Thanks to a range of different factors including legislation, research and development, as well as investment, Europe is arguably at the forefront of a move towards a more sustainable commercial transport industry.
While this is exciting in concept, BPW’s Personally Liable Managing Partner, Markus Schell says legislators need to remember that market demand is what matters.
“You can try and educate the world on the benefits of sustainability and its technology, but it won’t work if the market can’t afford it,” he said. “But if you have good solutions and the market thinks it is good for the wallet, then you will see action.”
The nature of BPW’s research, development and offerings – a vast product lineup that includes trailer axles, brakes and steering systems among others – means its sustainability and CO2 reduction plan is made up of small, but consistent approaches and applications, that are easy for manufacturers and vehicle operators to implement.
Fellow Managing Partner, Achim Kotz, points out that weight and digitisation are always part of the sustainability discussion, and for good reason.
“It is about the tools you use, which then help you become more sustainable as a fleet,” he said. “Getting real data every 15 minutes means you can adjust your processes whether that involves loads or tyre pressure. All of these little things add up and make a big difference.”
Case in point is BPW’s newly unveiled HESTAL FLowMaster. Launched at IAA Transportation 2024, the simple solution for improving the aerodynamics of trailers comes with some good results and statistics to back it.
From BPW’s Group’s HESTAL brand, the aerodynamically optimised end beam promises to significantly increase efficiency in commercial vehicle traffic. Simply put, it is a folding end element of the trailer roof to the rear frame, and acts as an integrated roof spoiler, with a protrusion of just 55 mm beyond the end of the vehicle. It shifts the air turbulence far behind the semitrailer and thus reduces air resistance.
For trailer manufacturers, it makes a significant contribution towards VECTO certification with a CO2 saving of up to 1.4 per cent without requiring significant design changes to the vehicle or the assembly process.
The fact that it can be retrofitted is a hugely important aspect for BPW, as part of its sustainability mission is to reduce the number of spare parts a vehicle needs over its lifetime and to continue to use that same vehicle for as long as possible.
Another solution that can be retrofitted is BPW’s new running gear generation iC Plus. The new iC Plus retrofit kit means transport companies can quickly and cost-efficiently retrofit their existing trailer axles from the ECO Air and Airlight II series, with telematics and intelligent functions for fleets and predictive maintenance, in line with demand. This makes it possible to bring an entire existing fleet to new levels of efficiencies, without having to wait to purchase a new trailer.
BPW also hasn’t taken its eye off the important aspect of reducing carbon emissions when it comes to their own production and manufacturing processes.
“Amongst others we are taking a close look at the supply chain,” said Schell. “About 95 per cent of the materials used in our foundries are already recycled and 86 per cent of our supplier parts come from Europe, so that we have short transport routes and strengthen the European economy.”
Together with various partners, BPW has now reached a milestone where it can source running gear components, like the axle beam and suspension, from CO2-neutral prefabrication. This option is even available for one of BPWs’ latest solutions, the LightTube lightweight trailing arm.
“We can then optionally provide corresponding certificates at the customer’s request to prove the CO2 neutrality of these products,” Schell added.
Another important step towards reducing carbon emissions is the issue of remanufacturing. In April BPW launched the BPW Reman Line, with a first product being remanufactured brake callipers for the BPW trailer disc brake series ECO Disc TSB. This enables vehicle operators to carry out economical, safe and sustainable repairs on their trailer at the familiar level of quality and safety in line with the current value of the vehicle.
“In addition, CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process are reduced by around 70 per cent, as the CO2-intensive production of a new cast part is eliminated,” said Kotz.
He admits that these are small measures in the scheme of things, but is confident that with time, the circular economy within the industry will flourish.
“It’s just a small aspect of the whole circulation, but it is a relevant point in our holistic approach to make the products economical and sustainable for the customer and for us as a company,” he said.