Mechanical Components and Sensor Systems For Intelligent Trailers

Mechanical components and sensor systems for intelligent trailers

SAF-HOLLAND at IAA: smart products for today and the digital future

Particularly lightweight products and an air suspension without hydraulic shock absorbers, automatic coupling and uncoupling as well as digital as-sistance systems: at the IAA Com-mercial Vehicles 2018 SAF -HOL-LAND showed what moves the indus-try and equips it ready for the future. “In 2018, we once again showed at

IAA what we are made of and what we can do: SAF-HOLLAND stands for innova-tion in every respect, be it for weight-optimised products or the digital networking of commercial vehicles,” summarises SAF-HOLLAND CEO Detlef Borghardt.

The numerous new products from the traditional and the new world of commercial vehicles as well as the live demonstrations drew many national and international visitors. The close proximity to the stand of the Italian coupling expert V.ORLANDI, which was acquired in 2018, emphasised the expansion in the SAF-HOLLAND Group which wants to make increased use of synergies in the future.

Efficient and safe: automatic coupling

During a live demonstration at the booth, the supplier for commercial vehicle parts showed how automatic coupling will make semi-trailer trucks ready for an efficient and safe future: The fully Automatic Coupling system saves up to five minutes during each coupling process and prevents errors caused by manual coupling.

Ready for electrification with SAF TRAKe and SAF TRAKr

The two prototypes for the e-axles SAF TRAKr and SAF TRAKe were presented for the first time. The use of recuperation technology will allow them to lower emis-sions and fuel consumption of the overall vehicle, for example during inner-city refrigerated night-time transport. SAF TRAKe additionally uses the saved energy to support the propulsion of the tractor unit, for example on hills.

SAF-HOLLAND: higher additional load through reduced weight

An important aspect of the presentation of the new products was howweight-optimised axles and suspension systems allow higher additional loads, increasing efficiency and saving costs. One action area at the booth provided information on the SAF Adaptive Air Damping which uses no hydraulic shock absorbers and will be available from 2019. The hydraulically driven SAF TRAK axle,

which supports tractor units on difficult terrain at the press of a button, has recently gone into production. SAF-HOLLAND presented other new lightweight products, including from the SAF MODUL and SAF INTRA series.

Digital SAF-HOLLAND world

The digital applications from SAF-HOLLAND showed what fleets need to manage their trailers. The brand new speech assistant answers questions on axles, repair manuals or order numbers – directly while the mechanic works on the vehicle. The new augmented reality application makes complex situations more accessible, guides through individual repair steps and makes repairs even more efficient.

Fleet managers can now always keep an eye on their trailers with the Fleet Service Platform Trailer Master. The installed products are equipped with sensors and transmit relevant data, for example on GPS position, tire pressure or wheel bearing temperature. This allows drivers and fleet managers to react to any unusual devel-opments, saving costs and minimising risks. The right combination of mechanical components and sensor system makes the trailer of the future intelligent.