Lightweight T ruck Specication Generates Savings or MEMS C a s e S t u d y Company: HardstaGroup Location: Gillingham, Kent Fleet Size: Flatbed Rigid HGVs: 2 Support Vehicles: 2 Rigid HGVs with Lorry Mounted Cranes: 7 HGV Tankers: 4 Traile rs: 30 Artic Units: 3
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structural skeleton or the engine drive train, uel
tanks and batteries. The chassis is the undamentalplatorm on which the vehicle is designed and
essentially has two longitudinal steel channels
with a series o cross-members.
The standard chassis is made rom steel making
it strong and suitable or both on and o road
driving. Factors o consideration should be the
number o axles, the body length / size and
ancillary equipment or example cranes, grabs and
liting gear.
For vehicles operating certain equipment, such
as cranes, or those operating under severe
conditions, choosing a chassis with relatively
high torsional stiness may be advantageous.
For a vehicle operating o-road, a fexible body
mounting is recommended to cope with chassis
fexing.
A lightweight chassis is made rom alternativematerials, such as aluminium or thinner gauge
steels. Alternatively, a normal grade chassis can
be used and modied by using weight saving
elements, providing these are authorised by the
manuacturer.
MEMS
MEMS Overview
MEMS Power Generation have one o the most extensive diesel generator rental feets in the countrywith the entire rental and delivery solution being controlled in-house. Their extensive transport and
reuelling feets together with a dedicated hire oce allows their specialist team to respond immediately
to almost any power emergency 24 hours a day, every day o the year, providing a genuine emergency
service. MEMS provide silenced diesel generators
or hire, available and ready or immediate dispatch.
They run at the heavy end o their sector, each
industrial generator can weigh over 10 Tonnes per
unit. In addition to the generator, the heavy cabling
is also taken to site, each cable set (2 cages) weighing
approximately 330kg. Due to the weight o the
generators and additional auxiliary equipment, a
number o the operations require 2 vehicles to supply
the generator to the client. The rst truck carries the
generator and a second vehicle, which might be either
a 7.5 Tonne or 19 Tonne truck, carries the cable cages
plus auxiliary equipment.
Customer satisaction is a key advantage in a competitive industry sector. By maximising payload and
reducing the number o vehicle trips rom two to one, clients are not inundated by vehicles.
MEMS have also entered into a carbon o-setting program to bring their impact on CO2 emissions to
zero. It is something they work hard to maintain and are always looking or initiatives to lower CO2
emissions, even oering their customers the chance to oset the carbon ootprint created when thediesel is burnt during generator hire.
that legislative requirements need not mean increased costs or the company i a careully considered
truck specication is adopted.
The Volvo cab is aerodynamically designed with smooth suraces and rounded corners. It has tailored air
fow systems and a complete chassis skirt, all contributing to the eciency and protability o the vehicle.
In addition to this, MEMS maintain that any new vehicle developments are not at the expense o saety,
or example, each new vehicle has oot pads located by each crane leg. These act to disperse the weight
o the crane load, reducing the pressure placed on each leg.
Light Weight Vehicle - Cost Savings
and Benets The newly developed lightweight vehicles are only 1.5% more expensive to purchase than the standard
heavier vehicles. Combined with the act that there is no dierence in maintenance costs between the
standard and the lightweight vehicles this has realised signicant savings or MEMS.
Over the 2 years that the rst lightweight vehicle has been operating, uel eciency has improved
notably rom 9 miles per gallon (MPG), to 11 MPG resulting in signicant cost savings.
Payload has increased rom 10 tonnes or the standard vehicle to 11.7 Tonnes or the lightweight
vehicle. This increase o just 1.7 Tonnes has meant the dierence between using one and two vehicles
per delivery. The combination o the lightweight eatures have resulted in signicant savings in weight,
money and CO2 emissions.
Since introducing the rst lightweight vehicle into the feet 2 years ago, 28,625 litres o uel have been
saved on deliveries o the bigger generator sets. That works out to a 75 Tonne saving o CO2 (based on2.63kgs o CO2 per litre) over the 2 year period. The numbers o trips have halved, eectively saving 1,374
man hours and with the addition o a urther 2 lightweight vehicles to the feet these savings look set to
increase.
It is also important to point out that by tting Euro 5 engines to all o the newly specied vehicles MEMS
have made savings on their road und licenses due to the environmental benets o the cleaner engines.
Taking into consideration the additional costs o the lightweight vehicles MEMS have stated that the
payback period or the lightweight vehicles is 2 years.
“The time and eort we invested in developing the exact perormance criteria and specication
or our new vehicles has paid o in a remarkably short time-rame. The development and
purchase costs have been covered in just two years.”