DIESEL July-August 201568 69www.dieselnews.com.au

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GETTING

Volvo Commercial Vehicles’ workshop in Brisbane is the first to become an NTI Authorised Dealership. CHRIS SMITH pays the facility a visit.

Volvo Commercial Vehicles (VCV) Brisbane has expanded its repair business by investing more than a million

dollars in creating a new Accident Repair Centre – coinciding with it being awarded National Transport Insurance (NTI) Premium Repairer Accreditation, which is a first for any dealership in the country.

As part of the upgrade, VCV Brisbane has moved its repair and painting centre to a new workshop at 42 Campbell Avenue, Wacol, after operating at the Westgate St dealership for the last 12 years.

After identifying the need for a larger workshop due to growth in the paint and panel work section of the business, the new facility is meant to be a major step forward in the ability of the dealership to service its customers. While the old Westgate St workshop had four dedicated bays for repairs, alongside a

mechanical service and repair centre, the new facility has 18 work bays – including a new state of the art spray booth and underground pits. Diesel toured the new facility with Dealer Principal, Iain Allison, and Workshop Manager, Eugene Kirk.

During our tour, Iain says the smash repair business has been a complement to the existing dealership. It was used for preparing vehicles and then doing some smash repair work for existing customers for the past 12 years, but it was coming to a point where it was encroaching on the service side of the business.

“As we have integrated with Mack and Volvo, and now with UD, we got to a point three years ago that we had to make a decision, we had to either scale down the amount we were doing or decide whether we really wanted to take this to another level,” he explains. “We agreed on the second option, but soon realised we also had to get involved with the insurance companies to get their

endorsement and an accreditation for receiving a preferred repairer status.”

He adds, “It was easy to identify that we needed to expand and we couldn’t do it in the facility where we were, so

“AS WE HAVE INTEGRATED WITH MACK AND VOLVO,

AND NOW WITH UD, WE GOT TO A POINT THREE

YEARS AGO THAT WE HAD TO MAKE A DECISION, WE

HAD TO EITHER SCALE DOWN THE AMOUNT WE

WERE DOING OR DECIDE WHETHER WE REALLY

WANTED TO TAKE THIS TO ANOTHER LEVEL.”

AUTHORISED

we were looking at how we could put a business case forward to get the approval to invest in a new facility and continue to expand.

“We got board approval to invest just under $1 million in this facility. It enabled us to generate growth, but more importantly to buy the equipment and install the equipment required to gain what NTI required for us to gain Premium Repairer Status, which we have just secured.”

According to Iain, NTI’s standards were exceptionally high, giving VCV a distinct competitive advantage: “I think that some of our dealerships around the country have maybe smaller levels of paint and panel, but no one else has talked to NTI. We are the first truck dealer in Australia across any brand to have the NTI Premium Repairer Status.

Because we have decided it is not a bolt on, it is a complement to what we are doing and with this investment, it enables us to offer a high level of service.”

Iain says it is very much early days, but if successful, VCV might review if there is potential for rolling out the model to other states. With other NTI Premium Repairers such as Re-Car and Royans in the region, he added that VCV Brisbane is differentiating itself by focusing on its main three brands, Volvo, Mack and UD.

“We are focusing on our three brands and offer a full whole-of-life support for our existing customers. [But] there will be some other makes of vehicles within their fleets that we can do repairs on, including trailers and tankers. We obviously have to do the repairs as

efficiently as possible, as NTI has some stringent guidelines and KPIs, so our customers are getting value for money.

“Next to paint and refurbishments, we also have parts available and a division focusing on recycling and refurbishing second life vehicles. It gives us a good source of panels and dashboards and other equipment that have come from existing vehicles, so repairs can be done as effectively on both newer and older vehicles.”

During our visit, Workshop Manager Eugene emphasises that the specifications NTI has requested are very specific and have streamlined the workflow of the workshop itself. The bays in the new premises needed to be extended for the NTI accreditation, for example.

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“The ones we have at Westgate St are 12 metres, but the ones we have here are now 17.1 metres, which is a requirement from NTI to become a Premium Repairer. What’s more, we have set up everything so all the tools and airlines are in the middle of the workshop. Everybody comes towards the centre to make the layout more efficient and everyone has access to everything.”

Eugene adds that a host of new equipment like a Josam straightening floor and a state-of-the-art paint shop have made the workshop much more efficient: “The chassis straightening machine works wonders. It is mounted on concrete and steel almost half a meter deep. The idea is to use it to straighten damaged chassis by using 20 tonne hydraulic rams to push the chassis back into shape.”

The paint booth, meanwhile, now works as a down draft system instead of the traditional roof ventilation. It pushes all the overspray down where it gets sucked into a trap and filtered out. The paint booth also bakes the paint from 80 degrees to 100 degrees Celsius. “We can bake a truck for 20 minutes and then it’s out and ready,” says Eugene.

The set-up of the paint booth has two entries to improve the workflow. The jobs go from the prep area straight into the booth, in a circular workflow – in, out and back around to the bay. “Normally, what we do is put parts in here as well, with the truck, and we do both together and then we bake it so it’s all done together in one hit. It is a drive through, so we

don’t want any interruptions in the main booth, we normally use the little booth for the little parts and bits and pieces and it works very efficiently.”

The premises is also kitted out with a roller machine and a guillotine. A bending machine still resides at Westgate St. The new workshop is also equipped with plasma cutters, MIG welders and spot welders. So far, the new set up is working well, as our visit showed. The extra space and capacity has meant the afternoon shift has been cut, for the moment. However, with expected volume from the new Premium Repairer Status, it can easily be brought back to satisfy demand.

“We have enough people at the moment, but as we progress as an NTI Authorised Repair shop, we will be taking on more people as we go along,” says Eugene. “We have the bays which are pretty sufficient in what we need to do. We have ample space, a lot of airlines.

“We also do work on the new trucks

coming through – we get a lot of new truck repaints, cabs, chassis, both on the Mack and Volvo side, and UD is supporting us pretty well, so it seems to be working out pretty good.”

Along with the dealership’s vehicles and restoring vehicles for the second life program, the workshop is also keen to get more work from customers with all types of trucks and trailers, even extending its services to the custom truck area. “We do customisation as well, where we sub-contract the work out to a specialist who comes in and can do scroll work and everything else

that needs to be done, and then we just place it into the booth for a clear coat,” Eugene explains. “We are willing to take on anything which is out there, we don’t have a bias. If a job comes in here whether it is a truck, tanker or trailer or whatever, we don’t really care, we’ll take it on to the best of our ability and get it back to the customer.”

The used truck department is also based at the new workshop, and this is where Iain says the group goes over the trucks they are selling, especially its three brands. “This is where we decide what we will refurbish and sell

for our second life vehicles, the ones we decide we want to sell, we invest in a refurbishment here, the others we will sell wholesale. It depends on the age of the vehicle, but if it is up to five years in age you can spend up to $20,000 refurbishing it with paint and panel repairs and getting it roadworthy.

“We have what we call our ‘preferred used trucks’, so it’s really picking our three brands, which have a good service history, a roadworthy and present really well. So, then the customer has a good vehicle for the next four or five years for a good second life.”

DIESEL TOOK TIME TO ASK WORKER SCOTT KINGDOM WHAT HE THOUGHT OF THE NEW PREMISES.“I really like the new workshop, we have everything we need to get the job done. What I especially like is that when we are straightening a chassis, we get to use the Josam. It is a lot easier to use than other methods of straightening a chassis and it is really good equipment.

“I use the overhead cranes for lifting things like bullbars, turntables, engines and cabs, and it then becomes a one person job so it is easier, and that way everyone else can keep working without disruption.

“It saves us a lot of time because we have three of the overhead cranes which can all work at once. It’s been really good in regards to our productivity in the workshop.

“We also use Porter Powers, which are 20-tonne hydraulic pumps, we use to straighten a chassis or anything else that needs to be moved. We use it for squashing steel together, when it’s all twisted and we can’t get another part, we just repair it.

“The other handy design is that all our work benches we have with our grinders and the drill press are located right in the middle of the workshop along with belt sanders, so we’ve got everything we need right where we need it, and that is really good.”

THE VIEW FROM THE FLOOR

Scott Kingdom.

Workshop Manager, Eugene Kirk, Business

Development/Sales, Charlie Van Liempd and

Dealer Principal, Iain Allison.

“WE HAVE WHAT WE CALL OUR ‘PREFERRED USED

TRUCKS’, SO IT’S REALLY PICKING OUR THREE

BRANDS, WHICH HAVE A GOOD SERVICE HISTORY,

A ROADWORTHY AND PRESENT REALLY WELL.”

DIESEL July-August 201572

Safety, initiative,innovation andleadership

D i n n e rD i n n e rTuesday 27 October 2015

Prize Includes:

A fully paid trip to Nashville TN, USA in February 2016.

To attend the US Technology and Maintenance Council’s 2016 Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition.

Go to www.truck.net.au/awardsNominations close Monday 7 September 2015

Presented at:

AwardsAwards

Craig Roseneder AwardThe 18th Annual

For technical & maintenance excellence in the workshop.

Meet Chaz Mostert at the Castrol

Vecton AwardsDinner

Nominations Open Now!

NTI Nom Awards 2015_Layout 1 4/06/15 5:55 PM Page 1

MINIMISING BREAKDOWNS, GET CONNECTEDIn any trucking fleet, a truck breakdown causes the most disruption – both for the workshop, which has to handle an unexpected task, and for the operation, which has to ensure the service to the customer is not interrupted. A recent study into the issue by Volvo suggests that up to 80 per cent of all ‘unplanned truck standstills’ are preventable through improved truck maintenance. Volvo says it has set a long-term plan to eradicate breakdowns altogether. “Since the transport industry already operates with very small margins, an unplanned standstill hits haulage firms hard,” says Hayder Wokil, Volvo’s Director Quality and Uptime. “We therefore have to be better at understanding why unplanned stops take place and help both customers and drivers increase their productivity and thus also their profitability.”The study is based on real-life user data from 3,500 Volvo trucks gathered over a five year period. Using the data gained, Volvo conducted simulations and generated a variety of possible service situations to analyse how, why and when trucks suffer breakdowns. “The study clearly showed that by being able to monitor the truck’s usage and the current status of the vehicle’s various key components, it is possible to plan maintenance better,” says Wokil. “We reckon we can reduce the number of unplanned standstills by 80 per cent if the truck is serviced in time and in response to actual needs.”According to Volvo, a prerequisite for

reducing the number of breakdowns is to be able to predict maintenance needs and to tailor servicing for each individual truck. This is now possible since today’s trucks can be connected online to the workshop. “For instance, a service technician can remotely monitor exactly how the truck is being used in real time, schedule maintenance well in advance before something breaks down, or order spare parts in advance,” says Wokil. “What’s more, a scheduled service can also be postponed

if the workshop technician can see that the truck’s various components are subject to less wear than expected, thus saving time for both the haulage firm and the driver.”The study found the average cost of a breakdown in Europe cost the transport company $1,750. This includes direct costs such as towing and repairs, administrative fees, any fines involved, and lost transport revenue, but not costs in the form of lost cargo or lost income owing to loss of goodwill.

TYRE RECYCLER AWARDED

An Australian tyre recycling enterprise has been awarded a bronze medal at the Edison Awards in recognition of its innovative technology developed to recycle old car and truck tyres into saleable commodities. Reckoned to be the world’s top prize for innovation, the Edison Awards was founded 28 years ago in 1987 and named after the famous US inventor Thomas A. Edison. Green Distillation Technologies was Australia’s first ever finalist at the Edison Awards

and received the medal at the awards ceremony in New York.The technology developed by Green Distillation Technologies recycles old tyres into saleable commodities such as carbon, oil and steel. Operating from its pilot plant in Warren Western, NSW, the company is in the process of being upgraded to full production.GDT’s production upgrade will expand its capacity to 19,000 tonnes of tyres per year, representing approximately three per cent of the end-of-life tyres

generated in Australia each year.The oil produced from the GDT process can be used as a heating fuel, direct into stationary diesel engines or can be further refined into automotive or aviation fuels. The carbon is a high-grade product that can replace those sourced from fossil fuels and the steel is returned directly to tyre manufacturers for reuse. The entire tyre recycling process is emission-free and the recycled oil is used as a heat source for the production process.

DIESEL July-August 201574

True Blue Swedish, you bet mate! In Australia since 1995.

....still the best Sideloaders around!

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN AN AUTO GREASING SYSTEMAutomatic lubrication systems have been around since the 1930s, with the first ones designed for oil refineries, iron and steel plants and heavy manufacturing. Various pioneering companies developed their own unique pumps and distribution systems to dispense lubricant to the various points requiring regular lube maintenance.Two of these pioneering technologies are still in use today. One is the single line parallel system, known as Injector system, the other is the single line progressive system, also known as a divider or progressive system.This Diesel Workshop guide seeks to clarify the features and benefits of the different systems for use on today’s trucks.

WHY USE AUTO GREASING?The chassis of most trucks have kingpins, shackle pins, brakes, steering arms and tie rods, which require regular greasing. In addition, things like fifth wheels, ball-races, compensators and tipping bodies also need greasing.Traditionally, the trucks must return to the workshop on a regular basis or be greased on the side of the road or driveway to keep these expensive and important components greased and protected.With many trucks today operating around the clock and servicing now moving out beyond 40,000 km, greasing is one of the few maintenance tasks required in between engine servicing.

AUTO GREASING INCREASES THE AVAILABILITY OF THE TRUCK AND DECREASES RUNNING COSTS IN THREE IMPORTANT WAYS:• An auto greaser means trucks do not

need to return to the depot or workshop on a weekly basis for greasing. Fleet productivity is increased.

• Labour is reduced as the weekly greasing task is automated.

• Key components (like shackle pins, kingpins, fifth wheel tops) last longer when greased on an hourly basis. The constant top up of grease forms a barrier to contaminants, which stops water, dust and dirt from getting into the components and wearing them out.

• The long term investment in autogreasers and the realisation of their full benefit is determined by the type of system chosen and its technical features.

FEATURES OF A TYPICAL GREASING SYSTEM:• Can be used with Semi-Fluid Greases Only• Medium pressure• Injectors work independently• Pistons Displace Predetermined Volume• Adjustable or Changeable Outputs• Easy to Engineer• Easy to Add Lube Points

GOING TO A PROGRESSIVE SYSTEM ADDS A NUMBER OF FEATURES:• Designed for NLGI #2 Grease• High pressure• Pistons Displace Predetermined Volumes• Can Provide Central Signal• Tamper-proof• Addition of Lube Points Requires System

Re-Engineering• System Engineering More Demanding

WHAT DO THESE FEATURES MEAN TO THE TRUCK FLEET OPERATOR?The type of grease used is extremely important. Almost all truck manufacturers specify NLGI #2 grease for good reason. The heavier #2 grade grease provides better metal-to-metal protection and creates a barrier seal that prevents water and contaminants from entering and causing wear. Semi-liquid greases do not

CHASSIS LUBRICATION

SYSTEMS

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AIRLINE MISMATCH ALERT

The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has launched a new series of trucking workshop safety alerts, developed by its Industry Technical Council. The first safety alert has just been published and deals with issues caused by using incompatible airlines and fittings, while the second highlights the dangers of using suzie coils to connect brake airlines across drawbar type couplings.“Safety is the major priority for the trucking industry. Preventative maintenance and workshop procedures play a crucial role in making sure the heavy vehicle fleet operates safely on the road,” said Christopher Melham, the ATA CEO. “However, from time to time issues arise that aren’t found in any manual. In one of our first safety alerts, operators are cautioned against using a suzie coil to connect brake airlines across a drawbar coupling.“In the unlikely event of a trailer decoupling on the road it is designed to fail safe, with emergency brakes coming on as soon as the airline connection is cut. Suzie coils meet the technical requirements for this connection. But in an emergency, the coil would stretch significantly before it was pulled apart, delaying the application of emergency brakes.“It’s a serious issue with a very simple solution. By distributing these safety alerts, the ATA aims to increase awareness of these considerations, and help trucking operators and workshops ensure that their vehicles are as safe as they can be.”The ATA safety alerts explain the urgency of each problem, indicate key personnel who should be made aware of the information, and provide clear follow-up actions to address the issues. New alerts will be released as issues come to the ATA’s attention.The full text of the alerts can be downloaded from the ATA website at: http://www.truck.net.au/resource-tags/safety-alerts

create such a strong barrier and require higher application rates to maintain such a barrier. Wear rate increases of two to three times can be experienced when comparing #2 grade systems to semi-liquid. It has been estimated this could equate to around $10,000 in parts and downtime alone over a five-year life. Labour costs and replacement truck hire costs would be on top.Operating pressures of typical progressive systems are a maximum of 280bar (4,200psi) versus 100bar (1,500psi) for an injector system. The difference in pressure means a real difference in the ability to force lubricant into tight components, and pumping distances can be longer with the progressive systems, up to 20 metres, or more if required. The inherent differences in injector versus progressive divider operation means the systems behave and are monitored in different ways. One lube point can block in an injector system and the rest of the injectors will continue on. This can be a valuable feature if one bearing can be sacrificed to allow the others to continue on. However, for most operators, this can be very costly because points can block, wear and fail without notice.Progressive dividers work differently and all outlets are linked in a progressive sequence so, if one point blocks, the sequence will stop. The pump will continue to try and overcome the blockage until the pump relief valve activates to protect the system from over pressurising and provide a visual or electrical signal telling you there is a problem with the system. This means a blocked greasing point cannot go unnoticed.