Manufacturing Equipment

The UAE-based Al Jaber Group, a leading contracting, logistics and industrial group, has purchased 720 Caterpillar machines for more than Dh809 million ($220 million).

According to Gulf News, The deal, the biggest purchase of Caterpillar machines in the history of the group, includes a wide range of earth-moving equipment that will support Al Jaber’s operations and expansion plans. The machines include tractors, hydraulic excavators, articulated dump trucks, wheel loaders and motor graders, which will supplement the equipment in Al Jaber Group’s fleet.

Obaid Khalifa Al Jaber, chairman of the Al Jaber Group, said: “Caterpillar machines are instrumental to our success and we have great confidence in the products coupled with after-sales service and support provided by Al Bahar, which are strategic to our achievements and successful execution of projects.”

CALSTART’s Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF) Refuse Working Group announced today that its members have selected the supplier team of Crane Carrier/ISE/Bosch Rexroth to negotiate with for validation and testing of Class 7 & 8 heavy duty hydraulic hybrid and electric hybrid refuse vehicles.

The hybrid trucks are expected to yield 30 percent to 50 percent reductions in fuel use with an accompanying reduction in emissions, to be demonstrated in chassis dynamometer and field testing. The working group members taking part in the hybrid refuse truck pilot project include the Department of Sanitation, City of New York; Solid Waste Management Department, City of Houston; and the City of Chicago.

“In the pioneering spirit of New York City, the Department of Sanitation is proud to be an early adopter of heavy-duty hybrid technology. We are committed to working with partners in developing new and innovative technologies that will benefit not only our city’s environment, but our country’s, as well,” said Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty.

Crane Carrier Company, working in conjunction with ISE Corporation, proposed a series hybrid electric refuse vehicle (HEV) using a self-contained hybrid drive assembly that can be easily mounted between the frame rails in most truck chassis. It replaces the conventional manual or automatic transmission assembly in the Crane Carrier LET2 chassis. The proposed HEV system uses components that have already been developed by ISE for the transit market in heavy 60 ft. articulated bus applications. The HEV will use nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries or ultra-capacitor packs to store energy recovered from the high number of braking cycles experienced by refuse collection vehicles during their normal operation. The HEV will also employ an onboard GPS and Remote Diagnostic Unit (RDU) providing the capability for real time performance monitoring and remote troubleshooting. The RDU conveys location, vehicle status and offers web-based access.

Crane Carrier and Bosch Rexroth Corporation have proposed using Rexroth’s Hydrostatic Regenerative Brake (HRB) parallel hydraulic hybrid system to power their LET2 chassis. The HRB system will be integrated with the Heil refuse body hydraulic system for weight savings and more efficient packaging. The HRB system uses a hydraulic pump/motor, connected to the driveline, to capture kinetic energy during vehicle braking. When braking, the pump/motor acts as a pump, absorbing energy from the driveline and imparting a retarding force on the drive wheels. The absorbed energy pumps hydraulic fluid into a nitrogen-pressurized accumulator. During acceleration the pressurized gas pushes fluid out of the accumulator and the pump/motor now acts as a hydraulic motor, assisting the engine and reducing the fuel required to launch the vehicle.

About CALSTART’s Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF)

The national Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF) program is a partnership between CALSTART and the U.S. Army TARDEC’s National Automotive Center (NAC). HTUF works to speed the commercialization of hybrid drivelines that could be used in both military and commercial vehicles. The HTUF program currently works with more than 80 fleets representing roughly one million trucks. Truck hybrids are emerging as a U.S.-led technology: there are already more than ten leading U.S. manufacturers of heavy-duty hybrid propulsion systems.

The HTUF Refuse Working Group is building on the success of the HTUF Utility Truck Working Group and its deployment of 24 International Truck/Eaton hybrid electric “bucket” trucks, which has led to the early production of Class 6/7 hybrid trucks by International and the development of similar vehicles by Peterbilt, Kenworth and Freightliner.

About CALSTART

HTUF is one of several national programs operated by CALSTART, North America’s leading advanced transportation technologies consortium. CALSTART is a participant-supported organization of more than 155 firms and organizations worldwide, dedicated to expanding and supporting a high-tech transportation industry that cleans the air, creates jobs and improves energy efficiency. CALSTART serves as a strategic broker to spur advanced transportation technologies, fuels, systems and the companies that make them. Visit www.calstart.org and www.htuf.org to learn more.

National Lift Equipment (NLE; www.nleq.com), the pioneer in brokering the sale of used construction and aerial equipment, has created the equipment brokerage industry’s first warranty program, to further assure domestic and overseas customers of the quality of the equipment it sells, according to Michael Dougherty, President.

NLE also reported that its international

business has grown 30% over the last year, with increased sales to firms in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany, Poland, Asia, and the Near East.

“Construction is accelerating around the globe, and utility and building maintenance operations are also on the rise, driving up demand for large equipment,” said Dougherty.

“Our new warranty program lets domestic and international customers buy the pre-owned machines they need with confidence. They don’t have to accept an ‘as is’ deal any more.”

The warranty offered by NLE varies by type of equipment, but in general covers major engine, transmission, and drive train components, many components of hydraulic systems, and parts for generators and light towers. Different levels of coverage are available to meet individual customer needs.

NLE provides scissors and boom lifts, construction forklifts, cranes, and wheel loaders, dozer excavators, and related equipment to dealers across the US and Canada and around the world. In addition to equipment, NLE also supplies parts, refurbishes the equipment, and ships it to a customer’s work site.

Dougherty succeeded NLE’s founder, the late Rock Gillette, as President in August 2007, but has been spearheading the company’s diversification into service-related offerings and international sales since becoming Vice President in 2005.

NLE was founded 19 years ago to provide a way for construction companies to quickly locate and buy equipment, and to sell what they were no longer using. It is one of the largest brokers of construction-site equipment, maintaining an inventory of thousands of machines that prospective buyers can review on its web site.

With gas prices at record levels, many people are looking to get rid of the V-8 gas guzzling car, truck or SUV.

Problem is, some dealers either don’t want them at all or will pay you next to nothing in a trade.

Some people may continue to insist on a V-8 truck or car, depending on how they use them, but consumers should not expect to get much money for their V-8 trade because of the decrease in demand.

Lash has been buying and selling cars for years, and $4 per gallon gas is changing the landscape.

“We probably at least had 40 to 50 percent trucks and SUVs, but now everyone’s looking for gas mileage,” Lash said.

Lash said he’s heard that some places are not taking in V-8s because they can’t take them in if they can’t resell them.

“When I go to the auction, when a V-8 hits the floor nobody even bids on it,” Lash said.

At the Holler group, they’re still taking V-8s on trade, but not at prices consumers would’ve expected a few months back.

“Holler is still selling the V8s, just more of the smaller cars. Nationwide, the trade-in value has gone down, but we are still accepting them as trade-ins,” Jill Frederiksen of Holler Automotive said.

She said people still want the larger more powerful vehicles to pull boats and travel trailers.

Several trucks will be going to auction so they can be shipped overseas.

Officials said there seems to be a market there for the more powerful trucks.

Local manufacturer of stainless steel trailers and member of the Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association, Desert Wolf, is hoping to make a contribution to the peacekeeping efforts throughout Africa through its current contract with the Armaments Corporation of South Africa (Armscor).

This will hopefully be achieved through the satellite deployment system that the company is supplying to Armscor.

Desert Wolf conceptualised the concept of a satellite deployment system in 2005. The idea behind this system is that a communications system is set up in the back of a robust all-terrain trailer. Once this communication system is activated, the signal is bounced off a satellite to its intended recipient. Desert Wolf reports that this system is tailor-made for African conditions as there are very few countries in Africa that can provide a secure telecommunications system needed for these operations in rural areas.

The company adds that Armscor is acting on behalf of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on this project. Defence forces such as the SANDF are further contracted by the United Nations as peacekeeping forces in areas of conflict throughout Africa.

Desert Wolf is expected to hand over six satellite deployment systems to Armscor by mid-2009.

Desert Wolf MD Hennie Kieser says that Armscor approached Desert Wolf because of its successful completion of a number of projects for the SANDF.

In October, 2007, Engineering News reported that the first project for the Special Forces unit of the SANDF was awarded to the company in 2003, followed by a second phase in 2005. The last phase of the contract, for the delivery of satellite trailer systems, is scheduled for completion in 2008.

“The design of all the units required a range of systems using a generic chassis with many different loading bin configurations. The different models have to be air-deployable so that they can be dropped by plane using normal SANDF vehicle parachutes, and with hoist points for helicopter-lifting recovery purposes,” says Kieser.

Also, spares for the trailers have to be inter-changeable and maintenance must be easy. Various camouflage patterns and colours are available and track width and wheel types are matched with the different tow vehicles. Kieser adds that the SANDF required a product that would last for many years, making stainless steel a good choice of material.

Desert Wolf designed and manufactured a range of trailers for the SANDF, the first of which is a general-purpose trailer used for carrying ammunition, tents and other items. The medical rescue trailer units were designed to carry all the medical equipment needed for first-line medical treatment and emergency operations.

“The company designed a foldaway operation table with drawers for the medical equipment, oxygen and anaesthetic gases. A power supply unit and a medical operation tent were also developed,” says Kieser.

Further, it manufactured command and control trailer units, which are equipped with radio communication equipment, and can be dropped out of a plane with a parachute. The unit allows for easy setup of full ground-to-ground, ground-to-air, and ground-to-sea communication capabilities within a short period.

Kieser reports that there are no immediate expansion plans to introduce the military trailers into the rest of Africa as most military forces prefer to purchase similar trailers from Chinese suppliers. However, he reports that the company is planning to establish a production and distribution centre in Vancouver, Canada.

“The company is sending a representative over to Vancouver in July to finalise the company’s registration and to sign the contract for the premises. Initially, the Canadian office will serve as a service centre for trailers that are imported into Canada from South Africa. The company is targeting June 2009 as the date when the Canadian office will move into full production of Desert Wolf trailers in Canada,” says Kieser. He adds that there are no immediate plans to move into the US market. However, Kieser is not ignoring the fact that there is great potential for growth in that region.

He reports that the two foremost challenges in the industry are the rising price of steel and the current energy crisis.

Kieser says that Desert Wolf experienced a 40% increase in the price of steel in the past few months. This has a detrimental effect on the company as the company in turn has to increase the price of its trailers by the same amount in an effort to overcome this. “Because there is no other company in the country that produces a similar product, the company targets the top end of the market. In this sense, the customers understand that increases like this are necessary and are financially equipped to pay more for the product,” says Kieser.

The company has also been hit hard by the current energy crisis. Kieser says that there is no current generator set that is strong enough to run the whole production facility. The company has purchased four smaller generator sets to run the power tools at the facility. He adds that this causes a delay in production schedules. “Fortunately the SANDF and Armscor are very understanding about the energy situation. But it is hard for the company motivate a client in Canada to be understanding about the situation when they are not experiencing a similar one,” concluded Kieser.

Stertil-Koni, the world’s leading provider of heavy-duty vehicle lifts, announced the release of its new hydraulic vehicle lift product today–SKYLIFT.

The new half-scissor lift, in development for nearly two years, has undergone extensive testing prior to its release, including a 25,000 cycle testing program. SKYLIFT meets all industry standards, including the ALI standard for security, safety and weight. It is also ALI / ETL compliant.

Two independent, modular lifting platforms provide complete under-chassis operator access, while its vertical lifting orientation saves valuable working space. The independent lift units can be easily repositioned to accommodate virtually any axle width. SKYLIFT’s ease of mobility makes it convenient and portable. SKYLIFT can be installed in flush-mounted or surface-mounted configurations.

“SKYLIFT is a product that combines the best features of our conventional lifts, creating a supremely flexible lifting system,” says Stertil-Koni president Jean DellAmore. “For instance, most other platform lifts rely on a fixed-base frame system for stability, but frames present tripping hazards and cross members create obstructions that limit access. SKYLIFT’s innovative design does not require base frames or crossbeams, meaning a totally clear, unobstructed work area.”

The SKYLIFT is designed as a modular unit. Four legs (two under each runway) can handle a maximum length runway of up to 45 feet. And unlike most other hydraulic lifts, SKYLIFT is built for multiple loading configurations, as well. For instance, customers can load the lift with up to 77,000 pounds symmetrically and up to 55,000 pounds asymmetrically.

“Installation is easy,” said DellAmore. “Two factory authorized technicians can install the lift in a day, and they can easily relocate the lift from one area of the shop to another in very little time.”

Another important feature of the SKYLIFT line is the impressive floor-to-ramp height: 69 inches (or 1.75m), which provides plenty of headroom and each leg is equipped with an individual measuring device, which ensures smooth and level synchronization within 5/8 inches. SKYLIFT also offers independent hydraulic and mechanical locking systems. With 31 mechanical locking positions, compared with just 24 for most standard lifts, SKYLIFT gives lift operators almost 30% more security.

“Our customers are very excited about this product launch,” says DellAmore. “It’s great for shops that serve a variety of vehicle weights, classes and vocations and its corrosion-resistant galvanized construction makes the SKYLIFT perfect for wash-bay applications.”