Tiger Trailers has begun deliveries of its all new Lightweight Clearspan Curtainsider Trailer, following a 6 month development programme in conjunction with Tata Steel. The trailer, which is 500kg lighter than a conventional clearspan curtainsider, allows some of Tiger Trailers’ customers to carry a greater payload of up to 29.5 tonnes, allowing them to operate more sustainably.
With the initial design concept originating from Tiger Trailers, a partnership was formed with Tata Steel early in the development of the trailer. Tata Steel’s Advanced Engineering team, based at the University of Warwick, have worked with Tiger Trailers using finite element analysis (FEA) to assess design revisions across three design evolutions from the initial concept.
This closely collaborative development process has yielded a highly resolved finished product. Using steel components that are twice the strength of the structural steel typically used in trailer chassis construction without any additional weight (Tata Steel Ympress® S700MC and Metallic Coated S450 GD), has allowed Tiger Trailers the ability to develop one of the lightest tri-axle clearspan curtainsider currently available in the UK.
John Cartwright, Joint Managing Director at Tiger Trailers, said: “As our customers look for ways to increase their sustainability and operating efficiency, we are delighted to offer the Tiger Lightweight Clearspan Curtainsider Trailer. The additional payload afforded by this new trailer will allow operators to make significant financial and environmental savings across its lifespan.
“Working with Tata Steel’s Advanced Engineering team has allowed our designers to engineer a product that offers outstanding efficiency, without sacrificing quality, performance or safety.”
Adrian Davies, UK Marketing Manager at Tata Steel, said: “Collaborating with Tiger Trailers’ highly ambitious engineering and commercial teams has allowed our Advanced Engineering team to exercise a great deal of creativity. As well as using our UK-based engineering division, the high-strength steel provided for the new Tiger Lightweight Clearspan Curtainsider Trailer is also processed on our heavy gauge decoiling line in Llanwern, South Wales, making this a true British engineering success story. The project has also allowed us to further our mission to add a greater level of sustainability in the commercial vehicle sector, not only in making vehicles more efficient, but increasing the percentage of recyclable material at end of life.”
