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Since 1967, Fort Vale has provided industry with excellent engineering solutions which have always been at the cutting edge of technology.

Such products include ISO tank containers, offshore equipment and rail tank wagons, with the latter being one of its biggest product ranges in the United Kingdom, Europe and America. The company also has a series of products to suit all liquid tank classifications including food and highly hazardous materials.

Fort Vale’s most recent creation, the 5A DN50 Rollover Relief Valve, will be introduced to the transport industry in May 2023. The product has been through over a year of research and development in the UK to prepare for its launch, and Fort Vale is certain it will excel once released into the market.

Manufactured in 316 stainless steel, the Rollover Relief Valve is ideally suited for corrosive chemicals and acids but is also suitable for use with fuels. The product features a safe and reliable valve for re-seating after relieving with a six-hole flange bolting pattern to improve gasket sealing at tank connection, and with a robust and corrosion-resistant design, it will offer high flow rates to customers looking to gain an extra advantage.

The Rollover Relief Valve also provides a significant improvement on sealing performance due to an innovative sealing arrangement and O-ring design. In addition, alternative materials of construction such as high nickel and exotic alloys are also available on request.

To back up its product, Fort Vale owns self-sufficient manufacturing facilities which gives it total control over all processes – from research and development through to design, investment casting, pressing, forging, plasma and laser cutting to assembly, testing and certification. Its newly acquired warehouse and office locates in Darra, Brisbane, which was established to form its position in the region, is a clear example of this goal.

“It’s all very well to have a quality product and be competitive in pricing”, says Wayne Mildenhall, Fort Vale Regional Manager South East Asia & Oceania, “but making the customer base aware of the Fort Vale brand is what we are about and why we’ve established ourselves here in Australia.”

The post Holding the fort appeared first on Trailer Magazine.

In 1983 Chris’s Body Builders (CBB) started out as a small family business manufacturing tipping bodies and trailers. With the company now in the hands of the Debono family’s second generation, it continues to push the boundaries to gain increased productivity benefits through innovations and cutting-edge designs.

CBB prides itself on being a partner to rely on with every kilometre its customers travel. And by using a wide variety of JOST products including hoists, ball races, landing legs, fifth wheels, Rockinger tow couplings, oil tanks and other trailer components in its combinations, it ensures it is always giving customers the best end product possible.

CBB CEO, Chris Jnr Debono, says the reason the company originally joined forces with JOST and has continued to do so is because it is a superior product.

“JOST was chosen for their aftermarket support, for the quality of their products, and ultimately for being one of the market leaders in their industry,” he says. “We’ve used a lot of JOST’s products as a factory option on what we produce, and the quality and the service that you receive is second to none. Every product within their range is fantastic and that’s why we fit it as standard.”

The relationship between both companies goes back for many decades, according to Chris. And by working very closely with JOST during this period he says its benefits have also played a part in CBB’s success.

“We’ve worked hand in hand, and as we’ve grown JOST has been there to support us in our truck and trailer manufacturing,” he says. “That commitment to a quality product and continual improvement has allowed us to focus on our business with minimal interruptions to production.”

Like CBB, Chris says JOST is always improving to offer a better product and service each time.

“From the design of their couplings through to how they process goods and orders, they’re just an ever-evolving company that is always there to make the customer’s life easier,” he says.

This year CBB is celebrating 40 years of operations since opening its small factory in Sunshine. While many of the company’s original principles and values for a high-quality product are still in place, CBB has transformed to become a major contributor to Australia’s transport industry. Now offering three-axle to six-axle tipping dog trailers, semi tip trailers, sliders, tip over axles, jack knife B-doubles and converter dollies, CBB is a one stop tipper shop for fleets looking to propel their operations.

“It’s an absolute privilege and we’re very proud of what we have achieved over those 40 years,” Chris says. “We’re really grateful for the loyalty by the customers that have chosen CBB over the years and we look forward to dealing with them in the future.”

And having the opportunity to deal with JOST directly for such a long period of time has paid off, Chris says.

“JOST overall as a company is just fantastic to deal with and we love that they’ve got a local branch here,” he says. “We always get to deal with someone face to face and we love their product and everything about it.

“Our dealings with JOST have absolutely contributed to the success of CBB over the last 40 years. Through their improvements, that is support to us. We couldn’t just have anybody growing beside us because JOST have committed to growing with us.”

The post JOST the two of us appeared first on Trailer Magazine.

An agreement made at Brisbane Truck Show 2017 would see Fruehauf NZ distribute 42 refrigerated Schmitz Cargobull vehicles into the New Zealand market. These included nine truck and trailer bodies and 24 semi-trailers all with dual temp set-up and built with Schmitz Cargobull’s patented Ferroplast panelling.

As part of the collaboration, Schmitz Cargobull supplied the Ferroplast box bodies which were then fitted onto Fruehauf NZ’s own trailer and customer-specified truck chassis. At the time the agreement was said to equate more than a third of the annual market volume for refrigerated transport equipment in NZ. However, as a result of the single order Fruehauf NZ Managing Director, Jeff Mear, says Schmitz Cargobull was able to captivate around 50 per cent of the NZ marketplace in one year.

“Schmitz Cargobull came out here looking for a partner and they offered the product to us,” he says. “They didn’t expect to have a big start like with our launch customer, Hall’s, which took up a massive percentage of the market.”
Since 2017 Jeff says there’s been rapid growth for both companies.

“Over those six years the product has certainly stamped its foot in New Zealand,” he says. “The market has now seen what the product can do and its point of differences with the other brands. This year its growth has exceeded.”
Jeff is confident the high standards held throughout the Schmitz Cargobull product had a major role in their success within NZ.

“It’s a very good product and it’s a strong product to have in terms of support for our business as well,” he says. “We found having a relationship with Schmitz Cargobull to be quite advantageous for us. It has given us access to their expertise, knowledge and support – as well as their efficiencies and how they measure it. So, it’s given us an insight on how we can improve our business.”

And with an approachable aftersales team supporting Schmitz Cargobull, Jeff says Fruehauf NZ has been able to learn from one of the best.

“Being one of the world’s largest trailer builders they’re good people to deal with,” he says. “You’re able to talk to their research and development department which puts our business in the forefront as well because they have that expertise there. They’ve been very friendly, helpful and supportive in terms of developing the product into the New Zealand market. We’ve definitely found them very professional and good to learn from.”

Schmitz Cargobull’s readily-available supply of units also played a big role in Fruehauf’s operations.
“Especially with all of the supply issues around the world at the moment, it’s given us another avenue to get that supply, because they have more readily access to it,” he says.

This year at Brisbane Truck Show 2023 the team at Fruehauf NZ will be reuniting with Schmitz Cargobull to once again join them on the stage in Brisbane. According to Jeff, this is a good opportunity to further expand the relationship to potential new customers.

“A lot of New Zealanders go over to Brisbane Truck Show and they always have,” he says. “It supports them as well as us to meet clients, identify who they are and introduce them to Schmitz. It’s a fantastic product which has been very good for our business. We see a lot of opportunity to grow with it. But at the end of the day, Schmitz Cargobull is so huge that our market is just not big enough to have what they have.

The post Window of opportunity appeared first on Trailer Magazine.

Over the past five decades, HELLA New Zealand has grown significantly as a business by incorporating modern production techniques and heavily investing in new lighting technology. One of the biggest achievements was becoming the first in the world to achieve ECE compliance for a high-level brake light using Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs).

The foundational product range, DuraLED, has revolutionised the transport industry, offering energy-efficient LED lighting with unparalleled reliability and durability. To date, the DuraLED and Jumbo ranges continue as benchmarks for transport operators across New Zealand and Australia. Every product that leaves HELLA New Zealand’s facilities is individually tested, and every order line is QA inspected. On-site testing facilities subject products to extremes of temperature, intense UV light, exposure to chemicals, and in humid and salt-laden conditions to ensure that they perform under stresses that greatly exceed those of most real-world situations.

For HELLA Australia’s commercial vehicle customers, around 70 per cent of the products come from these state-of-the-art electronics and lighting production facilities in New Zealand, where it has been at the forefront of LED lamps since 1990. These products have, to date, received considerable worldwide recognition in the road transport, automotive and safety lighting segments.

The Auckland facilities cover some 7,500 square metres and boasts state-of-the-art, highly automated manufacturing capabilities. Huge investment has been made in computer-controlled moulding machines that enable extremely precise moulding tolerances to be achieved, down to as little as plus or minus .02mm. Additionally, the Waihi electronics plant, purpose built in 2007, boasts the latest automated, high precision assembly systems. In 2013 the plant became self-sufficient in Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBAs) production. This facility places a staggering 53,000 LEDs onto PCBAs every working day, totalling 12.8 million LEDs per year (in 2022).

In accordance with HELLA’s commitment to environmental sustainability, the Auckland factory uses 100 per cent renewable energy and 95 per cent of waste material generated during the moulding process gets recycled into packing trays and glue tubes, and for purging machines between different types of plastics. In HELLA Australia, the company has also transitioned to green energy, sourcing the electricity of the head office from solar power since early 2022.

Fifty years on, HELLA New Zealand is a world-class design and manufacturing facility with the latest hi-tech equipment. With strong customers’ loyalty and support, the company looks forward to continuing to provide the transport industry with the best possible lighting solutions for many years to come.

The post Illuminating history appeared first on Trailer Magazine.

It was during the early ‘90s when John Krueger wanted a reliable, lightweight suspension coupled with ease of fitting. Being an innovator in transport manufacturing, he and his design engineers began work to release the first version of Krueger Transport Equipment’s own air suspension, Road Friendly Suspension (RFS), in 1997.

According to Krueger Operations Manager – QLD, Peter Grey, RFS has been a proven winner since its inception because it succeeds in all key areas of manufacturing, ease of fitting and servicing and manufacturing. This, he says, is why it continues to be a top-tier choice for fleets today.

“The vision and tenacity to design, test and then implement and manufacture an Australian air suspension is something that we are very proud of to be able to provide our customers,” he says. “The milestone of 25 years of RFS is testament to its original design function, ‘built for Australian conditions’.”

The difference between RFS and all other suspension units in the market, Peter explains, is seen in its simplicity of design.

“The RFS parabolic spring and U-bolts in both under and over slung configurations have not changed in 25 years because of their proven reliability,” he says. “Its genius in design is futuristic and testament to its 25-year service span utilising much of the original components. For example, trailer suspensions require different running heights for different applications, so in order for different ride heights to be achieved, other suspension suppliers use different height air bags and shock absorbers.”

Peter says this means a fleet of six B-double trailers running the same brand of suspension may need to stock six different sized air bags and shocks to keep them on the road. Whereas with RFS, there is only one air bag and one shock absorber size being used due to its design in all ride height configurations.

To back up its RFS product, Krueger has a national spare parts department which carries over 15,000 product lines on shelves across the eastern seaboard with access to thousands more. Krueger Manager – National Spare Parts, Ben Raudino, says this has directly benefitted the RFS product by prevented shortages and supply issues.

“The benefit for us having our own suspension with a spare parts department is that we’re not relying on third parties to provide the product,” he says. “We’re in charge of our own importing so we’ve always got stock on the shelf. In the 10 years I’ve been here we’ve never run out of our own RFS product, whereas our suppliers tend to have shortages and delays with all of their importing and involvement with third parties overseas.”

Having the amount of stock that it does, Krueger’s spare parts department also minimises downtime for customers.

“We tend to carry as much as we can on the shelf to minimise that downtime,” Ben says. “We also have access to our manufacturing plant which is only a couple of kilometres down the road from us, so for anything we don’t have on the shelf that’s RFS or Kruger-specific, we are able to source parts from there as needed as opposed to putting in an order and waiting for it to get packaged and shipped out.”

Adelaide-based linehaul carrier, Diamond Bros., invested in its first batch of trailers from Krueger in 1987 and hasn’t looked elsewhere since. The fleet has purchased a variety of trailer types ranging from 4.6-metre units, flat floors, drop decks, mezzanines and dry vans with Krueger’s K-Hitch suspension axles and RFS air suspension as well.

Diamond Bros. CEO, Kym McDermid, says having RFS suspension fitted to the fleet’s 4.6-metre trailers with higher centres of gravity has paid off.

“It gives a better ride to our trailers,” he says. “We’re carrying a lot of cages with loose freight so it stops it from moving around anywhere as near as much, and therefore there is less breakages and issues with movement of freight within the curtains.”

According to Kym, Krueger’s product is better in longevity – and that applies for RFS too. “They’re just really well-made trailers,” he says. “They last longer, they have less hassles and downtime on the equipment is a lot better because of that. They just do the right thing by us as we don’t have a lot of problems with them.

“RFS has made a massive difference to the industry as a whole, let alone just Krueger and Diamond Bros.”

The post Revolutionary road appeared first on Trailer Magazine.