Kässbohrer participated in the annual meeting of ECTA

ECTA, European Chemical Transport Association, is a non-profit organization, with the aim to unite chemical transport companies under one umbrella and to organize the "Responsible Care" initiative for the European chemical industry.

Kässbohrer, as an ECTA member, works with well-known associations, partners and research institutes in the automotive industry to improve the standards of efficiency, safety, and security as well as the environmental and social impacts of the transport and logistics of chemical goods in Europe.

Kässbohrer’s Executive Board Member for Business Development İffet Türken said after the annual meeting of ECTA: "With co-operation partners from all over Europe, we are developing new technologies for use in trailer engineering. The knowledge and insights gained flow directly into the development of our trailers. Today we combine innovative power and quality that have marked out Kässbohrer for generations, with the opportunities of state-of-the-art commercial vehicle technology. The results are technologies like the "Digital Trailer Control" (DTC) and, of course, the winner of the Trailer Innovation Price 2017 in the Safety category: the KÄSSBOHRER Safety Bitumen Tanker."

Ms. Türken added: “Kässbohrer has always set new standards in the transport industry. The first tank-semitrailer was built in the early thirties for an Opel Blitz motor car and in 1951 the first Kässbohrer silo-semitrailer was built with a mechanical discharge device. Kässbohrer’s long-term success is built on the spirit of excellence that drives Kässbohrer engineers to transcend the ordinary to achieve a level of efficiency, simplicity and reliability seldom seen."
 

STATE OF THE
ART PROGRESS

Inspired by his history, Kässbohrer offers the widest product range from Ulm to Seoul. Taking into account the unique set of challenges of its customers, Kässbohrer anticipate future trends and technology to innovate and offer the most efficient and reliable products – fully aligned to the practical requirements and needs of its customers.

As a result, as Kässbohrer has won the Trailer Innovation 2017 award in safety category, Kässbohrer also exhibited digitally controlled tipping silo in the latest IAA Show to demonstrate its competence on how to incorporate latest technology in R&D investments and product development.

PIONEERING SAFETY STANDARDS IN BITUMEN TRANSPORT
KÄSSBOHRER SAFETY BITUMEN TANKER: K.STS F

Kässbohrer has engineered Kässbohrer Safety Bitumen Tanker, K.STS.F 32, with a fine example of industry collaboration with Hoyer Bitumen-Logistik GmbH, the German bitumen transport subsidiary of Hoyer Group, one of the worldwide market leaders in moving liquids.

Implementing the latest technology into the tank semi-trailer design, Kässbohrer’s new concept improves European best practices for occupational health and safety, as well as the discharge operation safety and efficiency in general.

The electronic discharge automation system installed on K.STS.F 32, along with additional security features not only protects the driver, avoiding possible permanent injury, it increases security of the operation site and the equipment as well. The result is safer working conditions, lower risks in order to increase the total value of ownership and lower operational costs.

SMART AND EFFICIENT
HI-TECH SAFETY FEATURES

The Remote Control for Discharge, as a part of the electronic discharge automation system, gives the driver the ability to operate 6 meters away from the discharge area hence putting him in a safer zone for the operation. The sequential opening and closing of the valves is automatic, which takes care of the operational oversight of not opening the first valve. The algorithm governing the remote control unit is written by Kässbohrer.

Protection Cover with Dripping Pan adds additional feature to the existing protection cover. The protection cover seals and secures the hose, functions as a dripping pan when opened. The need for additional fixture to avoid dripping becomes redundant.

Safe Start System is connected with the protection cover with dripping pan, hand rails and the remote control panel to makes sure that the tanker does not move under any circumstances. Once the dripping pan opened, the tank semi-trailer brakes automatically. Furthermore, in case hand rail or dripping pan is left open, the brakes will not be released.

Temperature Datalogger is mounted on the remote control panel. Temperature datalogger monitors and records the temperature change inside the tank. The system works as a pre-emptive risk management function in case of a product irregularity.

Operational Excellence Features, including the tire monitoring system, the brake pad wear indicator, the tail guard system and led lightings are installed to ensure an uninterrupted logistics operation, as well as to maximize road safety of the tailing vehicles.
 

MAXIMIZING SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY
EVERTHING UNDER CONTROL

The DTC unit is designed to maximize the safety of drivers and operators, by centralizing the mechanical control of different silo semi-trailer equipment in a single digital control unit, acting as a remote controller. The DTC can be used both on iOS and Android devices.

The DTC system was nominated at Trailer Innovation 2015, during the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in 2014.

The main value of the DTC is minimizing occupational injury risks which generate a substantial cost in terms of healthcare and productivity, as well as administrative costs.

As European Agency for Safety and Health at Work suggests, outdoor workplaces have to be arranged to avoid injury risks. So the DTC can be implemented as an accident prevention tool and assist the user for a safe ride.

How it works?

The DTC interface has two main screens: Control Screen and Information Screen.

Through the Control Screen, the user can control various semi-trailer functions from a safe distance, including the working lamp, breathing valve, pump, tipper, vibrator, axle lifting, driving height and traction help.

By operating these functions using a single screen, the operator saves his/her precious time, while he/she no longer needs to climb the vehicle for opening or closing valves, risking falling down and getting injured.

On the other hand, the Information Screen of the DTC shows all the information about the semi-trailer on a single screen, including the 5th wheel load and axle load, tank pressure, the travelled distance, air pressure, system voltage, brake wear and lateral inclination angle of the semi-trailer. The system warns the operator when the 5th wheel load and axle load exceeds the permitted safety limits, indicates the need for replacement of brake pads and prevents the tipping if the inclination angle is above the safety limits.

The DTC is designed to be used in all other semi-trailer types as well by applying small changes to its interface, without the need of any additional equipment.