Scania launches next generation “XT” construction range

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Scania Group Press Release  /  September 4, 2017

Scania today launches the "XT" truck range, which is tailor-made for the construction industry. “This industry is facing increasing demands for sustainable and cost-effective production. Each component in the complex construction logistics process must adapt to higher standards for efficiency and Scania XT is our contribution to this shift,” says President and CEO Henrik Henriksson.

The new construction range is the second stage in Scania’s introduction of new generation trucks, the fruits of more than ten year’s development with an investment exceeding EUR 2 billion.

Following an extensive analysis of the multi-faceted construction industry, Scania has developed a comprehensive range to meet the highly diverse transport assignments within the sector.

Scania XT is uniquely offered for the entire range of cab and engine specifications, from the smallest P-series cab to the spacious S-series cab. Customers can select engines with power outputs ranging from 280 to 730 hp. The broad specifications are complemented by a host of services to ensure the highest uptime, reliability and profitability for customers.

The introduction of the XT range by Scania marks the start of a targeted offensive with tailor-made solutions focused on demanding customers in Europe. “We are putting a higher emphasis on construction,” states Henriksson. “We now have the right products, the right services and the right skills to match Scania’s leading position in long-distance vehicles.”

Transporters in the construction industry normally form part of a larger process and crucially must avoid disruptions. Scania has therefore – in addition to tough and durable vehicles – created an entire ecosystem of services that ensure uninterrupted deliveries while improving customers’ profitability.

“The global construction industry continues to grow and Scania now presents enhanced tools to meet the demand,” says Henriksson. “We are well aware of the slim margins for many hauliers in this business and we have developed vehicles and solutions to ensure sustained profitability.”

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New construction range: A dream mission for Scania’s designers

Scania Group Press Release  /  September 12, 2017

The mission was a dream come true for Scania’s design team – to style a completely new truck range for the very toughest construction operations, and to do it in close cooperation with future users of these new vehicles.

The XT range is the second phase in Scania’s new generation of trucks, designed for heavy, tough and rough construction operations. It’s built using Scania’s modular system as a base, but many new parts had to be designed to complete the new range.

Describing their work with the new construction vehicles, Scania’s designers sometimes talk about “being true to the materials”.

“Everything added to this range has its function and is thought out from the users’ point of view,” Hansén explains. “For example, the new bumper is extremely robust and efficient. There is no plastic and no extra parts – it’s a solid metallic bumper. It’s reliable and it works perfectly, and that’s what its design expresses.”

Proud of the teamwork

In his work as team leader for the exterior design, Anders Lundgren had to stay true to the key words “athletic”, “dynamic” and “recognisable”, the same key words he adhered to when developing the new generation long-haulage vehicles. “But with these new construction vehicles we introduced another key word – “authentic”, Lundgren says.

“In the construction range it’s very much about heavy work,” he continues, “and that should be experienced in the materials we are working with. Being ‘authentic’ means you never compromise with material. It’s a challenge to style parts in four-millimetre high-tensile steel instead of plastics, and make it work together with the rest of the cab and truck. The feature lines had to be adopted in a certain way. Looking at the final result, I’m truly proud of the work the team has done. I do think we succeeded in expressing the strength of the design in a honest and unique way.”

Lundgren beats a fist in his palm and explains: “I always had this vision of the bumper and what the construction vehicles do – like the strength of a fist! With the lower front of these new trucks, I really think we got it right.”

Driver focus

Lead Exterior Stylist Allan Macdonald stresses the importance of Scania’s modularisation in a project such as the new XT range. “Functions are top of the list on a truck like this,” he says. “You can’t have different functions compromising each other. And as the functions are so visible you can’t separate the styling from the function.”

Another example of the very visible functions is the side step on the body, which has been integrated in these trucks to let the driver have a good view over the tipper body. “It’s strong, rigid and combined with a steady roof handle for the driver,” Mac-donald says. “This is typically a functionality made for the driver.”

The same driver focus is involved in developing a new interior for the construction vehicles. Anna Börjesson Bodestig, Senior Industrial Designer, describes it as “an optimised day cab for a more tough and rough working situation”.

“We have focused on making the interior as functional and durable as possible,” she says. “We have optimised many small details – the extendable instrument panel, more flexible storage, a rear window, new seats, new mats with higher edges – all to give the construction drivers their best working environment ever.”

Another important focus area for the interior design has been safety.

“For a construction driver it’s important to have very good direct vision around the cab and the possibility of reaching all buttons and other things around him or her easily,” she says. “Several small details come together here to optimise the construction driver’s environment.”

Safety through colour and material

A sometimes forgotten safety factor is the impact of colour and material on the driving environment. For Christina Isomaa, Team Leader of Colour and Trim at Scania’s design team, this is an important matter. “We make colour and material choices optimised for our customers and their needs,” she says. “An obvious aspect is to choose easy-to-clean materials for the interior in order to keep it fresh. Interior colours are created for both comfort and safety at the same time. To handle a heavy construction vehicle in a stressful environment, the focus should be completely on the driving. Our target has been to create safety through our colour harmony in the cab; it should please you, not disturb you.”

For the exterior the opposite is true. “Blaze Orange is one colour among many in our Scania palette,” Isomaa says. “The choice here was easy. Orange is a strong colour – a strong colour for a strong brand. It’s also about safety, of course. These vehicles operate in surroundings where their visibility is essential. Orange is, in many ways, nature’s own warning colour.”

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Lifetime costs mean everything

Scania Group Press Release  /  September 18, 2017

Paul Smart Transport is operating at the ­forefront of the fast-changing construction industry. That’s why the UK haulage contractor has been testing Scania’s new construction vehicles for more than a year.

Fierce competition and changing legislation have made Paul Smart Transport an innovative and demanding haulier. The company is based in Bristol, in the UK, and operates a fleet of 35 trucks.

“In 2008, 100 percent of our fleet was from another truck brand,” says owner Paul Smart. “Today, we are 100 percent Scania.

“We get a very low vehicle downtime”

“This change is due to the total operating economy,” he explains. “For sure, the upfront cost of a Scania vehicle may not be the cheapest, but with its reliability, fuel economy and the support we get from the dealerships, we get a very low vehicle downtime.

“And together with the services we get, this is the most cost-efficient solution for a construction haulier today,” he says.

Paul Smart has the ‘2+2’ on all new Scania trucks, which means a two-year warranty and two years service, including the yearly Ministry of Transport test. This, he says, gives him peace of mind and enables him to plan all maintenance ahead at a fixed cost.

“In the past few years we have constantly checked and compared Scania with other brands, but we have stayed with Scania because no one beats their lifetime cost,” he says.

Smart started his own company in 1993, and since beginning with just one second-hand truck Paul Smart Transport has become a sizeable and innovative modern construction haulier. Today the company delivers asphalt, aggregates, sand, animal feed, glass and agricultural crops all over the UK.

“Improving efficiency is more important than ever”

“With constantly shrinking margins in the construction transport industry, improving efficiency is more important than ever for operators like us,” Smart says. “We need really reliable vehicles. That’s why we only work with Scania.”

Over the years Paul Smart has seen many changes in the construction transport business – and he has constantly adapted his company’s strategies and vehicle fleet in response.

“The most important changes have been the much longer distances and heavier loads in our business,” Smart explains. “Like most contractors, we used to work locally. Now we often deliver heavy loads of gravel or asphalt for road construction work that is more than 100 kilometres from Bristol. And that of course puts new demands on the vehicles we need. They must be robust and fit enough for tough operations in gravel pits and on dirt roads. At the same time they need to be fast and adaptable to the traffic on our highways.”

When asked to participate in Scania’s field tests of the new construction vehicles, Paul Smart immediately came up with some ideas to reduce the weight of the vehicles, to allow for a higher payload.

“Weight is crucial for us, especially in these longer transport missions,” says Smart. “If we are to earn some money in this business we need to load as much as possible as efficiently as possible, under the existing legislation.”

Smart adds that reliability of the vehicles is also of the utmost importance. “We are delivering products to customers working with highway maintenance. That means there are people there who are waiting for us and who are completely dependent on our deliveries.”

If the vehicle doesn’t get there in time, there will be penalties and charges. “But never for us,” says Smart, proudly. “The uptime we find with this new Scania is absolutely brilliant. Downtime doesn’t exist. The support we get from the local dealerships to keep us moving is outstanding.”

The construction industry in south-west England is booming, and demand for road surface material is higher than ever. “So we need to increase our capacity and be more efficient,” says Smart. “Then we need lighter vehicles that can take heavier loads.”

The field-test tipper that Paul Smart Transport is using in its operations is an eight-wheeler Scania G 370. Jason Townsend is extremely proud that he was chosen as a field-test driver for this future construction vehicle. Five days a week he transports gravel from a basalt quarry to an asphalt plant at Avonmouth, near Bristol. From there he delivers hot asphalt to road-building sites in the region.

“The road surface varies a lot”

Townsend explains that operations can vary from one day to another. “Some days it’s just short transports, with lots of starts and stops,” he says. “Other days it’s long distances with just a few stops and drops. The road surface varies a lot too. It can be very rough roads at low speed in the morning and hard surfaces at high speed in the afternoon.”

Townsend comes from a haulage family and grew up around trucks. He sees his mission as a once-in-a-lifetime experience and he only has praise for the new truck.

“From where the product was before,” he says, measuring with his hand above his head, “it has now gone up through the roof! That goes for the steering, the gearshifting, the braking system, the vision from the cab – everything relating to safety has been vastly improved.

“The thing I like most is the improved braking system,” he says, “especially in combination with the retarder. As a driver you really feel you are in full control with this vehicle.”

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[james j neiweem]

Good looking tipper.

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In viewing this video, on the history of Scania in the construction industry, you'll note that at once time (many years ago....when BC Mack was a young man), most Scania trucks were "conventionals" (trucks with a hood/bonnet). But in pursuit of more efficient transport, Scania transitioned to cab-over-engine design.

The last Scania conventional was the "T Series", utilizing the COE cab. It's still available via special order through a third party.

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Alnwick, Northumberland, UK-based K.W. Purvis. (Thompson "Loadmaster" double-wall body)