The Finnish touch Sisu Axles

THE FINNISH TOUCH

Finland-based Sisu Axles is an independent axle manufacturer for heavy duty truck, military, container handling and industrial applications. With a footprint on every continent, the company’s heavy-duty planetary reduction and independent suspension axles are employed in a range of applications suited to harsh environments.

Located in Hämeenlinna, southern Finland, Sisu Axles takes pride in its long history of vehicle development and powertrain solutions - decades of axle development in the tough Finnish terrain have resulted in a range of the strongest axles in the world.

The Sisu brand was formed in 1931, although the manufacturing of Sisu trucks only started in 1943. Over the years the company developed under various owners and in several locations, until 1985, when a new axle factory was built. In 1989 a decision was made to enlarge the facilities, and a new hall was opened a year later.

The axle business unit was separated to a different company Sisu Akselit Oy at the end of 1995. Following its acquisition of Sisu Corporation, Partek became the owner of Sisu Axles, and sold the majority of it to the management and private investors in 1999. As a consequence the company became an independent axle producer.

The last change in ownership happened in 2011 when the company became part of Marmon Holding Inc, a Berkshire Hathaway company, comprising more than 100 autonomous businesses serving diverse industries and markets worldwide.

Sturdy and resilient

Sisu Axles helps its customers to equip their vehicles with axle systems that they cannot find anywhere else. The company serves customers

who tend to be niche market suppliers rather than those who make high-volume products. Tailoring for special purposes and applications knowledge are key phrases to describe the company’s know-how.

Sisu Axles’s key competences include engineering an assembly. All design and engineering tasks are conducted in-house, and the company is not involved in any contract manufacturing. The company also makes products tailor-made to specific customers’ applications and works in close cooperation with its clients to meet and exceed the vehicle user’s expectations and requirements.

Sisu Axles’ core business is its planetary reduction axles. This key product range is complemented by non-drive steering axles. Sisu’s products are used in the heaviest applications around the world, from Australian heavy road trains to special military vehicles.

The portfolio includes the SIS Series - extreme heavy-duty driveindependent axles with a low profile differential, with planetary wheelends providing maximum durability and superior traction at low speeds. The Series has fully immersed water fording capabilities in either salt or fresh water, as well as enhanced serviceability through maintenance-free components and differential separation from the subframe. The range is available in independent and through-drive configurations for 4×4’s through 8×8‘s.

Supported by the best

The type of axles that Sisu makes is subject to tremendous forces while carrying heavy loads. As increasing competition among vehicle manufacturers has forced them to make their vehicles more economical and efficient, modern axles that go into these vehicles must be more durable and offer greater torque capacity.

To make sure that the products meet the requirements of the market, the company has invested in a modern testing laboratory

equipped with advanced devices. This includes new T40 torque transducers to produce more accurate measurements more easily. The test bench, which allows the testing of one axle or one axle component at a time, consists of a 193 kW electric drive motor plus two 98 kW electric motors, which act as brakes, replacing the wheels.

One of the benefits of the T40 torque transducers is that torque data can be transmitted wirelessly from the test bench. The digital torque data signal is transferred wirelessly by telemetry from rotor to stator. The product development team can change the test setup as needed, for example by using the braking machines as drive motors and adding any gears needed to generate a suitable ratio.

The solutions, available all over the world, are supported not only by the latest technology but also by a highly specialized R&D team in Finland, as well as by a spares department whose task is to ensure high availability of parts, in order to eliminate unexpected vehicle downtime.

As the company states, Sisu Axles is always evolving as the needs of its customers change and as new opportunities emerge in the market. Customers can rest assured that when working with Sisu Axles they will enjoy the best services and assistance in the industry. n