Dennis Eagle showcased the Olympus Twin Pack at RWM in 2011, where it gained considerable interest. In order to create a wider and more versatile range of products, the company has combined the Olympus chassis with the Twin Pack body to compliment the existing body range, with the current environmental issues and legislative drivers in mind.
Mick Friend, General Sales Manager at Dennis Eagle, explained that it was a natural progression to design the body to fit into the Olympus body range which now accounts for over 60% of all RCV bodies purchased by Private contractors, local authorities and hire companies in the UK. “From the customer's perspective we are creating a more modern product with fewer parts, which will also reduce maintenance. The Olympus Twin Pack will be available in volumes of 16, 19, 21, 23 and 27 cubic metres, compared to the current Twin Pack which is available in volumes of 15 or 20 cubic metres. The 27m variant will be fitted to the 32,000kg Elite 8x4 chassis while the others will be available on a variety of chassis sizes ranging from 23,000kg to 26,000kg.
The new Olympus Twin Pack offers waste professionals the option to collect various types of waste. The body is available in both 65/35 and 50/50 combinations. According to Mick there is a lot of interest in using the 35% side for kitchen waste, due to the fact that fewer vehicles and manpower are than required when food waste needs to be collected separately.
The Twin Pack body offers two independent body compartments, tailgates and operational systems, which are safeguarded against cross contamination at all stages of the loading and disposal process. The body structure has been manufactured using high tensile steel to add strength and increase wear resistance, using an 8mm tailgate floor plate and 7mm tailgate side plates in Hardox 400 (as standard).
The hydraulics have been updated with proportional controls to reduce noise and operating temperatures, while the packing system logic has been enhanced for more efficient waste density control, direct from the incab CANbus display.
Many features are now standardised within the control system for “plug & play” operation and to provide an enhanced diagnostics capability and maintenance tool. The need for a separate tailgate processor and additional input/output boards has been eliminated.
Mick added that the stability is improved, due to a low centre of gravity, which reduces the chance of the vehicle becoming unbalanced when it is asymmetrically loaded. “It is very flexible in the materials that it can collect; including: plastics, paper, residual waste, and glass.
Following the RWM show, Dennis Eagle has already received advanced orders for the new Olympus Twin Pack which will be available from September 2012.
Another separate development by Dennis Eagle is its new Fuel Saver Pack ' an add-on pack and training programme that has been proven to cut fuel costs and reduce CO22 emissions.
Dennis Eagle teamed up with leading waste management company Veolia Environmental Services to trial the new pack, installing one of the systems to a standard Olympus Elite RCV in Veolia Environmental's Westminster City Council fleet. The trial took place during the second half of 2011 and involved a direct comparison with their existing non Dennis Euro 3 fleet. The performance of both trucks was closely monitored throughout the trial to measure the effectiveness of the Olympus Elite fitted with the Fuel Saver Pack. Results were extremely positive, demonstrating fuel savings of over 25%.
The Fuel Pack incorporates a number of new technologies including improved engine management, soft pack hydraulics which have been designed to help the vehicle improve its flow technology and upgraded transmission technology. In addition, drivers of the vehicles are unable to over-rev the engine as it has been fitted with a dynamic throttle control. These changes make the vehicle more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly. Operators are also coached and educated in fuel efficient driving techniques as this ensures they get the best from their vehicles while also being as economical as possible.
Additionally, operators can choose to add EcoTrak fuel saving technology from CMS SupaTrak. EcoTrak is a vehicle telematics solution which has been developed to help operators manage their fleet, drivers and operating costs. It records data from the vehicle, including fuel usage, driver behaviour, maintenance, servicing data and GPS location information, allowing fleet managers to reduce fuel costs, plan their servicing schedules and manage their fleet more efficiently. Veolia Environmental Services has recently ordered 68 new Olympus bodies and 41 Elite chassis for its Westminster City Council contract which have been fitted with the Fuel Saver Pack.
Based on the results from the trial and an average annual fuel spend of 15K per vehicle, Westminster City Council could potentially make savings of over 200K annually on the fleet of vehicles, while also creating a considerable reduction in CO2 emissions. The trials with Westminster have revealed that the Fuel Saver Pack has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by between eight and 11 tonnes annually per vehicle.
Mick added that further trials in rural areas revealed that the Fuel Saver Pack is most beneficial in Urban and City environments. “The difference between collecting waste on a high density estate, compared to rural collection is staggering. It is proving what we thought. Packing waste while on the move is where most of the fuel is being used, not whilst driving from A to B. Since receiving this order we have also received further orders for the Fuel Saver Pack form both private contractors and local authority customers”
However, Mick feels that other measures can also be taken to save fuel. Hydraulic pressures affect vehicle economy, if the operator adjusts the hydraulic pressure correctly according to the particular load that requires compacting, considerable savings can be made. “For instance, when picking up plastics you require a different compaction pressure than for green waste. There is potential in the future for the new Olympus Twin Pack to enable the operator to adjust the pressure, either remotely via a modem or with a simple digital input key. In France and Spain they are talking about using a calendar system in the dashboard, where you can set the dial to the type of refuse they are collecting.”
