Heavy-lift equipment manufacturers face ongoing pressures to comply with US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) diesel emissions standards including interim Tier 4 (Tier 4i) requirements.
"In the past, new emissions engines were integrated into production trucks on a short schedule," Herman Klaus says. "The usual customer 'cost' for the lower emissions was higher machine cost and worse fuel economy." Klaus is Nacco Material Handling Group Inc (NMHG) product strategy manager in the Americas for big trucks including the Hyster brand.
Both NMHG and Hoist Liftruck Manufacturing Inc collaborate with Cummins Inc for diesel engines to power heavy-lift equipment. Publicly traded Cummins of Columbus, Indiana employs about 40,000 staff and reported profit of USD1.04 billion on 2010 sales of USD13.2 billion.
"Cummins is a leader in the off-road engines," notes Jonathan Miller, Hoist Liftruck vice president of sales. "They are constantly adjusting and adapting to all the future EPA standards/requirements. We work directly with them to be able to supply the cleanest, most advanced engines available."
The EPA has a long history with control of non-road diesel emissions.
A 1991 EPA engine and vehicle emission study quantified the contribution of non-road sources to air pollution including volatile organic compounds, nitrogen, carbon monoxide and particulate matter. The EPA's Tier 1 emission standards were phased in during 1999-2000, Tier 2 from 2001-2006 and Tier 3 from 2006-2008.
The Clean Air Rules of 2004 included a comprehensive EPA Tier 4 program to cut emissions from future non-road diesel engines through integration of engine and fuel controls as a system to maximise emission reductions. The EPA says: "The requirement to reduce sulfur levels in non-road diesel fuel by more than 99% will allow for the first time advanced emission-control systems to be used on the engines used in construction, agricultural, industrial, and airport service equipment."
As needed, Hoist uses Cummins Tier 3 and Tier 4i diesel engines to power its P series pneumatic tyre/RoRo with capacities to 115,000 lb. (51,750 kg), empty container handler series for stacking of three to eight levels, loaded container handler series for three- to six-level stacking and reach stacker lines, Miller says. "The smaller P series units, under 40,000 lb. (18,000 kg) capacity, can use" a General Motors liquefied petroleum gas engine, if requested.
Hyster has launched Tier 4i H400-450HD and H550-700HD forklifts, H400-500HD-EC empty container handlers and an RS45 family of reach stackers. "And more models will be released before year end," Klaus says.
Hyster has a Tier 4 project "with the objective of a 'profitable Tier 4' to bring customer value along with lower emissions," Klaus says.
The project's primary elements include using the right engine and technology, right-sizing of the engines and an intelligent design that uses new engine controls to boost savings.
Cummins engines utilise cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) with a diesel particulate filter (DPF). "This technology means customers do not need urea and an after-treatment system," Klaus says. "While urea and after-treatment may come with Tier 4 final (rule), the technology used in on-highway machines should be well proven by then. The Hyster/Cummins EGR system offers more fuel savings than selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems, and it does not require urea, as SCR systems do. The fuel and urea savings will be thousands of dollars per truck."
Regarding engine sizing, "the Tier 4 engines require advanced technologies and controls," Klaus says. "These advanced technologies offer opportunities for smaller displacement engines to do the same work as larger Tier 3 engines. In many cases, Hyster is able to use smaller engines for Tier 4. This brings about significant fuel savings, which also means less carbon output. Hyster worked closely with Cummins to optimise the performance of the engines and are actually getting better productivity out of the smaller Tier 4 engines."
Intelligent design features include operator selectable performance modes for high or standard productivity needs. "This is accomplished with engine RPM management, throttle response and shift point optimisation," Klaus notes. Other design aspects involve an idle-management feature with a hibernate-idle speed and an empty-seat shutdown along with a noise-lowering fuel-saving way to activate the cooling fan only as needed.
Breakbulk Americas 2011Hyster, with a 55,000 lb. (24,750 kg) model H550HD; Hoist; and Big Red forklift manufacturer Taylor Machines Works Inc of Louisville, Mississippi will have booths at the Breakbulk Americas 2011 exhibition from 26-27 October at the Ernest N Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. More than 3,800 people attended Breakbulk Americas 2010.
Economic adjustments impact opportunities for heavy-lift equipment makers.
In advance of the Breakbulk event, NMHG's Klaus comments: "These days, the outlook seems to change week to week. Obviously, the equipment providers need customers with business to support new equipment so we are all dependent on a healthy global economy. Hyster has invested in the big truck product line to provide our customers with high value. We believe that customers will be receptive to the value they find in Hyster equipment."
Cleveland, Ohio-based NMHG, a unit of publicly traded Nacco Industries Inc, manufactures big trucks for Hyster's worldwide operations at a dedicated factory in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Hoist's Miller comments: "Despite the fact that the economic market is uncertain to any of us in manufacturing right now, heavy equipment will always be needed for these markets. 2011 has seen increases in freight imports and exports, the value of the US dollar is making it easier to export and manufacturing companies are getting busier."
Miller says companies that are manufacturing or producing tangible goods "will keep this country's economy going. These companies will keep breakbulk/project cargo in gear and moving around the world. I am confident that there will be positive but small growth going forward in these industries."
Hoist targets "all kinds of large breakbulk freight applications from pack-and-ship to the actual ports," Miller says. "We also target all steel mills/production facilities, oil industry suppliers, container handling ports/rail facilities (and) wind energy."
Hoist manufactures equipment at its headquarters facility in Bedford Park, Illinois. "We are proudly made in the USA," Miller notes.
United Business Media Ltd subsidiary UBM Global Trade of Newark, New Jersey produces the Breakbulk Americas, Breakbulk Europe and Breakbulk Asia transportation conferences and exhibitions through its conference division.