Fleet owners are in a position to influence heavy equipment manufacturers to produce better products.
This was the message that SSAB, a steel company headquartered in Sweden, communicated during a technical seminar it recently organised in Dubai for end-users.
Read: SSAB makes the case for high-strength steel
Ozgur Yalcin, area sales manager at SSAB Middle East, told Construction Week on the sidelines of the seminar that fleet owners know what’s happening on the ground and are the best people to help manufacturers understand how they can improve their products.
“Fleet owners are the main decision makers when it comes to the selection of vehicles,” he explained. “They know their business better than we do, and we know steel better than they do.
“Our target is to combine our expertise, so [the end-users] can help manufacturers produce better products and, in turn, improve the performance and efficiency of their fleets.”
End-users, said Yalcin, need to share their concerns and relay the issues that they are facing to machinery suppliers, noting that these concerns typically include payload, fuel and maintenance costs, and product lifespan.
SSAB, added Yalcin, are aware of those concerns and have developed their product lines, Hardox wear plate and Strenx performance steel, precisely to address them.
According to SSAB, Hardox wear plate offers better wear resistance, higher payload, and longer service life compared to others on the market. Its Strenx structural steel portfolio, meanwhile, was reportedly developed in response to the need for strong yet light and sustainable steel products.
Yalcin said that while SSAB works closely with manufacturers and regards them as partners in the industry, the company recognises the unique position of end-users.
“We are in contact with tipper and trailer manufacturers, and they know Hardox and Strenx very well, but in the end, [the request for our products] should come from the end-users,” he said.
“The end users have to tell the manufacturers that they want to reduce their cost, that they want their vehicles to have a lighter body, higher payload, less maintenance cost, and longer lifespan.”
He continued: “SSAB has always had a strong end-user focus. And we have been sensing a need in the market to address end-user concerns, as well as educate them on the benefits of using high-strength steel in superstructures.”
In September this year, SSAB launched its next-generation Hardox steel wear plates, the Hardox 500 Tuf. Yalcin told Construction Week that more products are in development.
“We want to keep our leadership in the market, and that’s why SSAB is working hard. We are developing new products. Product development is one of the priorities of the company, because we want to exceed expectations and provide our customers the best steel and best service in the world,” Yalcin concluded.
