Performance and sustainability plugged in

Geesinknorba is a market leader in the design and manufacture of refuse collection vehicles and waste compactors that continues to create innovative, sustainable answers to urban waste management. Philip Yorke reports on some of the company’s most recent breakthrough technology, including its advanced, all electric, plug-in refuse collection vehicles.

Geesinknorba’s history goes back to 1875 when it was founded in the Netherlands by Jacobus Geesink. The company started out as a coach-builder and shipped its first refuse collection vehicle (RCV) in 1915. However it wasn’t until the year 2000 that Geesink acquired the Swedish manufacturer, Norba, which was founded even earlier in 1870 and subsequently became one of the leading companies in its field. Today Geesinknorba is focused on the development, production, sales and service of innovative refuse collection vehicles, as well as portable and static compactors.

Geesink’s products are marketed throughout Europe through its dedicated branch offices in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. This is in addition to its facilities located in Sweden, Romania and the United Kingdom. The company also offers its diverse range of waste processing products to customers further afield through its global network of carefully selected distributors.

on track

Geesinknorba has recently addressed the long-term problem of bin collection vehicles holding up traffic, often due to them being unable to negotiate narrow roads and driveways. Therefore the company teamed up with DAF Trucks and the NRG Group to launch an allnew, narrow track Refuse Collecting Vehicle. Together they identified a growing niche market for more efficient and more manoeuvrable vehicles, especially in the UK, where there are a huge number of narrow urban roads and cul-de-sacs. The new vehicle from the company has a narrow 17m3 body fitted with a powerful Geesinknorba trade bin lift, which is mounted on a DAF LF280 chassis with an additional mid-steer axle to give a gross vehicle weight of just 22.5 tonnes.

The result is a narrow, highly manoeuvrable RCV with a payload of almost ten tonnes, depending on the waste stream collected. Another way of looking at it is that it combines the collection capacity of much larger vehicles with the speed on an urban round of much smaller vehicles, thus enabling it to move through busy traffic and tight city streets with ease.

The mid-steer axle also gives the narrow track vehicle a turning circle that beats all others and the new cab is also designed to offer excellent visibility. Along with a highly competitive price and low operating costs, it makes the new narrow track RCV a most attractive proposition for operators worldwide.

New li-on Power technology

Recently Geesinknorba announced the launch of its next generation of refuse collection vehicles. The new ‘Li-On Power Pro’ benefits from the latest Lithium-Ion battery technology to power the entire operations of its new RCV. This is a major milestone and a world first.

The company estimates that a typical, conventionally powered RCV will consume around 70 litres of diesel a day, which in turn leads to annual emissions of 52 tonnes of CO2 as well as a considerable amount of other noxious gases. By contrast, the all-electric vehicle produces zero emissions; instead, its batteries are charged by electricity which operators can take from entirely renewable sources.

Furthermore, the new all-electric, plug-in RCV produces virtually no noise at all, therefore making it ideal for operators collecting waste early in the morning or later at night. This model thereby extends the working hours of vehicles, which can lead to a significant reduction in fleet size. Mike Hill, UK Business Director of Geesinknorba UK, said, “How a vehicle is used will determine precisely

how long it can run between re-charges, but our new all-electric plug-in vehicle has sufficient battery power to easily cover a typical day’s urban collections on a single charge. Whilst the weight and space of batteries is a significant factor, battery powered vehicles do not require heavy diesel engines, fuel tanks or the weight of other liquids that they must carry. All these benefits contribute to making the new vehicle eminently viable in urban environments.”

Innovation underground

In Norway Geesinknorba has recently delivered an innovative rearloader to the Norwegian company, BIR Transport, based in Bergen. The company’s latest GPM IV rear loader with advanced crane and chute provides the ideal solution for the emptying of underground containers, bottom dischargers or bags. This new, innovative system brings many benefits to operators, such as no spillage due to the chute’s clever design. Disposing of refuse through the chute can be done effortlessly and discharged into a large hopper. This unit is very easy to use and also speeds up the collection process.

Due to the high loading capacity of the new narrow track model it is capable of processing more waste than ever before. Consequently operators need to spend less time on transporting the processed waste to landfill sites or to incinerators, which in turn leaves more time to collect refuse. n

For further details of Geesinknorba’s latest innovative products and services visit: www.geesinknorba.com