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ePaper created 2015-04-22, 14:48:24 | version 1.37.0
14 Issue One 2015 Production e don't build ordinary ve- hicles," Michael Lanik, Managing Director of Nutzfahrzeuge Rohr GmbH based in Straubing, ex- plains. "We are not eager to compete with the big trailer manufacturers and their cost structures." Especially when it comes to re- frigeration vehicles for food delivery, Rohr is nonetheless the large trading companies' go-to supplier in Germany. Edeka, Kaiser's Tengelmann, Lidl, Netto, and Rewe deliver their fresh service offering in Rohr's vehicles across Germany. Refrigeration vehicles make up one of the two key business areas of the company, with the other being the manufac- turing of road tankers and aircraft refuellers. The first products were launched more than 40 years ago. Today, the company serves its clients by offering customised vehicle de- signs. The 260 employees of Rohr manufac- ture around 700 units per year. Engineering the vehicles involves a lot of effort: Around 10 per cent of the staff works in the engineer- ing department. These engineers collaborate closely with the vehicle fleet technicians. More capacity and easy to use The drawbar combination is one of Rohr's complex haulage solutions: It convinced the Edeka logistics centre in nearby Ingolstadt. This road train is 18.75 metres long, and consists of a truck and a trailer. The trailer offers room for 38 Euro pallets or 63 mobile pallet boxes, which puts it five Euro pallets or nine mobile pallet boxes ahead of oth- er trailers commonly used in the industry. When loading, the drawbar combination still needs only one space at the loading bay. After being directly connected to it, the refrigerated vehicle can be loaded and un- loaded without uncoupling its parts. This is made possible by special technology al- lowing the loading and unloading of goods through the road train bodies: The driver of the tri-axle drawbar trailer reverses into the loading bay space and a hydraulic cylinder in the coupling's drawbar pulls the tractor unit towards the trailer – protecting the expensive superstructures during parking. An opto-electronic system monitors the sit- uation. The crossover from the road train to the bay is now being thermally insulated as well. In the end, the vehicle keeps its cool. Only when the electric roller shutters are moving up at the vehicle does the refriger- ation unit turn itself off. All of these steps are intended to minimise temperature loss- es when loading the trailer, therefore saving energy and CO2 emissions. With comparable technology to load and unload but even more haulage capaci- ty, the 25-metre-long Jumboliner can hold 51 pallets or 84 mobile pallet boxes. Its spe- cial feature: A tandem trailer coupled to the tri-axle articulated truck. Two deliveries with this vehicle equal three routes using conventional trucks. Another logistical ad- vantage for operators: The tractor unit and the trailer can be operated individually. The manufacturer promises fuel savings of 30 per cent. And because the Jumboliner was designed with 60 tonnes in mind, but only weighs 40 now, the lower axle loads consid- erably reduce the impact on the road. Focused on long life-cycles The undercarriage of the trailers was man- ufactured by the company itself. The chassis frame made of fine-grained steel is being treated with zinc to protect it against fire hazards – which, by the way, is a process that the company has employed for many years, even before it had become common practice. High-quality components are used to ensure long life-cycles, for exam- ple, by incorporating BPW running gears – because especially trailers often remain in the customers' vehicle fleet for ten years and more. The body base consists of a steel sandwich box. The boxes are worth taking a closer look at because they have been cus- tomised: Here, one finds meat hooks or di- viders for mobile pallet boxes and different loading safety equipment – there is hardly any limit to what the refrigeration units can be used for. The market shows grow- ing demand for split-temperature cham- bers. "For example, large supermarkets are being supplied simultaneously with fruit and vegetables, milk products, and freezer food. Each of these product groups has to be transported within its own individual tem- perature range," Rudolf Bornschlegl, who is responsible for retail chains as Rohr's Anything but ordinary Body manufacturer Rohr from Lower Bavaria in Germany is an important supplier to big retail chains. The company's employees know their customers inside out. Photos:Rohr,GermanPopp,WolfgangTschakert W