When the going gets tough... Sisu Auto

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH...

Sisu Auto, based in Finland, manufactures robust trucks for civilian and military purposes. Joseph Altham spoke to Timo Korhonen, the president of Sisu Auto, to find out how the company is helping its customers to operate in extreme conditions.

Wild terrain, frozen lakes and snowcovered forests are among the many things that make Finland such a beautiful country. For tourists the scenery is a source of wonder, but for many Finns the forest is their livelihood. Sisu Auto designs and builds trucks for these rough working conditions. The word “sisu” means something like grit and perseverance, the qualities required to make a living in a harsh climate. Sisu began making trucks back in 1931, and, according to Mr Korhonen, the needs of the Finnish forestry industry have always been a powerful influence on his company. “The difficult operating conditions have been a strong driver for us in the development of transportation equipment that is suited for use on difficult roads and in low ambient temperatures.” Trucks

The Sisu Timber truck was developed for the forestry industry, while the Sisu Works model is designed for road maintenance. Sisu also produces a dumper truck, Sisu Rock, for transporting rock and gravel. Although Sisu’s trucks have to be strong, their weight is limited by Finnish legislation, which restricts the gross vehicle weight (GVW) of a truck to 60 tons.

“This has forced us to develop vehicles that have a high payload but only a low weight of their own,” said Mr Korhonen. This is one of the reasons why Sisu’s trucks have to be built to a high standard, using high grade materials. Another truck, the Sisu Crane, is designed for crane operations, and its crane has a capacity of up to 150 ton-metres. The truck has an especially designed frame and comes fitted with stabilisers. Mr Korhonen believes that the Sisu Crane has great export potential, particularly to Germany and the Netherlands.

Capability

The trucks have to be ready to overcome the challenges of the Finnish winter. “For example,” explained Mr Korhonen, “to start a vehicle after it has been standing for a week in the forest in temperatures of below -40ºC, you must of course have a fuel burning heater to warm up the engine block as well as the oil.” The heater also has to warm up the starter batteries, which must be of a dry cell type. Sisu Auto always sells its trucks ready for use – all the necessary equipment is installed at the factory. The company attaches great importance to producing the right truck for the

customer’s requirements. Mr Korhonen says that customers can use Sisu’s Sales Configurator to place an order. “First you indicate the payload you need to transport, then you will be given the choice of axles. Then you indicate your power need and you will get the choice of available engines. You will get everything but at the same time only what you need, and you will not be paying for anything which you do not need.” Mr Korhonen is certainly prepared to go the extra mile for the sake of his customers. “We often meet customers in the field. As a matter of fact, I personally visited one of our customers deep in the forest in the Baikal region of Siberia. After a week’s tour I got a good sense of the particular needs of this customer.” Mr Korhonen’s efforts were rewarded, and in 2008, Sisu sold 91 trucks and trailers to the Russian pulp and paper company Ilim Group for use at its plant at Ust-Ilimsk.

Defence

Sisu Auto’s subsidiary, Sisu Defence, makes armoured off-road trucks for military purposes. Since the 1970s, Sisu’s military trucks have been widely used by United Nations peacekeeping forces. The ETP series of Sisu Defence trucks can be supplied with protection against mines and ballistics according to the specifications of the NATO standard, STANAG 4569. Sisu’s 10x10 armoured truck can even carry a 26 metre pioneer bridge.

Mr Korhonen said that development of the ETP series started in 2004. Three years later, the Lithuanian armed forces were able to take delivery of 8x8 ETP offroad trucks from Sisu, supplied with hooklift systems and container handling equipment. Since then, Sisu has sold hundreds of its high mobility tactical vehicles to the Finnish Defence Forces, most recently, 60 8x8 military trucks in 2010.

Daimler and Sisu Polar

In the summer of 2010, Mr Korhonen and the president of Sisu Group, Olof Elenius, took over ownership of the company. The other big event of 2010, besides the management buy-out, has been the establishment of a new partnership. Sisu has concluded a long-term component supply agreement with Daimler AG, covering the supply of cabins, engines and transmissions, together with other smaller components and parts. Mr Korhonen says the agreement will free up Sisu’s resources to concentrate on the design of the finished product, and make it easier for Sisu to export its trucks. “Now that the main components as well as the system-level components are supplied by Daimler, the normal form of export is possible, since the vehicles can be serviced by the Mercedes-Benz service network.” Sisu has just brought out its new Sisu Polar trucks, which are based on the Daimler components. n