Mercedes-Benz India has launched the third generation Actros 4841K tipper 8X4 heavy duty tipper in the Indian market. The Actros 4840 was launched three years ago, and currently as many as 580 tippers are operating in mines all over India. Some of these tippers have worked for over 16, 000 hours and clocked 2,75,000 km.
Dr. Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, said: “The new Mercedes-Benz Actros has both an emotive and practical design. The most eye-catching improvement in the design is the three-millimetre-thick, pressure-tight guard plate for the radiator and engine. This stainless steel component reduces damage in the region of the radiator and engine, while accentuating the powerful styling of the new mining Actros. Also, thanks to the additional protective parts, operators can avoid expensive repairs and at the same time reduce downtimes of their trucks”.
Announcing the launch, Dr. Aulbur said that the company has bagged an order for 100 Actros from the Kolkata-based Saumya Mining Ltd. (SMPL) for 100 Actros 4841 tippers. An agreement to this effect was signed by him with Mr. Ashok Jain, SMPL Managing Director. This order makes Saumya Mining the second largest customer of Mercedes Benz Actros trucks in India, the first being BGR & Co. of Hyderabad.
Commenting on the partnership, Dr. Aulbur Benz said: “Saumya Mining is one of the leading mining companies in the country. As one of our early customers we have enjoyed a long and fruitful association. We are delighted with this partnership and are happy to support their aggressive expansion with our products.”
Saumya Mining is a leader in the mining sector in India and is engaged in extraction and mining activities, viz., coal, uranium and metalliferous mining. Currently, the company operates in Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Orissa and Maharashtra.
The Mercedes-Benz Actros is one of the most technologically advanced trucks in India. It is the fastest growing product in its segment and has helped optimize return on investment for customers because of its low operating costs, minimal maintenance requirements and driver-friendly technology.
“The Actros is a reliable and robust carrier which translates into enhanced productivity. The auto transmission, thoughtful fitments and comfort ensure low driver fatigue; the on-board maintenance system ensures optimized efficiencies while efficient on-site support from Mercedes-Benz ensures that there is minimum downtime. These make the Actros an obvious choice for our mining operations” commented Mr. Ashok Jain, Managing Director, Saumya Mining Pvt. Ltd.
With the local production of the Actros, Mercedes-Benz has ensured that it can meet the increasing demand from customers in India. The footprint of the Actros has grown over the last few years, and the trucks now operate across 25 mines in seven States in India. The service and after-sales footprint has also kept pace with this growth: presently having 30 after-sales touch points in India.
The growing economy and focus on infrastructural development has increased the scope and demand for high-tonnage applications in India. The company is also evaluating Actros offerings for other segments in India.
The Actros is the largest selling truck model worldwide. Part of the Truck of the Year 2009 family, the Actros represents a radically cost-effective, comfortable, safe and environmentally compatible product, setting benchmarks in the heavy duty truck segment in India.
“Over 600,000 Actros trucks have been sold worldwide since its inception in 1996 and the Actros continues to remain one of the most trusted brands in the heavy tonnage ap-plications segment. The Actros has also been featured in the Guinness Book of World Records as ‘the most fuel efficient truck’ indicating that this robust high-tonnage carrier delivers not just in terms of capabilities but also offers optimized returns to customers. The truck will be a valuable partner for the vibrant Indian mining and infrastructure operators, and we have high expectations from this product in India”, commented Dr. Aulbur.
Actros 4841
Mercedes-Benz has implemented a raft of individual measures to further enhance its outstandingly engineered best-selling model. Robustness and economy, safety and ease of operation have been further improved in an equal measure. A fresh and powerful design further boosts the appeal of the mining Actros, now in its third generation.
The new Actros comes fitted with a three-millimetre-thick, pressure-tight guard plate for the radiator and engine. This stainless steel component reduces damage in the region of the radiator and engine, while also accentuating the powerful styling of the new mining Actros. The company has also added an improved pivoting entry step. This now also gives way to lateral pressure, offers superb corrosion resistance and can even be retrofitted to the previous models.
The Actros frame plays a very important role for mining-site vehicles. The frame boasts torsional flexibility and high flexural strength. It consists of side and cross members connected with rivets and partially also bolted, and dispenses with complex individual components.
Front axle load compensation
Axle load compensation for the front axles for four-axle vehicles guarantees reduced one-sided loads and thus less wear and tear on all the components involved, plus reduced tyre wear, enhanced ride comfort, better traction and better braking characteristics.
While every rut or obstacle previously meant that a reduced load on one axle imposed a corresponding, additional load on the other, this is prevented by the axle load compensation on the mining Actros. Up to an obstacle height of 100 mm the axle loads of the two front axles are evenly distributed by purely mechanical means, thereby ensuring constant ground contact.
The Actros is equipped with the Telligent braking system with ABS and ASR for shorter braking distances. In addition, except during emergency braking, the non-wearing brakes are also included in every braking manoeuvre. And the integrated hill-holder prevents the vehicle from rolling forwards or backwards when moving off.
The brake system featured on the mining Actros is fitted with drum brakes all round. The Telligent brake system with its electronic management and shorter response times is supplied as standard. The uniform rate of brake-pad wear on each axle will result in lesser maintenance cost.
The auxiliary brakes are an integral part of the Telligent brake system. This means that both the service brake and the auxiliary bra
kes are activated when the Actros driver presses the brake pedal. The objective of combining all the brake facilities in the vehicle is, of course, to reduce yet further the wear and tear on the service brake by using non-wearing auxiliary brakes in order to provide a proportion of the stopping power which is being requested.
The Actros 4841 comes fitted a with the BS III 408 Hp, V6 engine which is designed for long working life and better mileage.
When the differential locks are in operation, a special mining-site transmission program is simultaneously activated for even faster gear engagement. Amongst the many benefits, this makes it easy to rock the vehicle free from boggy ground.
Low weight, high ride comfort: the steel suspension
On the mining site, performance is everything, and every part of the vehicle has to deliver. All Actros models are equipped with weight reduced parabolic springs and shock absorbers and stabilizers, which provide optimal handling even in extreme heavy-duty operations.
Automatic transmission
The Actros comes with automatic transmission as standard fitment. It has both manual and automatic mode and 16-speed transmission. The Telligent automatic mode takes things a stage further by performing all gear changes automatically. This reduces wear and tear on the drive train and at the same time saves fuel. The power is transferred to the wheels by 16-speed transmission whose advantages include high climbing ability, low manoeuvring speeds and optimized weight.
Mercedes Benz India is currently focused on the minning segment in which a where is expects lot of action is expected in the coming years. The Actros 4841 is positioned as the top-of-the-line European tipper truck in India. It is clearly focussed on the tipper segment which understands the concept of “product life-cycle cost”. Each Actros tipper costs Rs. 60 lakhs. The next possible segment which Mercedes is targeting is the Actros heavy duty tractor trailers for ODC applications. The company is exploring the possibility of launching these products in the next couple of years.
Mercedes Benz is the undoubted leader in commercial vehicles globally. It is slowly and steadily making inroads into the Indian CV industry. The company launched its luxury bus an year back and has sold 25 units till date, mostly to private operators. Now it is targeting the STU segment in which it has already sold four buses to MSRTC through a private operator and one bus is currently on trail run with KSRTC.
The response Dr. Aulbur says, has been very good. The company is now working on a few more products in the bus segment, including city buses and multi-axle coaches which will be rolled out in the next couple of years.
The parent company Daimler is setting up an independent facility near Chennai to manufacture light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles, trucks and buses. This venture is expected to be operational by 2012.
Daimler, through Mercedes Benz India and its new venture in Chennai, will play a major role in the Indian commercial vehicle industry in the coming years.
