Category Archives: Posts

Cheap, fake brakes are very expensive


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Dear Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE) customer        

In this final installment I’ll show you why it is more economical to use genuine brake parts. I’ll also summarise what I’ve talked about in this series of posts.

 

I know the pressure you are under to keep costs down. But, while that set of fake brake drums which costs less than genuine ones may seem tempting, they will need replacing sooner.

And, more importantly, they could even put your driver and other road users in great danger due to poor performance. It is one of the biggest gambles you can take and could in the end cost you the entire truck or even worse, loss of life.

The brake parts that we use at ASE have been made specifically for our vehicles. If they are fitted by our technicians, they will work as they should.

While buying genuine parts is very important, you can do a lot to save wear and tear on your brakes with a few simple adjustments that will improve your cost per kilometer.

  1. Speed. It sounds like child’s play but many drivers will not have thought about the impact of speeding on their brakes. Speeding without reading the road ahead often results in harder braking and more wear and tear.
  2. Distance. In Dubai it is very common for drivers to be very close to the vehicle in front. The idea is to use the “drag” from the other vehicle to save some fuel. However, the driver will not have time to react if the truck in front needs to brake hard suddenly.
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    The four-second rule: It is generally recommended to keep a four-second gap with the vehicle in front. This will enable the driver to modulate the speed and avoid a lot of unnecessary braking, saving both fuel and brakes. Importantly the risk of accidents will drop significantly.
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  3. Load. Over-loading your truck might seem necessary when the pressure is on you to deliver, but you need to bear in mind that collisions are far more likely because your vehicle will have a longer stopping distance.
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    If it does stop on time, you will have had to brake harder to achieve it, resulting in increased wear and tear.
  4. Trailer. Whenever a tractor arrives in our workshop with premature brake wear, my first question is always: “Where is the trailer?”
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    In all cases so far, the trailers have had poor brakes or in some cases no brakes at all. That is quite scary knowing that these trucks often have a Gross Combination Weight in the area of 110 tons and are driven at speeds above 100 km/h. Instead of braking on six axles, the tractor unit will have to stop the entire load.
  5. Brake balancing. I strongly recommend that you get the brake system between trailer and tractor head properly balanced to ensure they work well together.
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    Any mismatch could lead to extended brake distance, increase brake wear or at worst “jack-knifing”. Our technicians are trained to do this. Call our workshop and get it done.

 

In Summary

This is what we have covered in this series of posts:

  • Take care of your drivers and you could save up to AED25,000 per 100,000km.
  • Be aware of high idle time. Trucks in Dubai are known to spend up to 65 per cent of their engine running time on idle. Fuel waste and engine wear and tear are doubled because of this.
  • Make sure you buy proper fuel, store it well and use genuine fuel filters for efficient engine performance, lower fuel consumption and longer engine life. Proper additives can also help.
  • Use proper air filters and importantly, don’t clean them daily. This saves on engine wear, fuel consumption and vehicle performance.
  • Using proper oil that is stored, filled and filtered correctly will improve component life and performance.
  • Preventive maintenance and repairs can save up to 90 per cent of the cost of breakdowns.
  • Taking proper care of your tyres could lead to savings of up to 30 per cent on your tyre cost.
  • Implementation of proper daily inspections can reduce unplanned stops by up to 70 per cent.
  • ASE offers maintenance agreements that can be tailor made for your needs. They will keep your truck on the road longer and lead to major operational savings.
  • Look after your trailer to avoid costly stops, accidents and reduced vehicle performance.

 

We hope that you have found this information valuable. If you have any questions or want further information on how ASE can help to improve your total profit from vehicle ownership, don’t hesitate to contact me or any of the other members of our After Sales team.

Wishing you More Time on the Road
with Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE)

Lars Möller, General Manager, After Sales

 

Trailer checks are mandatory: Our trailer service is tailor-made for you

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Dear Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE) customer

“Preventive repairs” are something everyone who works with vehicles knows about, but they can be the first thing to fall by the wayside when times are hard.

 

Why it’s worth maintaining your trailers

A properly maintained trailer is a vital part of running a smooth and profitable operation. A badly maintained one will at best cost you a lot of money in repairs, not only of the trailer but also the tractor, and at worse be a real death trap.

RTA has now made annual inspections of trailers mandatory in Dubai and they have done it for a reason – to make our roads safer. If for instance the brakes on a trailer are not working, that puts extra load on the tractor’s brakes.

And if the trailer and tractor brakes are not balanced, you have a greater chance of “jack-knifing” the trailer, with potentially devastating consequences.

There are of course other areas to look at: your kingpin should be in good order; suspension and bushings should be well maintained; tyres should have the correct tread depth; pressure and alignment; and lights and lashing points should be in good condition.

At ASE we can assist you with adding your trailers to our maintenance scheme to ensure they are serviced to the same standard as your truck, all with one goal – giving you More Time on the Road.

 

Oil Sampling

How often have we ignored signs that a part or a component needs replacement in anticipation that the problem will simply go away?  Or, so that we can mentally delay acknowledging the potential failure until a time when it better fits our budget?

By focusing on oil sampling, regular maintenance and daily inspections, we can detect many issues at an early stage. But you won’t save money if you fail to act on the findings.

What about those items that either work or they don’t? The items that, if they fail, will cause a complete standstill. I’m talking about sensors, belts, thermostats, starter motors, batteries, radiator hoses and others.

Our solution is preventive repair. In essence it means that we replace selected items at given intervals when a truck is in for a service and before the item has failed.

This will result in More Time on the Road, less downtime and improved cost savings. In other words, fewer headaches for you.

When a truck breaks down, you have not only the cost of repair, but also delays and loss of revenue.

Clearly, preventive repairs make economic sense. Do your own check on this. Start a logbook for each vehicle and keep track of how many days the truck is on the road, how many days between breakdowns, the length of downtime and cost for each failure repair.

We can assist by going through your logbook details with you to see what we can do to extend the time between breakdown and reduce your total cost. You’ll be surprised to see how much money we can save you.

 

Remember, we can reduce your unplanned stops by up to 70 per cent and the cost per unplanned stop by up to 90 per cent.

 

 

Next Week

In the final installment of this series I’ll show how you can save money by using genuine brake parts.

More Time on the Road
with Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE)

Lars Möller, General Manager, After Sales

Solutions tailored to suit your operations


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Dear Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE) customer

In earlier newsletters I mentioned unplanned stops and their negative effect on your business.

A maintenance agreement with ASE, in combination with the daily inspections that I talked about last week, can help you save up to 90 per cent of the cost on unplanned stops and extend your vehicles’ components’ life span by up to 50 per cent.

Al Shirawi Enterprises offers a variety of maintenance agreements suited to your budget and requirements.

Many customers say that they prefer to do the maintenance themselves for various reasons.

Maintenance should not be considered a low-level task. It should be carried out by experts who understand these complex, hi-tech vehicles and who are specially trained and have thorough knowledge of them. It is not simply a matter of changing oil and filters.

At ASE, we put our most skilled people on the job so we can detect any issues before they cause costly downtime.


Tailor-made solutions

We have developed a range of different solutions to suit your operation and budget:

  • Maintenance agreements at our workshop or your site.
  • Oil analysis packages for different components.
  • Preventive repairs (covering selected items including components such as sensors, v-belts, thermostats, which cause vehicle standstill if they fail). The items will be replaced at selected intervals.
  • Tyre pressure check and inspection at every maintenance visit.
  • Wheel and axle alignment at least twice a year.
  • Eye sight tests for drivers. (A quick study I made some time back indicated that up to 50 per cent of the drivers may not see more than 25 metres in front of the truck).
  • Full repair and maintenance coverage.
  • Each vehicle on maintenance, or full repair and maintenance, agreement will get our highest discount (32.5 per cent) on all spare parts fitted at our workshops.

 

Please call us toll free to learn about the best maintenance package for you, including the option to have our staff carry out services at your premises.

 

Driver Competence Development
– Get a free one-day course

It is widely acknowledged that there is room for improvement in driving skills in the UAE. As mentioned in one of my earlier letters, a good driver can save up to AED25,000 per 100,000km in repair costs and up to 30 per cent on your fuel bill.

In addition, what happens to your business in the event of an accident? As well as the potential loss of life, your day-to-day business will also suffer.

To respond to this, ASE has employed a Driver Competence Development specialist to coach your drivers to drive in a safe and economical way.

 

For every truck signed on for a maintenance contract, we’ll offer a one-day complimentary Driver Competence Development course.

 

In addition to the above, since ASE is authorised by RTA to carry out Annual Vehicle Testing, we can handle that for you while your truck is in for a service, giving you even More Time on the Road.

 

Key advantages for you:

1. A maintenance agreement can minimize your downtime because potential problems with your vehicle can be identified early.

2. We can notify you of issues relating to the way the vehicle is being operated, be it in driving, day to day maintenance or fuel usage.

3. With a full dealer service record, you will boost your vehicle’s resale value.

4. For our customers with larger fleets, we will be able to make your life even easier by basing one of our technicians onsite. That way, you can be confident that you always have an expert on hand to make sure your vehicles are in optimum operating condition.

 

Prevention is better than cure

Oil analysis — Testing the life blood of your vehicle

A properly executed oil analysis is like a blood test for your vehicle and will give you a lot of valuable information on the health of your components. It is an important way of checking the vital signs of your vehicle and identifying potential problems before they cause major, expensive failures.

Oil sampling needs to be carried out correctly, under the right conditions and on a regular basis.

On your behalf ASE has teamed up with a leading oil analysis company who will carry out the tests. We can then give you technical advice on the results of the analysis.

 

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Vital Signs

Oil analysis is vital in diagnosing your vehicle’s health. For example:

  1. A spike in silica content could indicate a problem with air filtration or dust buildup.
  1. A heightened lead content could indicate that there are problems with the bearings.
  1. Copper is likely to indicate a severe problem with bearings which can soon lead to engine failure.
  1. Bronze can be an indication that your camshaft bushings are wearing out.
  1. Iron can indicate wear and tear on liners, piston rings or crankshafts.

If you can identify these problems early, they can be repaired before they become major and costly component failures.

 

 

Trends

From an oil analysis, we can also supply trend reports that show you if there are traits in your drivers’ behaviour or operations methods which could be costing you money.

Oil analysis forms a key pillar in ASE’s initiative to reduce the causes of your unplanned stops by up to 90 per cent.

 

Next Week

I will talk about preventive repairs and trailer maintenance.

More Time on the Road
with Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE)

Lars Möller, General Manager, After Sales

A few moments spent on daily inspections will give you More Time on the Road

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Dear Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE) customer

This week I’ll show you how daily inspections can help prevent unplanned stops. It is an activity that takes just a few minutes per driving day and is a vital way of helping you save time and money in the long run.

Studies by leading equipment manufacturers confirm that up to 70 per cent of the unplanned stops are avoidable. The keys are daily inspections and regular proper maintenance.

Without meaning to state the obvious, daily inspections should be made daily and done by the drivers.

Some drivers think that they do not need to get their hands dirty and would prefer to leave inspections to the technicians, but they are the ones that live with the vehicle and know all of its unique noises and characteristics.

I recommend that drivers are trained to do a 10 or 15 minute systematic walk around the vehicle each day following a specific check list to ensure that all is covered.

This includes, but is not limited to, fluid levels, leaks, loose items and lights – things that can be detected without using any tools or equipment.

Many customers I talk to say: “We don’t need driver training for inspections, our drivers already do daily inspections.” And in some cases, that will be true.

But, if not, then you could be missing out on a critical opportunity to identify problems with your vehicles before they develop into something more serious and costly. Keep in mind that a repair on failure can be 10 times the cost of a repair before failure.

It is important that those who carry out the inspections know what to look for, as they could look straight at a potential problem but not see it. That’s worse than having no inspection at all because managers believe the system is fine and then make a misinformed decision.

You can avoid up to 70 per cent of the unplanned stops and reduce the repair cost by up to 90 per cent compared to repair on failure. To me, those 10-15 minutes every morning is time well spent.

 

Next Week

I will talk about maintenance agreements and oil analysis.

More Time on the Road
with Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE)

Lars Möller, General Manager, After Sales

Do you know how much money you’ll lose if your trucks’ tyres are not properly inflated?

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Dear Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE) Customer,

Tyres are one of your biggest expenses accounting for between 15 and 25 per cent of your owning and operating costs. And yet, tyres are often only considered when they go flat, or worse, burst.

 

Many fleet owners only consider price when they choose a tyre but since tyres have such a major impact on performance, the real factors that should be considered are rolling resistance and wear.

Scania has divided tyres into six major areas based on application:

  • Long Haulage
  • Regional
  • Urban
  • Construction
  • Off Road
  • Winter

It is important to ensure you choose the right type based on your application. Field tests confirm that savings of up to four per cent on your fuel bill is possible simply by selecting the correct tyre type.

In addition, rolling resistance is responsible for one third of total fuel consumption according to Scania.

 

Tyre pressure

Tyre pressure is essential for safety, performance, fuel-economy and tyre life, and yet it is an area that is often neglected. I have seen several severe accidents in Dubai involving underinflated tyres leading to sudden blowouts causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. In many cases, such accidents are avoidable.

 

A few examples:

  • Overinflate by 20 per cent and the life span of the tyre is reduced by 10 per cent
  • Underinflate by 20 per cent and life span is reduced by 25 per cent.
  • Underinflate by 40 per cent and the life span is reduced by 60 per cent and rolling resistance is up by 20 per cent. This gives a six per cent increase on your fuel bill.

 

Wheel balancing and alignment

tyre4This is a major issue here in the UAE. You should ensure proper wheel alignment takes place at least once every six months.

Tyres on one-piece rims should be properly balanced on a regular basis to ensure optimum life and fuel economy.

In addition, check the axle alignment to avoid the “dog walk” scenario which creates unnecessary tyre wear and is a safety issue.

Experience shows that proper maintenance of the tyres and the wheel alignment can save up to 30 per cent off your tyre bill and significantly reduce your fuel bill.

The new maintenance contracts from ASE include tyre pressure check at every oil service and wheel and axle alignment every six months, giving you More Time on the Road.

 

Cuts

I will come back to the importance of daily inspections later, but it is worth mentioning that they should include checking for tyre cuts, flat spots from harsh braking and stones between the tyres at the rear.

While you are at it, check the tread-depth to ensure the tyres are within legal and safe limits.

 

Tread patterns

It is important to choose the right pattern, it is also important to ensure that you at least have the same pattern on all tyres on the same axle. If not, you could be in for a shock when braking. Using different tyres on the same axel makes the axel uneven which this causes increased pressure when braking and can lead to tyre bursts.

 

Storage of tyres

If you have a few sets of tyres in stock, ensure they are stored properly and away from sunlight. Sunlight on new tyres will cause ozone cracks – microscopic surface cracks that will impact on the tyre life and performance.

 

Fitting new tyres

When fitting new tyres, follow a proper inflation procedure where you first allow the tyre to settle on the rim using a first burst of air, then fill up the tyre. Overfill by around 10 per cent and then reduce to the correct pressure.

All this should be done in a so-called tyre cage to avoid nasty accidents if a rim is not properly settled.

 

Summary

Savings of up to 30 per cent in tyre life are possible if you follow these steps. If you consider that tyre costs account for up to 25 per cent of your annual expenses, that means you could be about to save up to 7.5 per cent on your total expenses per year. 

 

Contact us toll free on 800 24702 to find out more about axle alignment and wheel balancing or sign up for a maintenance contract with tyre pressure and wheel and axle alignment included, which will help you to really start saving on your tyres. Email: TalkToUs@ase.ae Or fill in the form alongside and we’ll call you!

Our CASE customers may already know that we source and sell a variety of tyres to fit your machine’s need. We’ll source the correct tyre for you and save you money over the run.

 

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Check this diagnostic chart (PDF 381 KB) which will show you what elements cause excess wear on your tyres.

 

 

Next Week

I’ll explain why it is importance to do daily vehicle inspections to prevent unplanned stops.

More Time on the Road
with Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE)

Lars Möller, General Manager, After Sales

Black gold – the lifeblood of your truck

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Dear Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE) Customer,

For many, oil is just oil, and as long as it says 15W40 on the can it’s OK. Or is it? In this post I will also teach you about correct oil filtration, storage and how you can be forewarned of potential engine failure through a simple oil analysis.

 

The 15W40 on a can of oil is simply a way of showing the viscosity or thickness of the oil at specific temperatures. What is more important are the letters following that: API C. The API stands for the American Petroleum Institute and the letters after that indicates if the oil is for petrol or diesel engines, and, which quality level it meets.

In 1998, we got the first emission regulations for diesel engines and that changed the requirements for the oil. In order to reduce emissions, the fuel pressure is up, temperature is up and a large portion of all the bad stuff that used to go out through the exhaust now stays in the oil.

The first oil type to be launched was the CH-4. And if your engine was made in 1998 or later, this is the absolute minimum level you should use.

One of the biggest differences with the older oils is that this quality can keep soot in soluble condition instead of clogging up lubrication galleries.

The oil is also made to do so much more than just lubricate. It should cool components, it should ensure it doesn’t foam, it should be thick enough to stay on the lubricated surfaces and yet be thin enough to enter where it should.

In addition, it needs to handle acidity brought in through the fuel. For this we have two important indicators, TAN (total acid number) and TBN (total base number). TAN is an indication on how much acid you have in the oil and TBN measures how much resistance to fight against acidity the oil still has left.

Once these two lines cross, the oil should be changed. In general it is safe to say that the higher the oil quality (CI, CJ, etc.) the better the oil should be in handling acidity.


Oil filtration

Whenever you run an engine, there is always some degree of mechanical wear. During running-in of an engine, it is normally higher, and then goes down and, towards the end of the mechanical life, the wear goes up again. How fast this happens is something that can be controlled up to a certain point by:

  • What oil quality you have?
  • What fuel quality is used?
  • What type of filter is used?
  • How you manage your air filtration?

Some studies indicate that each grain of wear-metal that ends up in the oil can generate up to seven new grains unless they are filtered away.

Genuine engine oil filters are required if you want to get the maximum out of your engine. Cutting costs on filters will lead to higher costs further down the road.


Oil storage

Oil is not a product that can be stored forever, but with some simple tips you can extend its shelf life.

  • Always store oil drums under shade and not in direct sunlight.
  • Oil drums should be stored horizontally.
  • In order to avoid condensation inside the oil, position the two caps of the drum in “quarter to three” position. (In other words they should be aligned horizontally).
  • The area around the caps and the filling area on the vehicle should be kept clean.

Be aware that it is easy to contaminate the oil even before it enters the engine, which could have catastrophic effects on your engine life and vehicle uptime.


Oil analysis

Proper oil analysis is like a blood test that gives vital information about the status of the engine. Samples should be taken on a regular basis and correct information, such as mileage or hours the oil has been in use, should be given to the lab to get the right reading.

Such tests can show if you have a lot of dust in the engine, if the main bearings are worn or if you have a coolant leakage, as well as other problems.

Oil sampling is one of the corner-stones in reducing cost per failure and increasing uptime of your vehicle.

We are experts at doing oil analysis – call us to book an appointment.

 

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Learn more from these studies on oil filtration and its impacts

  1. Oil filtration and the bottom line (PDF 569 kb)
  2. Oil filter advice (PDF 59 kb)
  3. The real story on filters (PDF 18 kb)
  4. Clean up your act (PDF 64 kb)
  5. Why cheap filters cost more (PDF 56 kb)
  6. Why maintain oil cleanliness (PDF 45 kb)

 

Next Week

I will show you how to get the most out of your tyres and tell you about the importance of wheel and axle alignment.

More Time on the Road
with Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE)

Lars Möller, General Manager, After Sales

Is the desert dust choking your truck?

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Dear Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE) Customer,

Welcome to my next step towards getting the most from your vehicles. This week, I’ll show you how good air filtration protects your trucks engines.

There are some myths about air filters and I would like to wipe them out here and now.

  1. Clean air filters are better than dirty. Wrong. I spoke to the air filter designers at a leading truck manufacturer recently and they said that their filters were designed to hold around 1kg of dust. They reached full filtration once the dust level on the outside of the filter had reached 200g.
  2. Air filters should be cleaned every day. Wrong. Air filters will get damaged if they are sprayed with compressed air and will then let more dirt into your engine.Every time an air filter box is opened it is estimated that around one gram of dirt enters the inlet system. Done daily, around 300g extra of dirt will get into the filter per year.
  3. It’s OK to use non-genuine filters. Wrong. A genuine filter is designed to filter 99.99 per cent of dirt during its lifetime.If the filter is designed for 1kg of dust, this means one gram went through. A decent non-genuine filter may deliver 99.9 per cent filtration. Not a big difference, but it means 10g of dust or 10 times more abrasion on your engine. It will have consequences on compression, fuel economy and engine life.

There are only four reasons why you should ever open the filter box and they are as follows:

  1. The filter indicator is red. (You should however test the indicator from time to time to ensure it works properly).
  2. There is excessive black smoke during acceleration. (Normally an indication of too little air in relationship to fuel.)
  3. The driver senses lack of power during acceleration.
  4. The air filter has been fitted for more than 18 months. (In our environment that would almost never happen.)

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Air filter field tests in Dubai

Scania’s Research and Development department ran some field tests on air filters in Dubai, testing different types of filters and installations to see what gave the best result.

Some of the filters were fitted on 6×4 rigid tippers that work on very dusty off-road sites. One type was a double filter system which was left untouched for 167,000km.

In the air box we found six kilograms of dust, but the gauge had not yet gone to red. There was no visible wear and tear or any sign of dust in the inlet system which confirms the points made above.

We strongly recommend that you work with your maintenance team to stop this misconception about cleaning the air filter on a daily basis. It will save you time, money, fuel and engine life giving you more time on the road.

Also, keep in mind that with proper air filtration you protect some of the main parts in your engine, such as the crankshaft and the turbo charger.

 

One day only
At ASE, we can do an in-line engine overhaul (pistons, liners, bearings, cylinder heads, etc. with block in the truck and crankshaft in the block) in one working day (terms and conditions apply). That’s another way for you to maximise your uptime and get more time on the road.

 

Next Week

I will let you in on some inside information about engine oil filtration and oil storage.

More Time on the Road
with Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE)

Lars Möller, General Manager, After Sales

 

Why is cheap fuel so expensive?

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Dear Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE) Customer,

Welcome to the second of my nine steps to greater vehicle profitability.

This week, I’ll show you how to save money when buying, using and storing fuel and how this will affect your vehicle profitability.

 

Diesel prices have gone through the roof with current prices in the region of AED 3.7 per litre in Dubai, so a look at how to save on fuel consumption is well worth the effort.

During the boom there were fuel shortages in the region for two reasons: Several refineries were down for maintenance and the demand for fuel was huge.

Some less serious fuel “suppliers” saw a chance to earn extra money by offering cut-price fuel. They did this by mixing diesel with tank farm wash-out, kerosene, jet fuel and other bad additives. Clearly this would seriously harm any diesel engine that got even got a whiff of it.

With today’s engines, using proper fuel is a must and this fuel can only be found at the national oil companies and other reputable companies they supply.

Additives

In Europe a wide range of additives are added to fuel before it reaches the pump to ensure best possible performance, longer fuel pump and injector life and more miles per gallon. Since our fuel companies are already incurring huge losses, we don’t get those additives at the pumps here in Dubai.

However, one of the leading suppliers of these additives to the European fuel suppliers, Innospec, is available in Dubai and is selling this through distributors to the end user.

By using these additives fuel savings of around 3-5 per cent are not uncommon and engine and injector life improves as well.

The saving/cost ratio is about 20:1 so for every Dirham you spend, the saving will be around AED20. Not bad.

Please contact us today to see what the additives can do for you.

 

StorageIn this part of the world, dust and humidity cause major problems for fuel. Humidity causes corrosion on the very sensitive fuel pump and injector parts and dust clogs the holes or wears them out. Many customers complain about dirty fuel causing disruption to their operation.Before investing in expensive fuel fill filtration systems, you could try out a simple trick I heard about from a site in Vietnam. They stored the fuel in two tanks, the first was filled up by the fuel supplier and the second was used to fill the vehicles.Tank one was tilted slightly backwards to ensure that sludge and water would sink to the bottom at the lowest point. This was then drained out of the tank and the fuel was the pumped over to the second tank.sysd_t
(click here to see a system drawing)In addition I recommend that you keep the area around the fuel fill cap clean. Always use the correct fuel cap and clean your tanks on regular basis. I would also recommend that you fill your fuel tanks before they are stopped for the night. This will reduce the risk of condensation inside the tank.

 

Filtration

In order to improve fuel efficiency, Scania and others are increasing the pressure in their fuel systems. In some cases the pressure is up to 2,400bar. To make this happen, each part of the fuel system is machined to absolute perfection.

Dirt in the fuel can either clog these microscopic holes or wear them out prematurely. This will affect the engine performance and increase fuel consumption.

In short, what happens is this: More fuel is unburned, causing liner wear and fuel dilution of oil and the engine will have to be overhauled earlier and your fuel bill goes through the roof.

To avoid this, we strongly recommend you use genuine fuel filters that are designed by the people who designed the engine. By buying cheap filters you end up paying way more for fuel, down-time and unnecessary wear and tear.

 

ASE can help you turn things around

As mentioned earlier, we have an expert who can teach drivers to drive in a safer and more economical way. In the end, your trucks will consume less fuel, spend more time on the road and be less prone to accidents. Clearly this will positively impact your business.We also have experts on hand to run a performance analysis of each truck to help you find other areas for improvements and cost savings.

Call us toll free on 800 24702 or fill in the form alongside and we’ll call you.In this letter we showed examples that could save you up to AED225,000 per truck. In our future letters, we will touch on other areas where your bottom line can get a real boost.

 

icon_computerLearn More what additives are good for your engine – PDF 6.6mb

 

 

Next Week

I’ll show you how correct air filtration helps to save on maintenance costs.

More Time on the Road
with Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE)

Lars Möller, General Manager, After Sales

 

The driver is the key to putting the brakes on your fuel costs

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Dear Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE) Customer,

In case you missed last week, let me introduce myself: I am Lars Möller, General Manager, After Sales, of ASE, and it is my mission to help you get more out of your vehicles than you may think is possible.

I’m starting with fuel consumption and the impact the driver has on your overall operating cost, because this is where the biggest potential savings are, but also where the biggest problems lie.

 

Whenever I ask a company owner if he would trust a driver to deliver a plastic bag filled with AED500,000 in cash to the bank, the answer is always: Never.

But isn’t that what you’re already doing?

The driver has the single biggest impact on your vehicle’s profitability and yet they have often the lowest status. Here are some eye-opening examples of why it is important to get the best drivers and treat them well so they stay.

 

Four key issues:

  1. The driver’s impact on repair cost and uptime.
  2. The driver’s impact on fuel consumption.
  3. How idling affects your fuel bill and engine life.
  4. What ASE can do to help you turn things around.

 

1. The driver’s impact on repair cost and uptime

I have examples from Dubai where the actions of the driver counts for up to 50 per cent of the difference in repair and maintenance cost.

Several years ago I had a customer that ran a repair and maintenance contract for 10 identical trucks. Over three years, all had done around 700,000km on the same routes with same speed and load. The average difference in repair cost was 25 fils/km or in this case AED175,000 between the most and the least expensive trucks. The only difference was the driver.

Add to the above, loss of income caused by unnecessary extra days in the workshop and the total bill for the owner really went through the roof.

The interesting thing is that most of these remedies are completely free; they just require a slight change of mind set.

 

2. The driver’s impact on fuel consumption

Studies and inputs from various truck manufacturers speak a very clear language. The driver has a major impact on the fuel consumption of the truck.

There are of course other things such as load, road conditions, vehicle specification and maintenance as well, but the really big influence comes from the driver.

Route planning, keeping the “four second rule distance” from the truck in front of you, handling the vehicle correctly before a traffic light or a roundabout are all factors that can save you a lot of money. Based on our long experience, we estimate it to be between 10-20 per cent off your current fuel bill.

At ASE we have recently hired a professional driver competence developer with extensive training and experience on how to drive safely and economically.

 

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Drop us an email or call us so we can set up an appointment to show you what he can do for your fuel and repair bill.

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Learn more
from this study by Scania (File size: 626kb) which shows in detail how you can save on your fuel costs
How idling affects your fuel bill and engine life

 

I recently came across some shocking facts about idling. We had downloaded data from three rigid tipper trucks which all had clocked over 15,000 running hours on the engines. The shocking news was that the idling time was around 9,000 hours or 60 per cent of total engine time.

On idle the engine consumes around two litres of fuel per hour, so in this case around 18,000 litres were wasted for each truck. For the owner that meant AED50,000 per truck went up in smoke for nothing. How much does unnecessary idling cost for your fleet every year?

In addition, idling does not just waste fuel, but it wears your engine faster, much faster. John Deere has done a study which shows that idling wears the engine twice as much as running under normal conditions.

This is mainly caused by low operating temperature during idling that reduces the combustion efficiency as it leaves a lot of unburned fuel mixing with the oil causing faster wear.

In addition excessive idling causes cylinder lining glazing. The liners are honed to have a specific cross pattern that helps the piston rings to seal better and create better combustion and fuel efficiency as well as ensure that enough lube oil remains on the inside of the liners for proper lubrication.

During excessive idling, this cross pattern becomes like a mirror surface reducing engine efficiency and increasing the wear. In the end this means you spend more on fuel and repairs. You can fix this by changing bad driving habits.

 

ASE can help you turn things around

As mentioned earlier, we have an expert who can coach drivers to drive in a safer and more economical way. In the end, your trucks will consume less fuel, spend more time on the road and be less prone to accidents. Clearly this will positively impact your business.We also have experts on hand to run a performance analysis of each truck to help you find other areas for improvements and cost savings.

Call us toll free on 800 24702 or fill in the form alongside and we’ll call you.In this letter we showed examples that could save you up to AED225,000 per truck. In our future letters, we will touch on other areas where your bottom line can get a real boost.

 

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Learn more from the John Deere Study
“The Evils of Idling” (File size: 278kb).

 

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Learn more by from this report:
Idling Myths and Facts (File size: 23kb)
 

 

Next Week

I’ll show you why substandard fuel and filters work out more expensive in the long run.

We look forward to your feedback. Let us know what you think and what areas of maintenance and repair you’d like to learn more about.

More Time on the Road
with Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE)

Lars Möller, General Manager, After Sales

 

9 smart steps to better vehicle profitability you can’t afford to miss

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I am Lars Möller, General Manager, After Sales for ASE, and it is my mission to help you get more out of your vehicles by sharing my industry experience with you.

This is the first of 10 weekly newsletters that will help you to operate smarter and put you on the road to earning more.

After many years in commercial vehicle after sales in the Middle East and North Africa, there is one burning issue that always confuses me: Why are customers ready to pay 10 times more for a repair on failure rather than the much smaller cost of maintenance to prevent failure?

I’d appreciate if you could let me know your thoughts on this – as this as this is an area where you can make huge savings.

Many customers are also convinced that fuel and tyre costs are fixed and cannot be changed. Not true.

When the financial crisis hit the region many of our customers were in a fix, asking: “How do we make money when income is down and operating costs on items such as fuel are up significantly?”

Many of our customers struggled even more due to major component failures which were a result of them cutting costs on maintenance and repair.

Because of these issues we, at ASE, want to challenge established methods and reasoning. We’re developing new, smarter ways to work so that you, the customer, can benefit.

This series of newsletters is designed to share these ideas with you.

icon_dollarWe have solutions that could save you up to 10 per cent on your operating cost. Maybe more.

The best part is that many of the tips are absolutely free and very easy to implement. Can your business afford not to give it a try?

 

Smart and Easy

The foundation of our programme is extremely simple:
We want you to earn more money. Much more.


How?

icon_personWe believe that we can help you do that by avoiding costly failures through preventive measures, making real savings on tyres and fuel and by operating vehicles in a smarter, greener and more economical way. All you need to do is be prepared to learn a few new ideas. It’s a win-win situation.

Here are our 4 cornerstones:

1. Reducing your cost per failure by early detection

Consider a maintenance agreement, with oil samples and regular inspections. Research shows that up to 70 per cent of unplanned stops can be avoided through regular check-ups. You may worry about the initial expenditure, but how much do unplanned stops hurt your business?

2. Increasing the time between failures by working on the real root causes

Many vehicle problems come from dirty air, dirty fuel and dirty oil.  Customers can save up to 90 per cent on their cost of unplanned repairs by replacing items shortly before they fail and cause major downtime.

3. Focus on the drivers as their actions affect the cost of repairs

I’ve had customers where the cost of maintenance and repair varied by as much as AED50,000 per truck per year between the least and the most expensive truck repair. The only variable was the driver. This shows that with a little driver education you can achieve a big saving on your bottom line.

4. Implement savings on fuel and tyres with improved driving habits

Fuel and tyres account for up to 50 per cent of all operating costs and many customers think there is no way to change that. We believe we can help you save 20-30 per cent on fuel and 10-20 per cent on tyres. What’s more, most of the savings cost nothing to implement and just require changing a few habits.

 

Next Week

In our next mail we’ll show you the first of nine smart steps towards better vehicle profitability. By reducing your operating costs and gaining More Time on the Road we will enable you to take full control of your operation, avoid costly disruptions, and gain a better market reputation while significantly improving your bottom line. The only thing we ask in return is a few moments of your time once a week.

We look forward to your feedback. Let us know what you think and what areas of maintenance and repair you’d like to learn more about.

More Time on the Road
with Al Shirawi Enterprises (ASE)

Lars Möller, General Manager, After Sales