Magazine Issue No. 22
Spring/Summer 2011
T h e C u s t o m e r M a g a z i n e o f HA L D E X EUR O P E
A market of contrasts Haldex in South Africa
Frank & Sohn Multi-talented man from Leipzig
Haldex TPMS FinE-TUNING before serial startÂ
Truck RacING The 2011 season
very strong The Original nO-risk Guarantee
als Origin IES: P and CO ive decis s detail
www.haldex.com
editorial
Over the course of Time isolated at the southern tip of Africa and that, moreover, suffers from enormous social tension. This gives the South African transport industry a distinctive look.
T
he economy has recovered from its crisis at incredible speed; at the same time, the aftermarket has proven to be as solid as a rock. For original equipment, the signs today are very different than those of a year ago. Such a fast upturn was as unlikely then as the sudden downturn in boom times.
Haldex’s commitment to customer proximity in terms of product development is exemplified by Haldex TPMS: this new tyre pressure monitoring system that can foresee tyre pressure-related problems and offer customers faultless functionality is now receiving a finishing touch.
What we are now experiencing in the era of globalisation is the acceleration of economic cycles, which no one had thought possible. One of the biggest challenges of our time is adaptation to this new pace. Haldex Commercial Vehicle Systems (CVS) will operate independently in the future and be able to react even more quickly to customer needs while experiencing ever more rapid change.
The flawless functionality of tried-and-true products like the Haldex MTC air dryer cartridge or the Haldex automatic brake adjuster magically attract counterfeiters who want to profit from the good reputation of the originals and entice buyers with low prices, but whose knockoffs cannot offer the same performance. The risks concealed in such counterfeit products and how to distinguish originals from fakes is the subject of the lead story of this Haldex Magazine.
Proximity to customer is a key criterion for developing and sustaining quality. Three articles in this edition of Haldex Magazine deal with various ways of maintaining proximity to customer, which contributes to success. The remarkable businessman Klaus Frank developed his company in former East Germany, and for 25 years operated, under the socialist regime, one of the country’s few independent businesses. He also brilliantly mastered the shift to a market economy. Haldex importer Jimmy Brink in South Africa, on the other hand, operates in a country with high industrial standards, but one that is relatively
We hope you enjoy this issue.
Jean-Manuel Daussy European Sales Director – Aftermarket
contents
03 Current Interest news and Dates
08 South Africa 15 Monitoring tyre pressure Rough conditions at the southern A practical solution tip of The Dark Continent from Haldex
04 Cheap knock-off Product pirates at work
12 Reconstruction in the East One man does it his way
16 Racing Haldex on Board
editorial information Haldex Magazine No. 22, Spring/Summer 2011 PUBLISHER: Haldex Europe SAS, 30 rue du Ried, Weyersheim, 67728 Hoerdt Cedex, France, info.EUR@haldex.com, www.haldex.com RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PUBLISHER: Diana Spieler EDITORIAL SERVICES: Pressebüro Michael Kern, Gassenäckerstr. 5, 70736 Fellbach, Germany LAYOUT: Frank Majer PRINTER: Kehler Druck GmbH & Co. KG, Weststr. 26, 77694 Kehl, Germany PHOTOS: Archiv Haldex, Bartscher, Frank, Kern, Kienberger, SAF-Holland, Scania, Tschovikov COPYRIGHT: No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher. Free subscription/ADDRESS CHANGE: info.EUR@haldex.com or the postal address of the publisher. Print: 10.500 copies. LANGUAGES: English, German and French.
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Spring/Summer 2011
News
2010 results
Haldex on the upswing 4 With a turnover of SEK 6.9 billion (about EUR 770 million), Haldex achieved an approximately 34 percent increase in turnover from the previous year. Profits after tax reached SEK 131 million (about EUR 14.6 million), which is almost double compared to the previous year.
The Economy
Good Signs The crisis was shorter than feared and followed by astounding results: Michelin, for example, announced that 2010 was ‘one of the best years in the history of the company’, and Bosch speaks of the ‘highest turnover’ in its 125year history. Truck manufacturers are using somewhat quieter voices, but are similarly optimistic. Sales of heavy trucks increased by a total 8.4 percent in 2010 and 4
continue to rise. Spanish and German markets, in particular, have taken off (both show more than 20 percent growth compared to the previous year). Italy and France, on the other hand, dropped slightly below 2009 figures. The European bus market has not benefited from the growing economy: the overall European market sagged a good 10 percent compared to 2009.
Disc brakes
ModulT in the starting block
Strategy
Off to new shores 4 Following the sale of Haldex Traction Systems to BorgWarner, Commercial Vehicles Systems (CVS) and Hydraulic Systems will also go their separate ways in the future. Both divisions are planned to be listed as separate, independent companies on the stock exchange. In light of their size and profitability, the split into two self-sufficient companies will result in better prospects for each. A formal decision on this step will be taken at the annual general meeting on 8 June 2011.
4 Mounting of the new Haldex ModulT disc brake as standard equipment on axles from SAF Holland began in April 2011. With a dead weight of just 31 kilogrammes, ModulT is the lightest non-axle-bound disc brake and thus freely adaptable trailer disc brake on the market. ModulT saves weight above all through two measures: a leaner, yet strength-optimised layout as well as a lighter, single-tappet instead of a conventional twin-tappet mechanism. SAF Holland thereby saves 36 kilogrammes in weight per three-axle unit. SAF Holland offers the new Haldex disc brake under the designation SBS 2220, a special version that was developed for all nine-tonne axles from SAF Holland and that the axle manufacturer is marketing with its own brake discs exclusively under its
Awards
TrCM+ wins 4 Haldex is the winner of the Trailer Innovation Award 2011 in the ‘Safety’ category. The prize was awarded for the Trailer Control Module+ Safe Parking (TrCM+ Safe Parking). Promoting outstanding ideas from the world of trailers: this is the aim of the Trailer Innovation Award, which is awarded by an international jury of ten European transport magazines. TrCM+ eliminates one of the greatest dangers when attaching a trailer: incorrect coupling of air hoses when the parking brake has not been applied, which is also one of the most common causes of accidents in the transport business. TrCM+ Safe Parking eliminates associated risks (uncontrolled rolling of the semi-trailer) by automatically activating the spring brake.
Haldex Magazine own brand name until the end of 2011. The first technical training courses for the new disc brake have already begun. A technical support team from Haldex instructs participants from all over Europe and provides them with necessary maintenance and repair know-how.
Online Issues 4 Haldex Magazine is available not only in printed form, but also online as a pdf file. In addition, an e-magazine is available at www.haldex.com/CVS where you can also browse the current issue on your computer screen.
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Aftermarket Rubrik
Real Versus fake
Cheap copies may be attractive because of their low prices, but they can have fatal consequences. Haldex strongly recommends only original automatic brake adjusters and warns, in particular, about conterfeits of its multitreatment cartridge for air dryers.
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Spring/Summer 2011
Aftermarket
 Often imitated, never duplicated: the Haldex automatic brake adjuster.
C
ustoms had plenty to do at the Automechanika trade show in 2010: they seized more than 2,500 parts and catalogues that allegedly violated original manufacturer rights. The target list of so-called pirate parts was a long one. Be it tyres, valves, filters, automatic brake adjusters, brake discs or brake pads, nothing seems safe from piracy. Often, the counterfeit product whose origin can usually be traced to the booming Asian economy is available at a fraction of the usual spare part price. Even though this should make potential buyers think twice, such an offer is always tempting at first glance. Unfortunately, cheap knock-offs often involve considerable risk. In many cases, the material properties and functional value of pirated products do not meet statutory or internal requirements of the original manufacturer. As a result, the lifespan of a pirated product may be drastically less than that of the original product. Very serious risks are associated with safety-related parts in particular. If, for instance, a counterfeit product is a component of the
braking system, such as brake discs or brake pads, the vehicle may not slow as effectively as it should. In a worst case scenario, certain components may cause the entire braking system to fail. No one would knowingly chance a serious accident to save money. Most of the time, A closer look is necessary to see the differences.
The message is clear It is good to trust, but better to check: Haldex advises vehicle owners and fleet operators to insist that workshops use original spare parts. If inferior spare parts are nonetheless installed, in some circumstances liability can pass to the workshop and recourse demanded.
operating companies are completely unaware of the poor quality of the pirated products they have used and that they may have put the lives of their staff and other road users at risk. So be careful. Haldex products have also come to the attention of pirates and are currently being offered in aftermarkets. In particular, customers should critically examine air dryer cartridges because a counterfeit Haldex air dryer Multi-Treatment Cartridge (MTC) is in circulation. With the counterfeit MTC, unsuspecting customers think they are buying an original Haldex part. At first glance, the counterfeit cartridge is difficult to distinguish from the original. But the intrinsic qualities of the original differ significantly from those of the fake. For one thing, the counterfeit cartridge contains less desiccant than the original Haldex part. In addition, the composition of the desiccant itself differs from that in the original Haldex cartridge. Both defects considerably reduce the counterfeit’s drying power, which poses significant risks when the component is in operation. For
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Aftermarket
Original: Haldex part number is visible.
Original: “Haldex patented” inscribed on the casing.
Original: base plate is flat.
COPY: No Haldex part number.
COPY: No “Haldex patented” on casing.
COPY: base plate is curved.
‘In a worst case scenario, the braking system may fail’. product manager Siegfried Heer
instance, water may accumulate in the braking system. Depending on circumstances, this may, in turn, lead to brake valve and air tank corrosion. In winter especially, this can cause accidents due to brake failure when brake valves freeze. Furthermore, the stored energy of the compressed air may decline due to water accumulation in the air tanks. The unpleasant consequence: in critical situations, only an insufficient amount of compressed air may be available.
the few euros saved through the purchase of a cheaper cartridge. For these reasons, Haldex urges traders, workshops and vehicle owners to always and exclusively use original Haldex MTC drying cartridges for the Haldex air dryer. Look for the following characteristics to identify an authentic Haldex cartridge:
Counterfeit cartridges contain fewer granules than original cartridges.
But that is not all: lower grade desiccant granules may dissolve when they are continually wet and may get inside the brake valves and cause other risks. This contamination can lead to intense and potentially treacherous friction, possibly resulting in abrupt deterioration of the braking system and a sudden and total failure of the system.
Keep your eyes peELED when replacing the cartridge: only the original offers full capacity.
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Spring/Summer 2011
It is obvious that the consequences of this are devastating not only in terms of safety but also costly repairs. Thousands of euros in repair costs may be suddenly incurred for
• “Haldex patented” inscription on the casing • Identification of the Haldex part number 90588 (MTC) or 92528 (MTC+) with laser marking • The manufacturing week (WWYY) with laser marking Unfortunately, air dryer cartridges are not the only product being counterfeited. Again and again, the Haldex automatic brake adjuster has been copied. Competitors sell corresponding products under their own name. The performance of such products, however, is usually drastically inferior compared to Haldex standards. The rule: genuine Haldex automatic brake adjusters can be identified by the Haldex trademark on the cast, control units and other components. ■
We have cracked the problem.
Soft Docking means safety when reversing Crashes happen all too easily when docking at a ramp. The more frequently a truck approaches an unloading point, the greater the risk of damage to its rear. The results are expensive repairs and downtime. The total damage, including loss of vehicle use, can easily reach five figures. Soft Docking helps prevent damage: With visual and audio warnings, the brakes are automatically applied with a force that is proportional to the speed of the vehicle and the weight of its load. Quick installation, easy retrofitting.
More info on www.haldex.com/softdocking
Innovative Vehicle Technology
Markets
‘The automatic brake adjuster plays an important role in South Africa’. MICO Boss Jimmy Brink
Hot Spot A pioneering spirit, skill and a dash of courage are things that matter in South Africa. Haldex importer Jimmy Brink achieves success under harsh conditions in Africa’s southernmost country.
H
e studied law and political science. Yet his passion was collecting and restoring cars. Even though he worked as a prosecutor and magistrate, he did not like the civil service. Instead, he became an importer of Haldex Commercial Vehicle Systems to South Africa: Jimmy Brink is a man of many talents. Together with partner Donny Korving, he has run the company MICO S.A., based in Johannesburg, since 1996. Initially, cooperation with Haldex was limited to the automatic brake adjuster, but it quickly expanded to the entire product portfolio after ‘the ice was broken with the automatic brake adjuster’, says Brink as he describes this beneficial relationship.
MICO S.A. supplies more than 200 big customers in South Africa.
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Today, the automatic brake adjuster still accounts for the lion’s share of turnover achieved by the 40-member team, led by Brink, which distributes Haldex components to about 200 big customers across the country. Even particularly harsh transportation conditions in South Africa including pothole-ridden dirt roads and total weights up to 56 tonnes (spread over seven axles) will not damage the automatic brake adjuster. ‘We must have sold between 20,000 and 30,000 units since then’, says Brink, ‘but we haven’t had any complaints so far, nor has a repair kit been sold’. Nonetheless, business at the southern tip of Africa is no picnic. The very first counterfeit automatic brake adjuster, for example, originated not in Asia but in South Africa.
About 40 employees are on the MICO S.A. payroll.
The aftermarket also has to contend with a flood of cheap imitations that attract customers due to low prices. For instance, JMR, a company that specialises in BPW components, among other things, operates six branches nationwide. Manager Martin Jonas: ‘We need to provide a great deal of advice to customers so they are not fooled by these replicas’. The situation in South Africa is precarious not only for trademarks but even more so for any kind of hardware. This particularly South African context applies to semi-trailer manufacturing: ‘You have to build everything as simply and as straightforward as possible’, says Warren Marquez from Johannesburg semitrailer manufacturer Paramount. He notes that
MICO S.A. inventory in Johannesburg is well-assorted.
Markets Rubrik
South Africa - some key figures Area Population Official languages Seat of government Population density Gross domestic product Gross domestic produkt per capita
Spring/Summer 2011
1.2 million km2 50 million Eleven Pretoria 41 inhabitants/km2 Almost EUR 290 billion/year EUR 4,233/year
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Markets
‘We manufacture both chassis and finished superstructures in-house’. Burt Gildenhuys
Icecold Bodies manufactures mainly refrigerated compartments, but also tankers and walking floor semi-trailers.
‘Not one of our trucks has ever been captured’. B. M. Swanepoel, BMH
‘Anything that is not part of the semi-trailer’s construction cannot be stolen either’. Founded only seven years ago, Paramount, a Haldex customer, serves both the South African and black African markets with a diversified range. The Paramount portfolio includes sugar cane semi-trailers for plantations in Botswana, widened flatbed semi-trailers found throughout the continent, as well as tipper trucks for the South African mining industry. This range is divided into two lines: one ‘for the domestic lightweight construction market with as much payload as possible, and [one] for export with robustly crafted vehicles with maximum overload capacity’, adds Marquez.
A country in turmoil Even though raw materials, gold and diamonds are plentiful in South Africa, and the country has high-tech industry, it also has huge unemployment. Crime is rampant. The situation is compounded by the ticking and widespread HIV/AIDS time bomb that has dramatically reduced average life expectancy in
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South Africa during the past two decades. The end of apartheid has not improved the situation of black people in any way. Black unemployment has increased while black income has fallen, and the poverty rate has climbed steadily. A program called BEE (Black Economic Empowerment)
Spring/Summer 2011
has been set up as a countermeasure: a kind of quota system that many perceive as an albatross but that anyone seeking, for example, government contracts must meet. The result of all these calamities: a painful exodus of qualified personnel to, especially, Australia, Canada and the United States.
Semi-trailer production in South Africa is typically done by hand and custom-made for the most part; but with an annual semi-trailer output of about 10,000 units, the country’s production still lags industrialised production. Under these circumstances, customised work is not a problem. For instance, Icecold Bodies, a company established in 1993 in Heidelberg near Johannesburg, dedicated the first seven years of its existence exclusively to refrigerated semi-trailers and refrigeration units. Even today, the semi-trailers it produces are based on a German model from the 1970s. Icecold Bodies manufactures the chassis and wall panels in-house.
Markets
The BMH vehicle fleet stands out for its optimum maintenance.
Meanwhile, the product range has broadened to include other specialised features such as the walking floor semi-trailer that brings manure collected under livestock directly to the door of maize farmers. One hundred percent of semi-trailers coming out of the factory are fitted with Haldex brake technology. Junior manager Burt Gildenhuys: ‘Impeccable technology, excellent service. So why get bogged down unnecessarily with suppliers’? One of Icecold Bodies’ most prominent customers is Barend Matthias Swanepoel, also based in South African Heidelberg, and known everywhere as ‘Swannie’. At the wheel of a truck for 17 years, Swannie, much like Haldex man Brink, quickly tired of the civil service as a young man. With 70 spotless and well-maintained trucks of Swedish provenance and close to one hundred equally impeccable semitrailers, his company, BMH, possesses the most beautiful fleet far and wide. Yet this has not stopped Swannie at all from taking, for many years, perhaps the wildest and most dangerous routes in the south of the African continent: semi-trailers laden with cigarettes on long stretches as far north as Luanda, the capital of Angola, some 3,500
‘We avoid complicated and sophisticated construction’. Warren Marquez, Paramount
kilometres away. Such a trip would take at least three weeks, crossing roads and border posts that defy all description. ‘Not a single truck has ever been captured; we were always on time’, recalls
Big game Interlink is the heaviest of traditional southern African tractor-trailer combinations. It is a three-axle tractor with a semi-trailer in tow, at the rear of which, a fifth wheel overhangs two to three more axles. A second semi-trailer is coupled there. A total of 56 tonnes over seven axles is common place. This combination also explains why rear tippers are few and far between in South Africa: reversing is complicated and, in any event, the first semi-trailer can only tilt sideways.
Semi-trailers for sugar cane are a specialty of the manufacturer Paramount.
Swannie, who recently lost this lucrative contract. The price war that is raging in the transport business is no less virulent than that in the aftermarket. Exploitation of drivers and subcontractors is common in South Africa – the industry has only just heard of the trip odometer. The big transport companies should be role models’, says Swannie, who treats his drivers equally well as he does his vehicles, ‘but they often do the opposite’. This explains why Swannie’s fleet, which consists of relatively well-paid, disciplined and qualified drivers now in the service of a new major shipper, is briskly maintaining its course, and when the opportunity arises, also carries freight for rock superstars such as U2 while drivers elsewhere occasionally go on strike. That ‘quality prevail’ – this also is Brink’s conviction: ‘Haldex, as a partner, is a very good choice for we can only be as strong as the supplier from whom we buy our goods’. As a link in the supply chain, Brink puts great emphasis on proving to all sides that he is indeed a ‘serious and reliable business partner. We have always done well doing this, and it’s the only way to create lasting success’, concludes Brink. ■
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Business
Walking Tall A
lways looking outside the box while aware of its limits: this is one of the character traits that make Leipzigborn Klaus Frank an extraordinary man. Other special qualities that constitute his remarkably enterprising spirit: an incredible devotion to his mission, industriousness and great rapport with people. By age 21, Frank was self-employed under the communist regime of East Germany and succeeded in running his own business an additional 25 years. When the regime changed, how was he able to avoid sinking in a free market economy – as so many other East German businesses did – and, instead, flourish? ‘I didn’t get much in my youth,’ sums up the now 67-year-old Frank. Indeed, as an en-
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Spring/Summer 2011
Klaus Frank: ‘Banks soon put transport on their red list’.
Even in the days of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR), Klaus Frank claimed independent success. After reunification, he seized opportunity with both hands and continued to do things his own way, as he does even today.
trepreneur’s son behind the Iron Curtain, he was, for example, denied opportunities for higher education and at the end of eighth grade completed an apprenticeship as a car mechanic. Through adult education classes in the evening, he also learned to drive trucks and to weld. In 1964, he started his own company and earned both an undergraduate and a master’s degree in engineering. Having constructed the first 20-foot container in the GDR, Frank ‘with some luck’ was able to escape the great wave of nationalisation in 1972 and, in the following years, produced more than 1,500 special vehicles for both the domestic and export markets. In 1978, the Frank Fahrzeugbau company even became a certified workshop for ‘import vehicles from the non-socialist eco-
Business
nomic area’ as Western European imports were called in the official jargon of the time. The focus of this activity according to Frank: ‘We serviced units mainly from Ackermann Fruehauf and LAG’. The Leipzig Fair, which was held virtually on his doorstep, also provided opportunities to forge numerous ties with the West and keep him up-to-date on cutting edge technology: ‘Because there was a shortage of hotel rooms, the West moved into our living room’, he adds, recalling long discussions at night around the table ‘with, for example, the BPW crew’. During trade shows, the Frank family would usually live in the basement.
Frank seized the great opportunity the country’s entry into a market economy offered him. He started by switching the whole business to service and repair; actually there was no longer any demand for Eastern European vehicles. And in tandem with the Leipzig Fair in the spring, he held his own in-house exhibition. Three western exhibitors and 300 visitors responded. He has to date maintained this tradition on a four-year cycle. Most recently, more than 60 renowned exhibitors from the truck, trailer and component manufacturing sector and over 1,500 trade visitors attended. Nevertheless, getting started in a market economy was any-
Frank redresses distorted extremities on the frame alignment bench. Skip loaders are one of the many special vehicles built by Frank Fahrzeugbau.
thing but easy. ‘It was hard work to convince banks of my intention to expand the operation by a factor of eleven’, recalls Frank. He continues: ‘Transport was on the red list’. This is how Frank describes the fatalistic attitude he was able to overcome only when he could show how diversified both his customer base and technical portfolio were. ‘The new site was purchased in 1992, the new plant was built in 1993, and we moved into it in 1994’ – quickly, as always, Frank put his money where his mouth is. Even before this, he had left the former East German cooperative purchasing system and together with his son Andreas founded ‘Frank & Sohn Teilehandel’ in 1990. In 1993, both Frank companies already had a total of 35 peo-
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Business
ple on their payrolls. Today, over 80 highly qualified employees, including Frank wives, are employed by Frank & Sohn and Frank Fahrzeugbau. Meanwhile, in addition to the company’s headquarters in Leipzig, a branch office has opened in Chemnitz. The business areas are extremely diverse (see box). Overall, the company is a contracting partner for nearly 40 leading companies in the commercial vehicle sector. In addition to its role as a parts dealer
with a private workshop background, Frank & Sohn is a well-respected partner that can often provide even more help if a customer is at his wits end. In particular, Frank welcomes cooperation with contracting partner Haldex, which is represented by sales engineer Dietmar Psille who looks after eastern and southern Germany, both technically and commercially. ‘He always helps with words and deeds’, says Frank about Psille’s commitment and competence. ‘He keeps us up-todate and does not leave anything out’.
Field kitchens are amongst the company’s most exotic activities.
The range of activities covered by the Frank Group is huge.
From the beginning, Frank was a certified Haldex Service Center. Since June 2001, Frank & Sohn has been part of the Haldex Select network. These workshops of specially-trained technicians are the contact point for vehicles with a malfunction, and they make sure that the vehicles get back on the road as quickly as possible.
The many talents of the Frank Group Truck and Trailer
Special Vehicles Other
• Chassis, brakes, retarders • Tank and silo
• Parts dealer
• Hydraulics
• Motor service for Deutz and Kubota
• Heavy trucks
• Electrical and electronics • Car transporters
• 24-hour emergency service
• Auxiliary heating and
• Municipal vehicles
• Own construction
air conditioning
• Boom truck cranes
• In-house exhibitions every four years
• Transport refrigeration
• Skip loaders and hooklift trucks
• Sponsorship of youth sports
• Accident repair
• Service for military vehicles
• Benefit concerts for children with cancer
• Car wash
• Special construction / forklifts
• Winner of the ‘Exemplary Corporate
• Statutory testing
Culture’ prize.
Apprenticeships and advanced training are provided at ‘Frank Academy’.
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Frank is gradually withdrawing from the day-to-day business and now and again turns to ‘the garden in late afternoon’. He describes the division of work between father and son as follows: ‘While Andreas works in the company, I work more on the company’. Take, for example, the company’s new website, www. frank-fahrzeugbau.de.
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Frank intends to hang in there until 2014 in order to conclude his extraordinarily enterprising life with a particularly memorable 50th anniversary: ‘After 25 years in a planned economy, I would like to complete 25 years in a market economy’. This is the ambition of a 67-year-old who intends to go out in style – with, of course, one last big in-house show under his own management. ■
As a Haldex SELECT partner, Frank & Sohn is wellstocked with Haldex spare parts.
Construction and maintenance of cranes is part of everyday business.
Technology Rubrik
Seamless and practical integration of TPMS into a vehicle’s electronic architecture is another important criterion. The Haldex TMPS is fully integrated into the Haldex EBS, which allows direct transmission of data to the driver‘s cab via CAN-Bus, without an external antenna. Data is displayed on the vehicle dashboard (depending on tractor type). At the same time, data sent by the Haldex TMPS system can also be read separately at the Haldex Info Centre.
Where rubber meets the road Convenience, ease and full compatibility with EBS. These are the hallmarks of the Haldex TPMS system that is about to be launched on the market.
N
othing is worse than good intentions gone bad. Often, new technology fails to meet given requirements because of a chasm between aspiration and reality. This, unfortunately, is also true for systems that monitor trailer tyre air pressure and that, until now, have not always lived up to their promise. The benefits of the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) are nevertheless undeniable. First, TMPS reduces the risk of vehicle immobility due to a tyre problem, thereby precluding trouble, loss of time, and especially considerable ensuing costs. And that‘s not
The sensor, located in the drop centre of the wheel rim, is only 40 mm wide.
all: an improperly inflated tyre has a shorter service life and unnecessarily increases fuel consumption. For example, tyre air pressure 20 percent below the recommended level reduces tyre life by 20 percent. As for tractor vehicle fuel consumption: a 20 percent drop in air pressure means about a two percent increase in fuel use, mainly due to increased tyre compression. In addition, an underinflated tyre gets hotter than a properly inflated one. This additional heat is one of the main reasons why underinflated tyres present a much higher risk for accidents. Consequently, the sensor used by the Haldex TPMS system measures not only the pressure of the tyres but also their respective temperatures and warns if a tyre’s pressure is too low or its temperature too high. The combination of these two factors is very important because there can be situations where a tyre is properly inflated but its temperature is too high (radiation from the brake and the wheel rim).
The system has been carefully designed to the last detail to simplify maintenance operations and settings: replacing a trailer wheel with a spare does not require any system reconfiguration because the Haldex TMPS automatically recognises the exchange and reconfigures the system accordingly. No problem either when even two wheels of the truck-trailer combination have to be replaced; thanks to the Info Centre, the operator can update the system so there is no need for special, expensive tools. Engineers have also optimised installation of the wheel sensor. The connection between the sensor and the wheel rim is usually rigid, which makes the sensor vulnerable to damage during tyre replacement. Haldex’s ‘flexible’ attachment system provides a degree of freedom to the sensor if it gets bumped by the tyre bead. This feature is crucial because it is not uncommon for wheel sensors to sustain damage given the amount of force involved in refitting a tyre on a rim. The other major advantage of a ‘flexible’ attachment is its versatility: it can be used on all types of rims and profiles. All these improvements are the subject of a final comprehensive test campaign involving various European fleets before the Haldex TMPS system is launched on the market. ■
On a large scale In the United States, vehicle use of TPMS began in 2008. In Europe, TPMS use in category M1 vehicles – passenger cars and camper vans – is planned for November 2012 (new type approval). As of November 2014, all new vehicles must be equipped with a tyre pressure monitoring system. To date, there are no corresponding provisions for trucks and trailers, but it can be reasonably assumed that similar requirements will eventually be announced for heavy vehicles.
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MOTOR Sport
Publisher: Haldex Europe S.A.S. Weyersheim (Strasbourg), France
Austria Haldex Wien Ges.m.b.H. Vienna Tel.: +43 1 8 69 27 97 Fax: +43 1 8 69 27 97 27 E-Mail: info.AT@Haldex.com
Italy Haldex Italia Srl. Biassono (Milan) Tel.: +39 039 47 17 02 Fax: +39 039 27 54 309 E-Mail: info.IT@Haldex.com
Belgium Haldex N.V. Balegem Tel.: +32 9 363 90 00 Fax: +32 9 363 90 09 E-Mail: info.BE@Haldex.com
Korea Haldex Korea Ltd. Seoul Tel.: +82 2 2636 7545 Fax: +82 2 2636 7548 E-Mail: info.HKR@Haldex.com
Brazil Haldex do Brasil Ind. E Com. Ltda São Paulo Tel.: +55 11 213 55 000 Fax: +55 11 503 49 515 E-Mail: info.BR@Haldex.com
Mexico Haldex de mexico S.A. De C.V. Monterrey Tel.: +52 81 8156 9500 Fax: +52 81 8313 7090
Canada Haldex Ltd Cambridge, Ontario Tel.: +1 519 621 6722 Fax: +1 519 621 3924 E-Mail: info.CA@Haldex.com China Haldex International Trading Co. Ltd. Shanghai Tel.: +86 21 5240 0338 Fax: +86 21 5240 0177 E-Mail: info.CN@Haldex.com France Haldex Europe SAS Weyersheim (Strasbourg) Tel.: +33 3 88 68 22 00 Fax: +33 3 88 68 22 09 E-Mail: info.EUR@Haldex.com
Full Speed ahead
Germany Haldex Brake Products GmbH Heidelberg Tel.: +49 6221 7030 Fax: +49 6221 703400 E-Mail: info.DE@Haldex.com Hungary Haldex Hungary Kft. Szentlörinckáta Tel.: +36 29 631 300 Fax: +36 29 631 301 E-Mail: info.HU@Haldex.com
New year, new opportunities: the 2011 truck racing season promises exciting races and thrilling competition.
In what is now his 24th season of racing, ‘Mr. Truck Racing’ Gerd Körber is lining up at the start with an Iveco Stralis, which was constructed by passionate volunteers in their leisure time, and will probably participate in four races in the European Championship (Misano, Nürburgring, Zolder and Le Mans). Another member of Haldex-sponsored team is the 2010 French Truck Racing champion, Noël Crozier, who is taking part in the Championat de France race series in a MAN truck. ■
Dates 2011 23-24 April 21-22 May
16
Donington (GB) Misano (IT)
HALDEX MAGAZINE
04-05 June 18-19 June 08-10 July 30-31 July
Spring/Summer 2011
Albacete (ES) Nogaro (FR) Nürburgring (DE) Smolensk (RUS)
Uwe Nittel
Russia OOO Haldex RUS Moscow Tel.: +7 495 747 59 56 Fax: +7 495 786 39 70 E-Mail: info.RU@Haldex.com Spain Haldex España S.A. Granollers Tel. 34 93 84 07 239 Fax 34 93 84 91 218 E-Mail: info.ES@Haldex.com Sweden Haldex Brake Products AB Landskrona Tel.: +46 418 47 60 00 Fax: +46 418 47 60 01 E-Mail: info.SE@Haldex.com United Kingdom Haldex Ltd. Newton Aycliffe Tel.: +44 1325 310 110 Fax: +44 1325 311 834 E-Mail: info.GBAy@Haldex.com Haldex Brake Products Ltd. Redditch Tel.: +44 1527 499 499 Fax: +44 1527 499 500 E-Mail: info.GBRe@Haldex.com USA Haldex Brake Products Corp. Kansas City Tel.: +1 816 891 2470 Fax: +1 816 891 9447 E-Mail: info.US@Haldex.com
Gerd Körber
NoËl Crozier
27-28 August Most (CZ) 17-18 September Zolder (BE) 01-02 October Jarama (ES) 08-09 October Le Mans (FR)
Haldex (www.haldex.com), headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, is a provider of proprietary and innovative solutions to the global vehicle industry, with focus on products in vehicles that enhance safety, environment and vehicle dynamics. Haldex is listed on the Nasdaq OMX Stockholm Stock Exchange and had net sales of nearly 6.9 billion SEK in 2010. The number of employees amounts to 4,000.
MAG22_GB/04.2011/Weyersheim
H
aldex is supporting several gladiators in the 2011 truck racing ‘Circus Maximus’. One of them is the Lutz Bernau Truck Sport Team with driver Uwe Nittel. The 41-year-old Nittel is well-known to fans as a rally driver with years of experience who found his way into truck sport in 2009. He has joined the Lutz Bernau team for the 2011 season and is driving a MAN truck.
India Haldex India Limited Nasik Tel.: +91 253 2380094 Fax: +91 253 2380729 E-Mail: info.IN@Haldex.com
Poland Haldex Sp. z.o.o. Praszka Tel.: +48 34 350 11 00 Fax: +48 34 350 11 11 E-Mail: info.PL@Haldex.com
www.haldex.com