Great Dane used its large share of exhibit space at TMC to showcase technologies of today and tomorrow, introducing its “Innovation that Moves You” campaign and featuring several pieces of equipment.
The focal point was the Innovation Center which highlighted current and future technologies Great Dane is researching and testing alongside some of its supplier partners. These innovations look to advancements in trailer technology that increase safety, efficiency, utilization, and weight and energy savings. The booth also showcased Great Dane’s reefer lining exclusive, Microban technology, and offered an inside look at its newest product innovation, FleetPulse, a trailer telematics system scheduled for market release in Summer 2018.
“At Great Dane, we are driven to deliver innovation that moves our customers’ business forward, helping them achieve new levels of safety and efficiency,” said Chris Hammond, Great Dane’s executive vice president of Sales. “Since TMC is a technology-focused show, we wanted our booth to reflect the many ways we are using technology to move our customers’ business forward day-in and day-out. We are highlighting many of the new technologies we are working on with our supplier partners for future innovations as well as some of the exciting new innovations that are already available to our customers.”
The equipment on display in Great Dane’s booth included:
A Johnson C-Series Truck Body with an AE Series Refrigeration System that features the latest electric evaporator and solar panel technology. The Johnson C-Series is a lightweight truck body designed to deliver maximum payload and the highest thermal performance rating in the industry. The C-Series serves a variety of markets including beverage, dairy, food service, floral, frozen food, ice, ice cream, meat and seafood, pharmaceutical, produce, and vending. The truck body features an advanced solar panel system mounted on the roof, which converts sunlight into an auxiliary power source for use when the refrigeration unit is in operation. This solar technology combined with a 48 VDC condensing unit and the composite construction of the truck body provides a complete, thermally-efficient solution for distributors and a reliable alternative to diesel-powered units.
A 53’ Champion Composite Dry Freight Trailer that showcases Great Dane’s FleetPulse telematics system. Visitors to the Great Dane booth got a hands-on look at the system’s planned features through a unique augmented reality (AR) experience that uses sensors strategically placed on the trailer. Booth visitors were provided a tablet to scan over the sensors on the trailer to see how the different FleetPulse sensors work on a real trailer. Some of the sensors include lights out, tire inflation monitoring, door open/closed and more. This trailer also has a corrosion-resistance package featuring several hot dipped galvanized components, including the upper coupler assembly and rolled lip, full-length crossmembers, the rear frame and Great Dane’s RIG30 rear impact guard.
A 53’ Champion Sheet-and-Post Dry Freight Trailer built and customized for Walmart. The average trailer lifespan is 12 – 15 years, and with this trailer, Walmart sought to create the industry’s first “20-Year Trailer” designed for extreme durability and an extended useful life using exceptionally strong materials and corrosion-prevention techniques. The interior of the trailer has several components designed to provide maximum strength, including Great Dane’s SSL interior panels, a 12-inch high laminated hardwood side scuffband and steel front scuffband, Great Dane’s exclusive PunctureGuard ceiling liner, and Rockland 1.25-inch Pound Saver composite floor featuring Grip Guard top coat and a 21-inch deep galvanized steel rear grid plate. For additional durability and corrosion-resistance, this trailer also features several hot dipped galvanized components, including the rear impact guard, upper coupler and rolled lip bottom plate and full-length crossmembers.
A 20’6” Sahara C-Series Composite Plate Truck Body built for Southeastern Freight Lines and designed with several unique safety features. Entorno Industrial side underride guards are mounted to the sides of the truck body for enhanced safety for pedestrians and cyclists. An RVS Systems backup camera system featuring a color monitor with sound gives the driver extra awareness of what is happening around the truck body. The truck body also features a Grote 100-percent LED Long Life Lighting System with all-in-one stop, tail, turn and backup lights as well as interior motion sensor dome lighting for additional safety during loading and unloading of cargo.
Great Dane’s “Innovation That Moves You” campaign is centered on the company’s commitment to goods mobility and using the most innovative solutions to move its customer’s products to market safely and efficiently. The Innovation Center in Great Dane’s booth reflected this commitment to innovation by highlighting several new and in-development technologies from Great Dane and its supplier partners to give visitors a chance to explore some of the products that are currently available and what will be coming later this year.
Great Dane’s partner Microban International showcased some of the odor- and stain-prevention benefits of Great Dane’s exclusive antimicrobial reefer linings with a unique smell bar where visitors will be able to take sniff tests to observe the effectiveness of Microban technology. The booth also featured eNow’s solar panel technology. Great Dane and eNow teamed up to put solar panels on its Johnson C-Series truck body to help power Great Dane’s Johnson AE Series refrigeration system. The companies are now working with Carrier to mount solar panels on a trailer to help power Carrier’s new all-electric refrigeration unit for trailers.