FleetWatch Online - 10-Hannover

So much to see and so little time in which to see it. So much to tell and so little space in which to tell it. That's the usual story when one visits the IAA truck show held every second year in Hannover Germany. This time was no different for FleetWatch managing editor Patrick O'Leary when he visited the show as a guest of DaimlerChrysler South Africa. With some 1 556 exhibitors from 46 countries showing their wares - and with only two-and-a-half days to get around it all - he decided to call it a day on most of the exhibits and concentrate on picking up trends, products and general interest items that could appeal to our South African readers. So here goes - in words and through the lens of his camera.

There's one thing about the Hannover show - officially known as the IAA Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung or IAA Nutzfahrzeuge - that never fails to impress me and that is the interest shown in the trucking industry by the European media and public as well as the international press. The interest is massive as evidenced by the two accompanying photographs of the press conference venue and the 'paparazzi' clamouring at the foot of the stage for the best pic of the Truck of the Year winner.

This year more than 1 800 journalists from some 50 countries around the world were accredited for the show. The first day is taken up by a host of press conferences scheduled every half hour or so from 8.00am to 7.00pm where industry leaders from companies like DaimlerChrysler, MAN, Scania, Volvo, Iveco and numerous others are given the podium to the tell the local and international media their stories. On the second day - also reserved for press and VIPs - some 60 press conferences are held by individual companies on their stands in the exhibition halls. Obviously it is impossible to attend all these so you have to be pretty selective in choosing which ones might be of interest.

When all that's finished, you can then go round the show - not an easy task when one considers that this year there were 1 556 exhibitors from 46 countries. Interesting is that the proportion of foreign to local companies exceeded the 50% mark for the first time with 781 foreign exhibitors - headed by Turkey with 105 companies - showing their wares.

And if anyone feels that the lid on innovation must surely by now have been put on the industry given its already sophisticated nature, not so! At this year's IAA, there were 233 world premiers of new products on display. This is 30% more than two years ago so innovation seems to be the order of the day. Of the 233 world premiers, 98 were of European and 83 of German origin.

All this is good news for South Africa given that we source all our trucks from overseas countries - especially from Europe - and it is obvious that the drive to find better ways of doing things over there is still running at a high. Of course, we will only benefit if we are receptive towards the adoption of new ideas instead of hanging onto our 'old ways'.

Granted not all that works in Europe will work in South Africa - but there is a lot that will. It will be interesting to compare the innovations our local suppliers will be introducing at Auto Africa with those introduced in Europe. On the environmental front, we won't be seeing the same for at this year's IAA, Euro 5 - a specification to meet environmental standards that only comes into play three years from now - was the talk of the town. In fact, it's almost as if Euro 4 was skipped for Euro 5.

One of the six magnificent Actros vehicles on display was this 1848 LS model fitted with the MegaSpace cab as a Lowliner variant with a low frame. The Lowliner variants of the Actros with lower frame heights have been fitted with new wind deflectors with improved aerodynamic design to reduce fuel consumption. This model is fitted with the new Mercedes PowerShift transmission, the new Active Brake Assist system and with BlueTec technology. It's a modern trucking marvel. And take at look at that ground clearance. How low can you go?

No, this is not a scene of the paparazzi in Hollywood scrambling over each other to get the best pic of Angela Jolie. It's trucking journalists scrambling over each other to get the best pic of the Truck, Van and Bus of the Year winners at the IAA show. Can you believe that such media interest in the industry to which you belong exists? Probably not given that in South Africa, the trucking industry is a mere Cinderella compared to other vital sectors such as flower arranging or beetroot farming. Excuse my scepticism but this country needs a big wake up call when it comes to the recognition of the trucking industry for the pivotal role it plays in South Africa's economy. It's actually the pits!

Way behind
In South Africa, we are way behind Europe when it comes to emissions levels although we do have a strategy in place to move towards cleaner vehicle emissions. Our environmental clean-up started not with a focus on engines but rather with a cleaner fuels strategy. This started back in 1996 with the introduction of unleaded fuel followed by sulphur reductions on diesel in 2002 and on petrol in 2005.

As regards vehicle emissions limits, this began in South Africa in 2005 when Euro 1 became the specification for all homologated vehicles. In January this year, Euro 2 was brought into effect for all newly homologated vehicles thus bringing all new vehicles into the net. The programme continues to roll out in January 2008 when the Euro 2 specification becomes applicable to all newly manufactured vehicles and in January 2010, Euro 4 kicks in on all newly homologated vehicles followed in January 2012 by Euro 4 being required on all newly manufactured vehicles.

Note that South Africa is skipping Euro3 and no mention is made in the strategy of Euro 5, which is the level Europe is now on. So, as mentioned before, some things will be applicable to us but others not.

However, referring to my statement that we will only benefit from new innovations in Europe if we are receptive towards the adoption of new ideas instead of hanging onto our 'old ways', I contend it starts with the attitude of all towards the trucking industry being a vitally important component of our economy.

Attending various press conferences and listening to the industry's top men putting forward their views at Hannover leaves no doubt as to the fact that the trucking industry in Europe is one which is regarded with high esteem by everyone - including politicians.

No need to eat your hearts out as you’ll soon be seeing this Axor concrete mixer in South Africa. DaimlerChrysler SA will be introducing a similar model locally so as to meet the growing demand in the concrete industry for a lightweight 8x4 chassis. This vehicle will be launched at Auto Africa as a model 3535 concrete mixer (the one in the photograph is a 3235) and it will be shown in virtually the identical spec as this vehicle shown in Germany. The unit on show will have an imported 8 cubic meter body fitted. With the aim being to give the guys a lower tare mass so as to optimise payload, it will be equipped with light weight materials such as an aluminium fuel tank and aluminium wheels. According to DCSA’s Peter Wraight, they are also working with the suppliers of the concrete drums to find even further ways of reducing the weight of the total vehicle and the drum. The Axor 3535 will be introduced at Auto Africa and launched into the market in the first quarter of 2007.

Press

And you thought it was all a 'jol'. Ha! We do work, you know, as these two pictures - one looking back and the other forward towards the 'groot magas' on the podium - prove. They show our readers what an IAA press conference looks like. Amazing isn't it? And these are all journalists interested in the goings-on of the trucking industry. Over 1 800 journalists from 50 countries around the world were accredited for this year's show. So please realise, Mr South African Truck Operator, that you are part of an international fraternity that captures huge media attention. I know that in South Africa you aren't made to feel that important by either the Government or the citizens of this country who you serve so well but believe me, you are considered very important in other parts of the world. The trucking industry in Europe and in many other countries is considered vital and gets the due recognition it deserves. That needs to be emulated in South Africa.

The politicians listen
It is not like in South Africa where the trucking industry has always laboured along as a Cinderella to the rest of the economy. In Europe, the industry is afforded the priority attention it deserves. When the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) talks, the politicians listen. It is thus that German truckers enjoy such benefits as reduced toll fees as an incentive by the Government to help them switch to more modern and environmentally friendlier trucks.

Sure we all know that it is in everyone's interests to have such trucks running on the roads - from both an environmental and safety point - but the politicians in Germany have come to understand that the new technology means more bucks to be laid out by the transporters. Such trucks are more expensive than their predecessors but instead of just laying down the law with scant regard to the woes such laws might bring to truckers, the politicians sort of hold hands with the truckers in finding ways of helping them reach common interest goals. They do this because they realise the vitally important role trucks play in the economy. They take trucking seriously.

In South Africa, on the other hand, 'truck bashing' seems to be the norm. Just one example is the rail/road saga that pops up every time some obscure politician needs a chariot to ride. Instead of paying tribute to the truckers for the role they have played in South Africa's economic growth over the past years in taking up the slack left by the shoddy and pathetic performance of our rail services, politicians lean more towards 'bashing' the truck by pontificating on how goods should be moved from road to rail. Surely a small thanks to the truckers of South Africa might be in order. After all, while rail has floundered, trucks have kept rolling - and have done so under great pressure.

Regular readers of FleetWatch will recognise that I have written such words before. This time, however, as a result of what I picked up in Hannover, I do so with even more conviction that everyone in this country needs a HUGE wake-up call when it comes to recognising the trucking industry as a vital and essential one. In Europe, with 70% of the continent's goods carried by road, it is taken seriously. In fact, it is widely recognised that EU integration could not have been possible without trucks facilitating trade movement between the European countries.

So long as politicians, customers of road freight transport as well as consumers in South Africa continue to take the trucking industry for granted, we will not be open to new ideas and innovations geared to make road freight safer, more cost effective, more ecologically sound and more beneficial to the economy and overall well-being of South Africa as a whole.

Cinderella was never regarded by her step-mom and whacky sisters as worthy of anything more than working in dirty rags doing lowly jobs such as cleaning up after everyone. It took one fairy-godmother to see the potential of Cinderella and turn her into a princess. In Europe, the trucking industry is a princess. In South Africa it remains a Cinderella and this just has to change. Someone needs to wave their wand and turn the pumpkin that is the South Africa trucking industry into the magnificent carriage that it actually is.

Europe is super-singles country as evidenced not only by both Michelin and Continental having their new super single products prominently on display on their stands but also by the many full rigs on display around the show being fitted with them. All the combinations used by the VDA to promote the new EuroCombi concept of longer length and higher payload were fitted with them. In South Africa, super singles have not taken off in a grand way but there are some fleets – HFR Transport being one of them – which use these tyres on their trailer fleet. Talk of the advantages revolves around more mileage, more safety and more fuel efficiency as well as the all important factor of weight savings. An interesting feature seen on Continental’s new HTL1 445/45 R19.1 tyre on display is the patented tread groove which helps to eject stones and protect the casing for retreading. Our guess is that it won’t be much longer before we see super singles finding their way into more South African fleets.

Three main trends
In Germany, that carriage was seen in all its splendour at the Hannover show and I, for one, looked on in awe at its many impressive features. What I saw was an industry that has not only provided the market with technically superior products geared towards satisfying the particular needs of its direct transport customers, but also one that has accepted the highest levels of accountability in meeting its responsibility to society in the areas of environmental friendliness and safety. Those were the three main trends I picked up running as common threads through the show - technology, eco-friendliness and safety.

As Andreas Renschler, member of the Board of Management for DaimlerChrysler responsible for the truck group and buses, said at the press conference: "Safety as well as environmental friendly and economically efficient technologies are of prime importance to DaimlerChrysler. Our research and development ensures cleaner vehicles and lower accident rates. This, of course, is to the benefit of all road-users and, in the end, the economy as a whole."

My personal opinion is that without legislation to force change, I don't think the industry would have gone as fast as it has towards reaching the emissions targets set by the legislators under the Euro 1 to 5 limits. I say this because the initial spur which kicked the industrial sector of Europe as a whole into cleaning up its environmental act was not brought on by any moral rush of blood to the head of businessman. It took a lot of consumer pressure from the Greens to force action. "If you don't have an Environmental Policy in place, you can forget about us buying your products," was what the consumer was saying. And they meant it. That was the real spur.

And perhaps such a spur was understandably needed because moving towards more environmentally friendly products meant a huge R&D spend that would detract from shareholder dividends. However, that said, once the trucking industry got going, it moved fast to effect positive change with billions of Euro being ploughed into developing engines to meet the new standards.

Initially driven by legislation, it wasn't long before the industry realised that this was indeed the right thing to do and the correct route to go and a new vibe started to permeate through the ranks of even the bean-counters. The new vibe was driven by a sense of pride in knowing that you were going beyond the bottom line into an area of societal common good.

More than just product
It was this pride that I picked up as an almost tangible force among the Mercedes-Benz folk to whom I spoke. There is more to the presence of Mercedes-Benz at the Hannover show nowadays than just product. You pick up a sense that the company has gone beyond a concentrated focus on product onto a platform of higher achievement.

Not that product has been forgotten. Far from it as evidenced by the fact that 50 vehicles of all types and sizes were displayed in the 11 000 m2 exhibition space taken. There's more than enough product to satisfy all but the point is that it is no longer just about product.

This contrasts to earlier shows I have attended in Hannover such as, for example, when the Actros was launched. In those days, the only talk around environmental and safety issues was the fact that it was costing a 'mint' to develop engines to comply with the new emissions standards that were being forced onto the industry. Note the words 'being forced onto the industry'. The excitement was around the introduction of the 'electronic era' via the Actros but the rest seemed to be an inconvenient 'hassle factor' that had to be done because the law-makers were saying so. You didn't get the feeling that 'voluntary compliance' was the driving force. Today it is.

For proof of this, one needs only to look at the sterling work done by Mercedes-Benz in the area of safety. Not driven by legislation but rather by a sense of responsibility towards its customers and other road users, Mercedes-Benz has over the years developed a host of innovative passive and active safety systems for its products that have gone way beyond what is expected of them.

Many South African transporters will recognise this as having its origins in South Africa via the ‘Poni’ concept. I must say, the guy manning this exhibit – branded on the show as the VW Crafter - looked a little sceptical when I told him this. ‘Ja, ja, ja," is what he was probably thinking but was too polite to say out loud. Many years ago, some innovative thinkers in Pietermaritzburg – in some way linked to the Super Group if I recall correctly - decided to fit a fifth wheel to an Isuzu bakkie and latch on a light-weight semi to it. It was called the ‘Poni’ and went on to achieve remarkable success in operations requiring low mass, high volume haulage. And now, years down the line, they’re introducing the concept in Germany. You see, they can also learn from us. "Ja, Ja, Ja!"

I am not going to go into them here as just a week after I returned from Hannover, FleetWatch's deputy editor Paul Collings flew off to Italy where Mercedes was demonstrating what it refers to as the 'world's safest truck'. The article on that truck and its safety innovations is carried elsewhere in this edition and I urge you to find that article and to read it. Then see if you agree with me that Mercedes-Benz has gone beyond what is expected of them.

As Prof. Dr. Bernd Gottschalk, president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) says: "Try to find another industry that is not satisfied with reducing the frequency of accidents in Germany by 70% in recent decades but that consistently invests in the safety of trucks, vans and buses." He didn't end it but I guess he was saying "try find it and you won't." I agree with him.

Kobus van Zyl, Divisional Manager Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles for DaimlerChrysler South Africa, was there kitted out in suitable attire for meeting after meeting. He took time out to pose in the front of the magnificent Black Edition Actros introduced to the market at the last Hannover show in 2004.

New braking system
At this year's show, Merc once again launched yet another safety innovation - a new braking system called Active Brake Assist which helps in critical situations to minimise the danger of a read-end collision by applying full braking power in an emergency situation. As Hans-Guenter Pesch, product manager for overseas countries explained to me: "The first idea was the Proximity Control system which senses the narrowing of the distance between your vehicle and the one in front and if that gap narrows beyond a set point, automatically applies braking using the retarder. Active Brake Assist (ABA) takes it one step further in that if the vehicle in front applies harsh braking, ABA will automatically bring your vehicle to a halt using the service brakes."

On the environmental front, the colour that dominated on the Mercedes-Benz stand was blue rather then the green normally associated with environmental cleanliness with Mercedes presenting the BlueTec diesel technology featuring SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) exhaust treatment with the use of the additive, AdBlue. This technology fulfils the EU emissions standards prescribed in Euro 4 and Euro 5.

I know all this probably sounds like 'Greek' to many of our readers but we'll come back to the workings of BlueTec in a later edition. Suffice to say that it's the in-thing in Europe and Merc is right up there with the latest. It will be some time before that technology arrives in South Africa - and that for a number of reasons - but it is worth noting for SCR is the way all manufacturers are going in meeting the prescribed Euro 4 and Euro 5 emissions standards.

On the new technology front, the big news from Mercedes-Benz this year was the introduction of the new generation of automated gearshift termed the PowerShift which combines an unsynchronised, fully automated 12-speed gearbox with a highly advanced management system.

The new transmission is operated in similar fashion to the previous Telligent automated gearshift and features an automated clutch and a shift lever. It also features a range of additional functions that the driver can operate via a special control panel on the dashboard. These include the 'Power' mode, the 'Eco-Roll' mode, the 'Manoeuvring' mode and the 'Rock-Free' mode.

To highlight one function as an example, using the 'Power' mode, the driver can quickly call up full engine power. At the press of a button, the automated gearshift offers a special set of gearshift parameters providing increased vehicle agility. This is especially useful when negotiating difficult mountain passes or filtering into a line of traffic on the motorway, as the driver is better able to react according to the precise road situation.

Buses that WOW!

FleetWatch will not even pretend that we know anything about buses as we prefer vehicles that carry goods rather than people. However, one could not fail but to be impressed by the spectacular looks of the buses being designed in Europe so we thought we’d show our readers a few to drool over. In the looks department, European manufacturers are producing buses that are truly WOW’! That smaller minibus is the Mercedes-Benz ‘Sprinter City’. Neat little thing isn’t it? Hope our Taxi Recapitalisation requires the new taxis to look like this one. But I’m sure they will, hey?

Offering a choice of four reverse gears, the new transmission provides the driver with optimal assistance in all kinds of situations. In particular, the fast reverse gears can be very helpful when long distances have to be reversed on account of a lack of turning space.

In the past, the use of unsynchronised transmissions meant that drivers had to master the art of double-declutching. Today, however, this is taken care of by sophisticated control technology. This precisely sets a predefined speed difference so that the appropriate gearshift can be easily and smoothly carried out.

At the heart of the new 12-speed transmission is a three-speed basic gearbox whose range of gear ratios is doubled by the use of a range-change group. The resulting six gears are then further doubled to 12 by means of a splitter group. It also weighs less than previous transmissions. Drivers are said to love it.

Technology, eco-friendliness and safety. As mentioned, these are the three themes that I picked up as common threads running throughout the European trucking industry and nowhere was this more evident than on the Mercedes-Benz stand where each one of those issues was given prominence in some or other way.

If Europe is accenting these issues, then that's what we too should be looking at for it means these issues are coming our way. For many years now FleetWatch has urged this industry to become more environmentally aware but we're nowhere near the mark yet. Safety is another critical area given the fact the 14 000 people are killed on our roads every year. But again, we are nowhere near the mark.

Where we are benefiting is from the technological innovations incorporated into the trucks being imported into this country. It seems that our advances are coming from outside. The areas where we can exercise our own influences, namely, safety and environment, are lagging and it is here where a changed mindset is needed. It is here where we need to learn from Hannover.

DCSA’s ever jovial Peter Wraight: "This biodiesel is good stuff," he shouted as he sent a toast to all his South African friends and customers from the Biodiesel bar at the Hannover show. Cheers Peter!

Footnote: I would like to thank DaimlerChrysler South Africa - and particularly Kobus van Zyl, Gert Grobler, Peter Wraight and Shirle Greig - for affording us the opportunity of visiting the Hannover show and for the superb hospitality extended to FleetWatch during the visit. We do not regard such visits as 'freebies' or 'jollies' but rather as a way of extending our knowledge and experience in positioning South Africa within the global trucking arena of which we are now an integral part. We are grateful for being afforded this opportunity.