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Dennis Eagle makes waste into wealth...
Page 15
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I by Steve Banner
xecutives at Dennis Eagle could e forgiven for quietly rejoicing ver lveco's decision to close the eddon Atkinson (SA) assembly le in Oldham. It means their key ompetitor in the UK municipal larket is bound to suffer from ome disruption, no matter how mooth its transfer to ontinental production.
Not that sales and marketing irector Norman Thoday is jubiint over the Oldham closure—in rot he's disappointed, seeing it s another example of the ecline of UK manufacturing. But e admits: "If transferring prouction to Spain leads to a reducon in the number of options SA an offer then that could lead to a reater opportunity for us."
Ihvious contrast
tennis Eagle and SA dominate le UK's RCV market but their pproaches differ. One obvious ontrast is that SA's best-selling efuse chassis, the Pacer, has a igher cab floor than the lowntry Dennis Eagle Elite. "Elite is ■ robably closer to Mercedeslenz's Econic in design terms ban it is to Pacer," says Thoday.
Sales of SA's low-floor .uromover remain a modest 30O units a year. Dennis Eagle sold early 450 chassis and 483 RCV ladies in the UK last year, and ;xported 60 chassis and 85 bod
ies. Although it doesn't offer an eight-legger, Dennis Eagle took a 28.6% share of a UK REV and recycling chassis market worth 1,439 registrations (SA took the number two slot with 27.8%).
Thoday expects sales of wide and narrow chassis and bodies to remain at about the same level as last year in a similar sized market, picking up an extra few chassis units from SA-70% of the bodies it makes are mounted on its own chassis.
The Elite's cab will be upgraded this year, and there will be some changes to its narrower chassis. Due to the amount of landfill work handled by Elites, 80% of UK examples are 6x4s. Continentals favour 6x2 tag-steers, as do a growing number of London-based operators. Dennis Eagle fits the Cummins ISBe at 250 or 275hp, married to Allison transmissions. "Private contractors are asking us for more power, and that's something we'll be considering in the future," says Thoday.
About alternative fuels, he says: We launched a CNG option seven years ago and LPG four years ago." But operator interest is tempered by concerns about pricing, reliability and fuel availability. Dennis Eagle doesn't offer a gas engine at present "because Cummins hasn't got one that's certified to Euro-3". Almost every vehicle is built with a 24,000 Eminox CRT.
Options include a short cab, for a driver plus three crew, or a crew-cab for a driver and five. Thoday predicts a move towards smaller cabs in response to productivity improvements brought about by wheelie bins.
Last year the firm launched the smooth sided Phoenix 2 body in two widths, 2.2m and 2.5m, with up to 25m5 of space. Curved sides increase capacity by as much as 1.5m3. Concerns over weight distribution led to a short rear overhang with the front of the body as close to the front axle as possible.
The Elite is equipped with a 7.5-tonne front axle and a 12 or 19-tonne rear bogie. Many operators favour lift axles, although recent legislation is causing some difficulties with new vehicles.
Better traction
Thoday says: "Traditionally drivers would lift the axle when they went fully laden onto a landfill to get better traction, and lower it again back on the road. Now all they car do is dump the air for a short period to prevent the wheels spinning, and I'm not sure that the impact of this change is as yet appreciated.
When Dennis Eagle acquire' Jack Allen Refuse Services ii December 2000 it expecte' sales to continue, but most pec pie switched to Phoeni overnight, requiring reorganisa tion and investment at Warwick. Last year the company sper £750,000 on two new assembl lines used to mount bodies an hoppers onto Elite chassis. expects the Phoenix 2 to accour for two-thirds of its body outot by October; a far faster switc than was anticipated.
With an annual turnover c 285m, Dennis Eagle is sizeabl( but it is a lot smaller than its corr petitors: "But people can easil pop round our factory and talk t the engineering director, th chief executive, and so on, Thoday points out. "Person contact matters."