Design and engineering is the focus of any engineering consultancy. But thinking beyond classical patterns enables innovation and faster technology uptake.
Therefore we offer supporting services up- and downstream of engineering.
The areas we work in may be new to some of the actors in the off-highway sector, but we have been involved in these fields for quite a while. Our know-how is on one hand part of the context awareness we believe to necessary to design solutions optimally tailored to your needs but is also available as stand-alone consulting service.
Among the areas we can offer unique expertise is the necessary infrastructure for Zero Emission Mobility. While we do not offer e.g. hydrogen refueling infrastructure, our founders have managed the erection of such facilities in the past and can offer guidance or assist in developing specifications. For one client we have developed a rail suitable derivative of opportunity charging technology for battery shunting locomotives. In all these cases we pay close attention to the energy and policy environment our clients are working in.
While we are capable to provide turn-key modernization or re-motorization services for individual vehicles or small fleets with our preferred partners, converting an entire series of existing diesel vehicles requires different set-ups. Knowing many of the players and having extensive homologation and certification expertise at hand enables us to design new value chains for a cost-efficient modernization and conversion programme.
Finally, decades of co-operative research have taught us the value of open innovation systems. As established player in this area we can connect our clients to build a portfolio of projects enabling them – and us – to develop technology solutions fit for the future.
While developing fixed infrastructure for Zero Emission Mobility is not our core business it is part of our context awareness. If there is e.g., no space for a properly designed and all safety standards respecting hydrogen refueling station, look for hydrogen based locomotive conversion may be as futile as going the same route for a very small fleet of vehicles with low daily usage.
At the same time since the rail or other off-highway sectors sector have not yet fully embraced battery driven vehicles, infrastructures for opportunity charging cannot be bought off the shelf.
Thus, we see an obligation to advise on selecting not only a realistic overall system design but may be able to act as expert advisors for the design and acquisition of such infrastructure to complement our Zero Emission conversion designs. In some cases, we have even designed such solutions for our clients.
As an engineering consultancy with a manufacturing capacity and network to support the production of prototypes for our research or individual conversion jobs, we can be a partner for early stages of conversion strategies of large fleet owners. Once the solutions are proven, and annual conversion rates reach double digit quantities it is necessary to create a value chain that looks different. Our preferred partners are all proven heavy-duty suppliers with the capacity to supply an quantities of their products a retrofit/modernization programme would require. If a client thus needs to fulfill a complete conversion of a fleet by a clear deadline, we can work with them to arrange the value chain accordingly including certifying some stages of the conversion work and monitoring quality.
The off-highway sector has been characterized by consolidation and intensive competition leading in some areas to strictly separated vertical organizations even in the basic technology field. Our decades of experience have taught us that it is possible to jointly address some of the challenges resulting from the step changes ahead without eliminating the possibilities for competitive differentiation, e.g., in the field of battery fire safety. As we are embedded in a variety of networks also involving academic and extramural research, we can assist in acquiring the requisite knowledge of develop the required training programs for your staff. Talk to us!
