Business Fleet Africa

At the recent International Fair of Public Transport Transexpo in Kielce, Poland, Voith presented its latest solutions and strategies focused on increasing driveline and bus fleet efficiency. Ensuring better air quality, Voith shone a spotlight on its new LP 490 air compressor equipped with TwinSave technology.

An additional control valve in the second compressor stage allows additional energy savings whilst idling, thus enabling operation as a closed pressure line with an external control. In applications requiring a drivethrough option on the air compressor, savings of up to 25% can be achieved compared to today’s industry-wide reference standard, the Voith SLS.

SLS is the German acronym for automatic idle fuel system and hence the products name. For applications without a drive-through option on the air compressor, Voith will equip several compressor types with an integrated coupling in the future.

The component is installed directly on the gear of the compressor. Consequently, no additional installation space is needed. This saves up to 45% compared to the SLS. According to Voith, its air compressors excel due to their significantly higher energy efficiency ratings, low-emission operation and lowered working temperatures. Protection from oil cracking, reduced weight and extended service intervals are benefits customers can expect from the compressor.

The Voith retrofit portfolio covers pre-charged two- and three-cylinder compressors made from grey cast iron or cast aluminium. Suitable retrofit kits are available for Mercedes-Benz, Volvo/Renault, MAN and engines Euro 3 to Euro 5. Voith says that it supports the customer for the entire component lifetime, offering a broad range of preventive and corrective maintenance services.

Benefits customers can expect include:

Expert technical advice and support services;
Preventive maintenance initiatives: including health checks, as well as fuel and driving behaviour optimisation programmes;
Several training programmes;
Digital Service Solutions: SmartServices;
Voith remanufactured components;
Original spare parts and the high-performance automatic transmission oil, Shell Spirax S6 ATF VM Plus;
Central lubrication systems and fire suppression systems for engine compartments with water mist.

Voith has also extended its portfolio to include SmartAssist and the SmartMaintenance product families. SmartAssist informs the driver in real time about driving behaviour, providing tips for possible improvements and supplying corresponding reports to the fleet management. SmartMaintenance uses a simple traffic light system to provide drivelinemonitoring information – this facilitates a predictive and cost saving maintenance approach.

Vehicle availability is increased and breakdowns are avoided. Bus operators know the exact condition of the transmission and also receive information on additional components within the driveline. The remanufactured components allow fleet operators to considerably reduce their expenditure without compromising on quality or reliability.

At the end of the remanufacturing process, there is a product with new-build quality and a full factory warranty. The utilisation of selected and exceptionally high-quality base oils in combination with a high-performance additive system makes it possible to extend the oil change intervals of all current Voith DIWA.5 transmissions to the maximum allowable limit of 180 000 kilometers and/or three years under all operating conditions.