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'Poor relation' can save operators a fortune

12th September 1981
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Page 47, 12th September 1981 — 'Poor relation' can save operators a fortune
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Your friendly pt-o manufacturer is eager to help, explains Tim Blakemore

TONY RYDER of Spicer Power Products Division describes the power take-off as the "poor relation" in the commercial vehicle industry.

His reason has nothing to do with the profitability of the pt-o business. What it relates to is the attitude of many commercial vehicle purchasers and indeed suppliers. He contends, and many pt-o suppliers will agree, that too often no thought is given to the pt-o specification until the last moment before the vehicle is ready to roll.

This, he suggests, inevitably leads to a situation depressingly familiar a pt-o salesman. He receives a Friday afternoon phone call from a customer who needs a pt-o to drive an hydraulic pump which powers a crane, but the client is not quite sure what pressure and flow rate are required.

Neither is the caller certain which gearbox is fitted to the vehicle. However, he does know that when mounted the pt-o somehow has to miss the adjacent exhaust pipe and cross-member. Naturally, he does not want to pay too high a price for the pt-o. And delivery time is not really urgent; he will send someone around in a couple of hours to collect it.

In the pt-o manufacturer's Utopia, the customer knows the working pressure and flow rate of his crane system and the type of gearbox fitted becausehe has specified it. He realises that the pitch line velocity of the countershaft gear will allow the correct resultant speed from the pt-o, which in turn will allow the hydraulic pump to develop sufficient power at an economical engine speed.

The customer is also fully aware of the space limitations around the gearbox.

The pt-o people at Turner Manufacturing Co Ltd at Wolverhampton may occasionally dream of this customer — but they are realists at heart. As power take-off experts they must continue to advise their customers "without talking down to them."

The manufacturer's policy is to probe gently, detect astutely, then coax in entirety from clients the operational detail required. Many customers old and new find the two booklets produced by Power Products division on pt-o's and hydraulic pumps to be very useful as guides through the forest of specifications.

The section describing the correct way to mount a pt-o could save many operators a fortune in damaged gear teeth and downtime. Early estimates are that 70 per cent of all pt-o failures are caused by incorrect fitting. Regular pt-o customers will be familiar with the product name Chelsea and its connection with Earby Light Engineering of Colne, Lancashire. Here it is important to explain the relationship between Earby, Chelsea and the Turner-Spicer group.

In 1968 Earby, a sub contracting machining company, was acquired by Turner's, who themselves later became 35 per cent owned by the Dana Corporation of America.

Chelsea, by far the largest pt-o manufacturer in the United States with 96 per cent of the home market, was also part of that Corporation and the decision was made to market Chelsea pt-o's through Earby in the UK.

After two years demand was sufficient to justify the setting up of an assembly plant at Colne. This radically changed Earby's role from that of purely sales and marketing to manufacturing as well.

The latest chapter in the story was written last October. As part of the reorganisation of Turner-Spicer companies in Britain, the pt-o operation moved from Colne to Wolverhampton and became the Spicer Power Products Division. Senior staff moved from Colne and six more were recruited locally.

All the signs point to increasing success for Earby in its new home. However, no move could enable the company to avoid the ravages of the recession. Sales figures have suffered. But they "bottomed out" last December and have improved steadily each month since then.

Tony Ryder puts this down to two factors: signs that the worst of the recession is over; and, significantly, increasing market penetration for Chelsea pt-o's. By the beginning of 1982 he expects thereto have been a dramatic sales leap.

He feels that sales are influenced greatly by the pt-o manufacturer's ability to offer complete tipping gear packages including pt-o, pump and rams. Understandably, many tipper operators prefer to buy all their tipping gear from one manufacturer.

By the end of this year Earby's customers, too, will be able to do just that. By then Dana should have completed its acquisition of various tipping gear component manufacturers including Tyrone (pumps), Gresen (valves), Hyco (hydraulic cylinders), Weatherhead (fittings) and Williams (hoses).

Already the list of customers for Chelsea pt-o's in this country is an impressive one including Angloco Ltd, Atlas Cranes, Chubb Fire Vehicles, Coles Cranes, DJB Engineering Ltd, FL Douglas (Equipment) Ltd, Jack Allen (Motor Bodies) Ltd, Reynolds Boughton Chassis Ltd, and Walter Alexander and Co Ltd. When major tipper operators could be added to that list, then who knows how big a slice of the UK pt-o market Dana could win for itself? And tipper applications represent the biggest single sector of the pt-o market in this country.

Last year, about 25 per cent of Power Products business was export with the majority of that going to Europe through nine sales outlets on the Continent. Volvo and the Finnish heavy vehicle manufacturer, Sisu, place regular orders for pt-o's.

The bespoke nature of the pt-o business was demonstrated to me, when I visited Wolverhampton, by the recent subtle change that has been made to the casing on side mounted A22 series. One customer found that the angle of the outlet flange on the original model was taking its pump too close to another component. The solution was to change the angle of the flange on the cast ings. It was neither a cheap nor easy solution, but one that is worth while to satisfy a valued customer.

An urgent quest for a pt-o was received from Jack Allen (Motor Bodies) in the morning. I was told that the pt-o would be built and delivered that same day.

Why not stock complete pt-o's? The answer is that there are so many possible variations that the cost of stocking a reasonable selection would be enormous. It makes better sense to stock the components and build up the pt-o's as and when required.

Each device really is made to measure. At one time the division has close to 200 different types of gear alone in stock, never mind shafts and casings, etc.

And that really explains why the manufacturer needs so much information from the customer. It would be to the benefit of everyone concerned if the pt-o manufacturer could change from the poor relation into the rich uncle. Rich in information that is.


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