BULLBUCK: All Buck, No Bull COOL BANANAS: the Blenners Brand EVERY UPDATE
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Issue 29 — December 2009 AWESOME AT THE ORE FACE 4,500 hp monsters muscle up in the Pilbara BULLBUCK: All buck, no bull COOL BANANAS: The Blenners brand EVERY 2 UPDATE “Cummins’ support of this initiative included testing the engine in the US, with the emissions results used to confirm the repeatability when tested in Orbital’s facility.” He says the Signature will be used as a correlation engine to provide important baseline data under both the current Signature ADR80/02 emissions standards and also under ADR80/03 to be introduced in 2011. Cool A Cummins Signature EGR truck Alternative fuels has “Until now, governments and industry in Australia have become one had nowhere to test heavy-duty engines and obtain engine is providing critical test data of Orbital’s goes independent data,” Hugh Carlisle points out. key business for Orbital Corporation in Perth. growth areas, “We can now certify engines to any emissions standards with the company around the world, and also assist governments and involved in a number industry with emissions testing of new or modified bananas Say “Orbital” and the most likely response is “Ralph Sarich”. of projects, including heavy-duty engines. development of a fuel into “There are concerns about people and firms who are Yet Sarich has long since left the Perth-based Orbital system for heavy- modifying engines and selling them to end users as viable, company, becoming a wealthy property investor. duty ethanol emissions-compliant products when they haven’t actually engines in Brazil. Sarich’s original invention of an ‘orbital’ rotary engine, been validated,” he adds. Orbital will also which had the backing of BHP, never gained momentum supply a new despite the seemingly endless series of press reports orbit The test facility is capable of operating heavy-duty generation LPG throughout the 1980s and early 1990s trumpeting yet engines on diesel, natural gas, LPG and biodiesel as part system for Ford Falcon models beginning in the second more licensing agreements and the promise of a big of Orbital’s focus on alternative fuels for heavy vehicle half of 2010. engine plant being built in the US. applications and greenhouse gas reduction. The company’s new heavy-duty engine test facility in The self-taught engineer actually came to prominence “There are real opportunities for use of alternate fuels Perth has been built at a cost of $3.6 million, with in Australia,” says Hugh Carlisle. “Natural gas is one back in 1972 when he won the ABC’s Inventors TV program $2.8 million being funded by the Federal Government. award for his engine which featured rotary rather than example. There are copious quantities of natural gas, reciprocating motion of its internal parts. most of which is exported. The facility is allowing Orbital to carry out sophisticated emissions compliance testing — the only facility with Orbital Corporation is a very different business today, “The new test facility will enable Orbital to be at the this capability in Australia — and will also support and a Cummins Signature truck engine installed in a test forefront of delivering new technology into the government and industry research and implementation cell in the company’s world-class R&D facility in Perth is alternative fuels market.” of alternative fuels for linehaul evidence of the new direction. transport in Australia. In a world increasingly challenged by environmental A 15-litre Cummins ISX/Signature compliance, Orbital describes itself as an ‘international US ’07 engine is being used as clean energy technology group’ and has a team of more the ‘master engine’ for emissions Les Blennerhassett… started a company that today than 90 engineers and qualified trades peoples working correlation. Selecting an engine transports 240,000 cartons of bananas a week. on a wide range of projects. for this purpose was not a case A spin-off from years of research by Orbital has of buying on price. underpinned the company in the last 10 years or so. “We chose the Signature EGR Orbital’s direct injection fuel system technology for engine for several reasons,” two-stroke engines, making them more powerful, says Hugh Carlisle, engineering Why are bananas bent? Over the last couple of years, Cummins has begun fuel‑efficient and clean, is today used on Mercury manager (projects) for Orbital. making an impression in the fleet which was once Marine outboards, on Japanese Tohatsu outboards, on “Cummins is recognised as a An interesting question, dominated by a competitor brand. scooters made by Piaggio, Peugeot and Aprilia, on jet technology leader, and we also skis and snowmobiles made by Bombardier, and even on took into account Cummins’ and obviously one that Les As the emissions screws have tightened, the autorickshaws produced by Indian company Bajaj Auto. heavy-duty market leadership driver acceptance, performance and fuel economy both in Australia and North of Cummins’ EGR engine line-up has strongly Orbital is also a joint venture partner in Synerject, Blennerhassett can answer. America. influenced decision-making at Blenners. a supplier of electronic engine management systems After all, when your company transports a tidal wave of (EMS) for two‑stroke and four‑stroke engines in the “We also wanted an engine north Queensland bananas – 240,000 cartons a week So, too, has Cummins’ strong service support scooter/motorcycle and other recreational markets. that would remain unchanged in – you should know all there is to know about bananas. capability, spearheaded by Ralph Cremer’s team An EMS supplied by Synerject is used on Ducati and Australia for the next five to at Cummins Cairns. Driver acceptance, performance and fuel economy of Cummins’ EGR Harley Davidson motorcycles. six years. Orbital’s engineering manager (projects) Hugh Carlisle (right) That statistic highlights the magnitude of Blenners engine has strongly influenced decision-making at Blenners. with Cummins truck engine business manager Clayton Cowling. Transport’s involvement in the banana industry in Blenners is currently running 14 ISX EGR engines, with north Queensland. horsepower set at 525, 550 or 600 depending on the application, and they’ll each clock up around 300,000 km Orbital’s new $3.6 million heavy-duty engine test facility “We move around 55 per cent of north Queensland in a year, based on the fleet average. in Perth is the only facility of its type in Australia. bananas to the capital cities – Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth,” says Les Two other ISX engines in the fleet, pre-EGR units rated Blennerhassett. at 500 hp in T404 Kenworths, have been in service since mid-2007 and they’ve delivered very good reliability, each “The beauty of bananas is that they are not seasonal. having notched over 700,000 km. They’re freight that needs to be moved 52 weeks of the year.” “Looking to the future we decided Cummins was the way to go,” says Roger Blennerhassett, Les’s son who is North Queensland’s banana crop represents around 85% service manager for Blenners Transport. of Australia’s banana farming land. Through 2009, it has not been uncommon for over 400,000 cartons of bananas “Our drivers are very impressed with the EGR engines, to be transported in a week to southern markets. and the fuel economy is good too. The performance factor is very important in terms of our ability to attract Blennerhassett’s knowledge of bananas and the and retain drivers.” banana industry hasn’t accrued just through his transport business. Blenners has standardised on a 4.11:1 diff ratio which with Les Blennerhassett with son Roger (right) and Cummins truck 305/70R 22.5 tyres and an 18-speed transmission has the engine business manager Simon Pratt. Before venturing into trucking in 1988, his roots were ISX engine turning over at 1620 rpm at 100 km/h. in farming – bananas and cane. “The reason I bought a truck (a Kenworth T650) in 1988 was to cart our own Scanning the fleet fuel figures, he points out that bananas to market,” he recalls. ISX 525 engines in T408 Kenworths are consistently in the 2.1 to 2.2 km/litre range on single trailer work, while Today, 70 linehaul prime movers and over 100 the best economy for an ISX 550 in a B-double K108 refrigerated vans make up the Tully-based Blenners is 1.8 km/litre. Transport fleet which includes 30 B-doubles and six roadtrains. “We’re up on our weights most of the time,” Roger points out. “While we’re virtually 100 per cent bananas south, The business has grown on the back of customer service we’re returning with produce and dry freight.” – understanding the needs of farmers, and providing the flexibility that has encouraged a strong relationship with So, back to the question at the beginning of this article: Blenners Transport. Why are bananas bent? They’re bent because they grow negatively geo-tropic. What? It means they grow against With his background in farming, Blennerhassett knew that the pull of gravity, according to the Australian Banana for Blenners to be successful, his customers – the farmers Growers Council. The bananas actually start out straight Cummins Commentary is published by Cummins South Pacific – needed to be successful too. “As our customers have as the bunch emerges, and then become bent as they The Blenners fleet comprises 70 linehaul prime movers and over grown, we’ve grown with them,” he says. grow older. So there you have it! 2 Caribbean Drive, Scoresby Vic 3179 Australia 100 refrigerated vans. Tel: 61-3 9765 3222 Editor: Murray Clifford Tel: 0419 268 289 Email: [email protected] EVERY UPDATE “Cummins’ support of this initiative included testing the engine in the US, with the emissions results used to confirm the repeatability when tested in Orbital’s facility.” He says the Signature will be used as a correlation engine to provide important baseline data under both the current Signature ADR80/02 emissions standards and also under ADR80/03 to be introduced in 2011.