MAN put over 150 trucks on show to be seen and test-driven at the “MAN Trucknology Days 2013” on March 15 and 16, 2013 in Munich. The focus of the product show was the efficient new MAN vehicles drawn from many sectors and a special exhibition of vehicles for municipal services.
MAN has been putting on this comprehensive product show at least once a year since 2008. This year, it drew around three-and-a-half thousand interested visitors and customers from 15 European countries and South Korea to the MAN Truck Forum and the nearby test track in Munich. That represents a huge increase in the level of interest in MAN products, as last year approx. 2400 visitors were counted. Under the motto “High efficiency. Big details” visitors experienced consistently efficient transport solutions from MAN – among them also vehicles from the new TG family with Euro VI engines. Several MAN TGL, TGM, TGS and TGX vehicles in especially eco-friendly Euro VI version were on show and available for test drives. Displaying as much variety as the sectors in which MAN vehicles are operated, this year’s show presented around 150 vehicles drawn from five areas: long-haul transport, distribution transport, construction, heavy-duty transport and municipal services. Handling impressions in construction vehicles, heavy-duty road trains with gross weights of more than a hundred tonnes and long-haul trucks on the test track thrilled visitors. The longer test drives being offered on the motorways and secondary roads near the MAN plant under the supervision of MAN ProfiDrive instructors also proved interesting to participants. The Trucknology® Days were rounded off with lectures by specialists, presentations and an attractive program of activities.
The Trucknology® Days always focus on one of the sectors represented. This year, the spotlight was on the great variety of products to be found amongst vehicles for municipal services. Whether it’s sweepers, road- and winter service vehicles, refuse-collection or fluid-waste disposal vehicles, the colour orange did not fail to catch the eye of the visitor. Besides the MAN TGL, TGM and TGS vehicles, there were also several products from VW Nutzfahrzeuge on show as highly-capable vehicles for municipal operations such as winter service or refuse collection. Hybrids were a particular attraction of the special exhibition. One of them is the MAN Metropolis, the electrically-propelled research vehicle with serial hybrid drive and completely electrically-powered refuse-collection body presented at the IAA 2012, while another is a vehicle with a hydrostatic regenerative brake system (HRB).
MAN Trucknology® Roadshow
The event signalled the start of the demo truck fleet “MAN Trucknology® Roadshow 2013″. Nearly 70 vehicles from the TGL, TGM, TGS and TGX series go on tour right around Europe. A new fleet is put together every year. The 2013 fleet sees a quarter of these vehicles with a Euro VI engine under their cabs. As complete vehicles with bodies or semitrailers they present a cross-section of the variety in the distribution and long-haul transport, construction, heavy-duty transport and municipal sectors. The list of bodies and semi-trailers is an impressive one: semitrailer tractors, heavy-duty semitrailer tractors, box bodies and curtainsiders, loggers, set-down and roll-off skip loaders, truck mixers, beverage bodies, loading-crane tippers, three-way and rear tippers as well as construction-material trains with loading cranes. Winter-service and refuse-collection vehicles and a swap-body vehicle for fire brigades represent the municipal segment. The fleet is painted largely in striking crimson and is drawn on by MAN’s sales organisations throughout Europe to stage events and demonstrations. The responsible MAN salespersons arrange for their customers to test these vehicles for a few days. Customers thus experience MAN’s competence in the sector and see for themselves how efficiently and economically their transport tasks can be dealt with.
“Trucks to go” from MAN
Others vehicles on show were from the “Truck to go” fleet. Most of the MAN vehicles painted in neutral white are part of an offer applying throughout Europe, consisting of new vehicles complete with bodies for various sectors. They are available for fast delivery, which means that customers are able to deal with demand arising at short notice, react to incoming orders and in this way, manage their companies economically. A list of the over 240 vehicles with photos and detailed descriptions is updated daily and can be found on the home page www.man-truckstogo.com.
MAN Trucknology® Days 2013
A shuttle bus service connected the MAN Truck Forum and the nearby test track. At both locations there were many trucks to be viewed and to be experienced. Experts from both MAN and the body builders provided specialist information on the products. Besides the drive around the test circuit, an off-road stretch could also be selected. In order to demonstrate the articulations and drive concepts of construction vehicles, short sections of gravel surface were prepared. The innovative MAN HydroDrive® system in particular stood out on this type of terrain. But far more than just trucks were on show at the MAN Trucknology® Days: MAN Services and many of MAN’s partners also presented their products. Experts gave specialist lectures on subjects such as Euro VI, aerodynamics on commercial vehicles and temperature-controlled transport in the Truck Forum.
More than 50 suppliers and companies manufacturing bodies and equipment were on hand for technical discussions. In addition to the MAN services MAN ProfiDrive®, MAN Rental, MAN TeleMatics®, MAN Service Complete, MAN Modification and MAN Trucker’s World, these firms were:
Aebi Schmidt, Alcoa, Bär Cargolift, Böse, Bosch-Rexroth, Bucher-Schörling, Cargotec, Carnehl, CIFA, Continental, Dautel, Doll, Ewers, Fassi, FAUN, Faymonville, Fliegl, Gmeiner, Goldhofer, Goodyear, Gross, HS Fahrzeugbau, HYVA, Jost, Junge, Kahlbacher , KH-Kipper, Kinshofer, Kress, Kroll, Krone, Küpper-Weisser, Langendorf, Liebherr, G. Magyar, Meiller, Müller, Mitteltal, Palfinger, Rohr, SAXAS, Scheuerle, Schmitz, Cargobull, Schwarzmüller, Spier, Stetter, Stoneridge, TBV, TRS, Transportkoeling, Voith, VS-Mont, VW Nutzfahrzeuge, Walther, Wielton, Willig, Zöller-Kipper
Special exhibition of municipal vehicles
As a result of the wide variety of tasks in the waste-disposal sector, road and conduit cleaning, winter services and municipal road-building, vehicle concepts have to meet widely differing requirements. MAN displayed tailor-made vehicle-body combinations based on its TGL, TGM and TGS series. These are reliable and efficient tools for municipal and private operators. Complementing the range of products on show at the lighter weights were the VW Caddy, VW Amarok and VW Crafter, all from VW Nutzfahrzeuge
Various loading technologies are employed in the waste-disposal sector, for example front, side and rear loading. In order to provide the waste-disposal service with a vehicle tailored to its task and collection area and offering optimal transport efficiency, MAN offers vehicles with two to four axles and steered leading or trailing axles. The three-axle MAN TGM takes an especially big payload. With a load-carrying capacity of up to 19.4 tonnes and a payload advantage of a tonne, the TGM has considerably more to offer than its competitors. The MAN TGS series exhibits great versatility in the widely-used three-axle version. A steered trailing axle that takes a load of nine tonnes puts MAN amongst the leaders in this market segment.
Road sweepers are a particularly demanding type of vehicle. On the one hand they require typical truck speeds of 80 km/h on the roads between their places of service, on the other they operate at a very low sweeping speed of less than 2 km/h. This working speed is achieved by an additional reduction gearbox in the driveline. Since sweeper units need a lot of space between the axles and on the frame for sweeper rollers, circular brushes and extraction units, frame fittings such as air intakes, air tanks, fuel tanks, battery boxes and exhaust systems are often relocated. The specialists from MAN | Support Modification coordinate this work so that body builder and customer receive a vehicle optimised for the specific sector.
All year round, municipal building yards and road and highway maintenance authorities make sure that roads are kept in good condition. They clean the roads, clear away the snow, repair road surfaces, signposting and lighting and look after the roadside greenery. In addition to taking care of the roads, municipal building yards have to perform many other jobs requiring trucks. Efficiency means flexible utilisation in all seasons. This is where MAN comes into its own with chassis from the TGL, TGM and TGS series as three-way tippers, loading-crane tippers and skylifters or for bodies and fittings such as snow-ploughs and front sweepers as well as spreaders for de-icing salt or brine. For its TGL and TGM series MAN offers the most spacious cab in its class, with seating for up to seven people. The necessary preparations for winter service come ex works from MAN: standardised equipment add-on plates alongside easy-to-use hydraulic connections including a hydraulic system for winter service and additional light and flasher units, which have been positioned higher.
MAN Metropolis at the MAN Trucknology® Days
One of the stars of the MAN stand at IAA 2012 was the MAN Metropolis: it could be viewed and demonstrated at the MAN Trucknology® Days 2013. This research vehicle with refuse-collection body is a progressive concept: a heavy-duty hybrid truck that shows how transport tasks can be dealt with cities, without emissions and particularly quietly. It operates purely electrically in the inner city, with power to its rear axle being delivered by its 203-kW electric motor via automatic transmission. Energy is supplied by a modular lithium-ion battery installed below the driver’s cab. The auxiliary units, such as power steering, compressor, hydraulic pump and air-conditioning system are all electrically powered. The drive for lifting the refuse containers and compressing the waste in the 22 cubic metre compactor body from Faun is electro-hydraulic. This significantly reduces the noise of operation: the MAN Metropolis is way within the usual noise-restriction limits applying in inner cities. For the first time, a quiet and efficient V6 diesel engine from Volkswagen serves as a range extender and generates electricity on board when required. The great advantage of a quiet hybrid is that operators will in future be able to provide supply and disposal services in the mornings and evenings when traffic volumes are reduced, without disturbing residents or impeding other municipal traffic.
