British makers steal imelight at Dutch show
Page 28
Page 29
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
3i11 Godwin reports from Nedex in Rotterdam
WHEN Fred Mulley, MP, vlinister for Transport, oured the large British ection at last week's Nedexurofreight show after the )fficial opening he was left in to doubt about the noblems facing trailer nakers wishing to sell to Europe. With a full :omplement of well-known lames in the U.K. industry 'orming the major foreign )articipation at the kotterdam show practically 2:very stand holder emphasised the need for .nore action to remove legislative obstacles without which British products could gain wider access to Continental markets. For sales in Holland, for example, U.K. type approval is a prerequisite and delays in procedure here inhibit the marketing programme.
While the uncertain economic climate has made the future of many specialist exhibitions very doubtful the surprise announcement that Nedex is to revert to its annual cycle can be read as a good omen, at least for the transport industry. The close co-operation between British and Dutch operators and the growing awareness of the ideal location of the Netherlands as •a continental base for transport equipment suppliers was strongly evident from the international flavour of many of the exhibits.
Recently Freight Bonallack appointed Renova N.V. the Dutch specialist for swop body systems as distributor for the Low Countries. At Nedex the first Coldsaver chassisless semi-trailer van sold under the new arrangement formed the British maker's main exhibit. Close by, Cravens Industries Sales Ltd showed two interesting examples of Anglo-Dutch co-operation, a Burg drawbar trailer with an Edbro-fitted Task tip Homalloy tipping body and a U.K. built semi-trailer with a Heering alloy T.I.R. tilt body. Two Furofleet rental trailers, one a step-frame van in the outside park, completed the Cravens display. Northern Vehicles Distributors Ltd, of Glasgow, had two semitrailers at Nedex with a Cohen-bodied 12 m T.I.R. unit attracting considerable attention. The GillinghaM builder's superstructure incorporated the attractive alloy dropsides similar to those first shown at Earls Court but now using an improved profile.
Exhibits by the York Trailer Company included two semi-trailers on the stand in the British section as well as a Cooks-bodied T.I.R. semi-trailer on the stand of Rolands', the wellknown Dutch supplier of T.1.R. tilt covers. At Nedex the York Trailer Company also announced a new range of I.S.O. containers using g.r.p. construction. The 20ft unit shown at Rotterdam had side and front walls of single sheets of 19 mm thick marine ply reinforced with glass reinforced plastic, both sides. The roof is a one piece pre-bowed 12.5mm thick sheet. The Nedex prototype used German steel sections for the perimeter frame.
An entirely new development in the handling of bulk liquids was revealed by the British Hovercraft Corporation in conjunction with Winn International Containers Ltd. The Conflex system, demonstrated at Nedex with the co-operation of the Rotterdam fire brigade, uses a purpose-built half-height (4ft 3in) container with a specially-developed flexible bag. The container has hinged sides and ends which fold inwards over the bag when empty thus allowing the equipment to be returned in one third of the space occupied when full.
Each of the split corner posts has a patented twistlock to permit two or more Conflex units to be lockstacked in transit. The bag tank has a capacity of 3000 gals. (13,650 litres) and is filled, by pressure, through two connectors in the base frame or, by gravity, through top fill/vent connections. A restraining harness is fitted across the top of the bag which can be supplied in several different materials for compatibility with non-hazardous chemicals, foodstuffs, etc. The equipment is manufactured by Body Engineering Ltd, of Aberdeen. Container interest at Nedex is always considerable and Pacton's, the sole Dutch container builder, showed two of a large number of 40ft units now in course of delivery to an Iran company. One of the show exhibits was fitted with a flexible Valeron liner for use as a bulk powder tank. Another Pacton development on display was a 20ft open-side container fitted with trucktype dropsides of alloy construction and heavy-duty curtains.
One of several Dutch vehicle bodybuilders at Nedex, Heering of Vaassen, demonstrated an interesting combination of demountable bodywork and demountable taillifts. The swop system was a mechanical version of the Carrus design in which a pair of chassis-mounted racktype jacks is operated by a crank to lift the rear of the body so that the landing legs can be extended.
The French-built M.I.C. taillift is also detachable at the special request of the customer, a Dutch haulage operator who requires the mechanical lift only for certain types of traffic. The lift can be removed or replaced in under ten minutes, a detachable underrun bar being fitted when it is not in place. Rarely seen in Europe the Ottawa terminal tractor was shown by Stokvis Transport Technick. The show version had a Caterpillar diesel engine and Allison transmission. The same exhibitor also had an impressive assembly of dock shelters, loading ramps and similar terminal equipment. Storage and palletising exhibits are given much prominence at Nedex and a new design which attracted attention was a Z-base roller cage by Hordijk which allows empties to be returned in a fraction of the space normally occupied.