the John Deere Operations Center directly to Wirtgen milling machines equipped with Smart LEVEL PRO.
This creates a workflow that begins with pavement scanning and ends with automated milling.
Exclusive partnership
According to SSI, the company entered an exclusive technology-integration partnership with Wirtgen GmbH in 2023.
With SSI’s electronics and software operation based in Manhattan, Kansas, the company began working with Wirtgen America to test and integrate the technology.
The partnership focuses on directly integrating SSI-generated pavement models with Wirtgen’s digital machine-control workflow. Wirtgen’s Work Planner can also accept models generated by other commonly used surveying and planning systems.
The SSI technology was tested on more than 35 roadbuilding sites in the United States to fine-tune its integration into Wirtgen’s technology suite and machinery.
The integrated workflow was demonstrated to contractors at industry events, including ConExpo 2026.
“Wirtgen America approached a couple of their trusted contractors, mainly on the milling side, to use Smart Level Pro and test it out,” said Nicholas Schaefer, Profiling System Engineer at SSI.
“That’s what we basically have been doing since 2023 in different regions of the United States.”
The benefit of the partnership and integration is it reduces the need for retrofit machine-control hardware, third-party displays and additional on-site surveying.
“They are integrated and the machine control is branded Wirtgen. There’s no hang-on equipment, there’s no third-party tablet and there’s no interface,” Schaefer said. “If a system is set up for Smart Level Pro or Smart Pave, it’s just as simple as sending the data from Operations Center to the machine.”
Milling precision
The ability to create accurate digital models is becoming increasingly important as agencies place greater emphasis on ride quality and pavement smoothness.
Even small variations in milling depth can affect material quantities, paving thickness and final smoothness results.
By combining SSI’s scanning technology with Wirtgen’s automated milling controls, contractors gain a more complete picture of the road before work begins and more precise control once milling starts.
