PASS THE INFO

Whoops! Our apologies to everyone who somehow received an October 2005 edition of our Lockwood’s Product Watch e-newsletter this week. We’re red in the face.

The correct version dated December 6, 2006 is below. Again, our apologies.

December 6, 2006 Vol. 2, No. 25

Let’s start with an update this time. Meritor WABCO Vehicle Control Systems says its InfoLink communication option is now available on its simplest, least expensive 2S/1M trailer ABS system, the Enhanced Easy-Stop Basic. It means the driver can monitor and control trailer functions from the cab.

First offered in 2002 on the Enhanced Easy- Stop Premium System (2S/2M, 4S/2M, & 4S/3M), it’s available for semi- or full-trailers.

This new Basic model allows PLC messages to be shared over the constant power line between trailer and tractor. These J2497 messages are converted to J1587 protocol which can then be used by telematics devices or in-cab displays. The driver can grab and display an awful lot of information — about trailer tank pressure, for example, and axle weight, tire pressure, wheel-end bearing temperatures, trailer odometer, fault codes, trailer I.D., reefer temperatures and fuel level, slider pin engagement status, or cargo door status. It can also control trailer functions like lift-axle actuation.

Meritor WABCO says problems can be easily diagnosed by drivers or service people with no tools or additional equipment. Serious troubleshooting and repair is handled by advanced diagnostic tools like PLC DataMaster or TOOLBOX software. The Basic ABS system with InfoLink comes with a comprehensive warranty of 3 years/300,000 miles parts and labor.

With that important update done, let me move on to Wisconsin for a preview. A few weeks back I had a day with Cummins, looking ahead to a key part of next year’s new engines – exhaust aftertreatment.

But Wisconsin, you say? Isn’t Cummins an Indiana outfit? Well, yes, but one of its business units — Cummins Emission Solutions (CES) – makes
diesel particulate filters in a plant an hour north of Madison. The factory, in the small town of Mineral Point, actually started life in the hands of Nelson Muffler in 1947 but it’s a far cry from that four-person operation today. There are 350 people working in what is a recently expanded 72,000-sq-ft facility that’s very ready to take on ’07. For them it’s almost old hat.

“Catalytic exhaust systems may be considered something of a new technology for medium- and heavy-duty diesel engines, but they certainly are not new for this facility,” said Mike Cross, Cummins vice president and general manager of Cummins Emission Solutions.

CES has been preparing for the EPA 2007 emissions changes for five years, and its products have accumulated nearly 17 million test miles across multiple platforms and applications.

The plant has actually made more than 1.5 million diesel oxidation catalysts for trucks and well over 10,000 medium- and heavy-duty diesel particulate filters in its history.

But CES doesn’t just build new-engine and retrofit aftertreatment systems for Cummins; it actually has several other North American and European engine-maker customers, Mack and Volvo among them. At CES plants in England and South Africa, it’s producing selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems for European medium- and heavy-duty vehicles meeting Euro IV and V emissions rules.