e q u i p m e n t

U.S. Suppliers Debut New Products At European Show

U.S. vehicle and component manufacturers had a large presence at the recent IAA truck show in Hanover, Germany.
     A number of suppliers also introduced new products at the show, widely considered the largest truck show in the world.

FREIGHTLINER
     As part of the creation of its new Powertrain unit (see story, page 160), Daimler-Benz will begin supplying the Mercedes OM457LA 12-litre engine to Freightliner for use in a number of heavy duty applications starting late next year.
     The engine is not new to North America. It debuted in 1995 when the Century Class range was first shown. That version was the Michigan-assembled Detroit Diesel Series 55.
     Its Germany- and Brazil-built replacement is available in ratings from 250 hp to 415 hp. Torque ratings go as high as 1,475 lbs.-ft. North America may get a 450 hp version.

EATON
     Eaton unveiled AutoShift 16, an automated version of the French-made S-Series 16-speed heavy duty transmission. The product is now available only in the German truck maker MAN’s F2000 range of Class 8 tractors and straight trucks. Availability will spread to other manufacturers in 1999.
     AutoShift 16 comprises the smart parts of AutoShift, Eaton’s North American product, bolted to the synchromesh transmission, minus its synchromesh parts. The result is a lighter, more cost-effective transmission, claims General Manager Tim Morscheck. Eaton is keen to increase volumes by cross-breeding technology wherever possible, he added.
     Morscheck’s aim is that AutoShift 16 should account for 20% of S-Series sales within five years. Morscheck says AutoShift 16 can pay for itself in fuel consumption and other savings. Payback is possible in 18 months to two years, he claims. In a land where diesel fuel costs $3.50 per gallon, this just might be possible.
     MAN sources are less optimistic, however. MAN’s marketing director in Great Britain, Alistair Williamson, says he expects to sell no more than a handful of AutoShift 16s in the first 12 months. The reason: “cost.”
     Eaton Vorad’s radar-based collision avoidance system is being evaluated by several European truck makers, the company says. A 24-volt ‘Europeanized’ version of the North American product is in development, company officials say. No launch date has been set.

MERITOR
     Europeans might soon be driving heavy duty Meritor transmissions for the first time. Chairman and CEO Larry Yost told journalists in Hanover he was also taking European heavy duty disc brakes to North America in the search for 8% annual sales growth.
     Meritor, which has a long-established axle business in Europe, showed its SureShift transmission and other components to an uncertain audience for the first time. In-house synchromesh transmissions remain the norm for most truck manufacturers, and those who buy in have well-established relationships with Eaton and Germany’s ZF.
     “They’re [Meritor] going to have to offer something really different,” observed one ZF official outside Meritor’s press conference.
     Meritor also underlined the growing use of air-operated disc brakes on European semi-trailers. Heavy vehicle president Prakash Mulchandani said 20% of new trailers are now being fitted with discs. “Seventy percent by 2003 is not beyond the realm of imagination,” he said.
     Meritor also unveiled a new range of independent suspension systems for front axles and announced a collaborative agreement with Italy’s Strepavara SpA to develop independent front suspension systems for customers worldwide.
     Talks with Volvo on the takeover of its Lindesberg truck axle plant in Sweden are on course for a successful conclusion later this year, the company reported.

DANA
     Dana used the IAA show to introduce its Spicer Life XL low-maintenance universal joint upgrade to its Spicer Life Series driveshafts sold in Europe. The enhancement is being made available as an overhaul kit for the heavy duty product line. The company also announced an expansion of its medium duty truck driveshaft business with the introduction of the 55, 70 and 100 assemblies. These include ‘maintenance free’ features seen by Europeans as increasingly necessary.
     Volvo’s new FM heavy duty range, also launched at Hanover, contains a sealed-for-life driveshaft, for example. This is a first for the company’s European vehicles.
     Rick Clayton, vice president, heavy truck components, said Dana is working toward a universal joint that will go 1 million miles before first lubrication.

TRAILERS
     At the last IAA show in 1996, Utility Trailer surprised everyone by exhibiting its first European tri-axle fridge semi-trailer made with North American know-how. The result was a very light product that has gone on to carve out its own successful niche in Europe’s cut-throat trailer business. Indeed, Utility is now a full-blown player following its purchase of Britain’s York Trailers to create Utility International Ltd.
     Following this lead, American Trailer Manufacturing, of Rockport, IN, displayed a 954-cubic-foot tri-axle dump trailer at this year’s IAA. It weighed what to Europeans was an amazingly light 10,580 pounds. The aluminum and steel trailer again blends American techniques with European dimensions. Conformity certification is being sought.
     —Daniel Coughlan, European Correspondent