The work truck industry is worth more than $121 billion, according to data from the US Bureau of the Census and NTEA sources. This staggering number shows just how important work trucks are, especially as power consumption continues to increase. In fact, the US Energy Information Administration projects world energy consumption will increase 56 percent by 2040.
Whether for home maintenance and repair, road building, or utility work, Americans depend heavily on the power supply—hydraulic, air, electric, and welding—that work trucks provide.
Work truck upfitters are constantly on the lookout for new, more efficient ways to build in mobile power solutions for truck accounts that have multiple sources of output. For the best competitive edge, it’s important that upfitters offer power supply solutions that help customers increase productivity while reducing costs. Here are several ways to do this.
Featured Image: Truck-mounted units are designed to provide all the power needed on any jobsite: hydraulic, air, electric, and welding.
Above: A HIPPO multipower unit can be custom engineered for almost any configuration required on a truck platform.
CONSOLIDATE POWER SUPPLY SOURCES
Municipal and other field service workers are often called to jobsites that require more than one type of power. Until recently, getting all of this power into the field usually required multiple separate vehicles or tow-ins, resulting in logistical challenges, including increased cost and decreased productivity.
Imagine how much time and money is spent procuring and maintaining all the separate “single function” power sources that can only operate one type of tool. In the field, these units can be a waste of company resources due to the time spent switching between units, and oftentimes even running off the truck’s engine, which increases idle hours and decreases the truck’s resale value.
Kansas City-based HIPPO Multipower, which began as a truck equipment upfitter, built the industry’s first multipower unit in 1980 to address these issues. Today, the compact unit is the most reliable multipower system that can simultaneously supply hydraulic, air, electric, and welding power, and can even run off an integrated diesel engine. As the first and oldest supplier of multipower units, HIPPO has spent decades perfecting its design and engineering, and it continuously outperforms its competitors.
“People today place great importance on products that make their lives easier and save them time,” says Mike Blank, president, HIPPO Multipower. “While other industries are embracing this shift toward convenience, the work truck industry must also utilize products like multipower supply units that help customers do business in a more efficient and budget-friendly manner.”
When called to duty, companies and work crews are relied upon to get the job done as quickly as possible, which means having the power to accomplish all tasks at hand. Consolidating all power sources into a single multipower unit means having the ability to manage more jobs with fewer pieces of equipment, which ultimately helps increase productivity and decrease costs.
TAILORED TO THE TRUCK
When upfitters are bidding a truck contract that requires self-contained remote mobile power, they look for options that provide the best value for the customer. One customer may need its fleet to be equipped with electric and welding power, while another customer needs just hydraulic and air.
There are a handful of multipower units on the market, which can make choosing the right one difficult. It’s important to install a unit that can be customized to provide all four types of power supply—or just some of them—to fit the customer’s needs. HIPPO, for example, can be custom-configured and engineered for almost any configuration required on a truck platform. Upfitters can send HIPPO Multipower the specifications and its team will design the mobile power solution needed.
Two units, in particular, are ideal for truck upfitters: HIPPO’s P-Model and E-Model. The compact P-Model can provide all four types of power and can be mounted curb-side or street-side, giving work crews the flexibility to tackle any job. The larger E-Model provides the same four types of power, but runs on its own diesel engine, making it perfect for use in states with strict engine idle laws. The E-Model can even be purchased as a specialized unit, such as the Power Pack, which subtracts hydraulic power; the Power Pack Plus, a more compact version of the standard E-Model; the Power Plant, a highly efficient unit with components tested and approved at the US Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground; or the Hurricane, which adds more air power to the Power Plant unit.
Truck-mounted units increase productivity, eliminate downtime, and provide the flexibility to tackle any job.
PRIORITIZE RELIABILITY AND SAFETY
Safety is a core value at nearly all municipal and utility companies—and for good reason. The safety of the crew and the people around them can be quickly compromised, should the work truck or equipment malfunction or not work at all. It’s the responsibility of upfitters to ensure equipment installed in work trucks is held to the highest safety and reliability standards.
Those who install HIPPO units have the security of knowing that HIPPO Multipower was selected by the US Department of Defense as the most dependable mobile multipower unit available. But, before HIPPO was used by the US Military to perform a variety of construction and demolition tasks under combat conditions, it had to first pass intense scrutiny and testing. This process took more than six years to fully test the durability and reliability of the power units.
In 2008, it was granted a National Stock Number, opening availability to all US government entities. Today, nearly a thousand HIPPO units have been fielded by the US Military throughout the world.
Innovative commercial solutions like HIPPO are constantly being sourced to keep up with the increased power consumption needs of our country. A city water services company, for example, contacted an upfitter in 2006 to install HIPPO units in its fleet, as the company looked to reduce its footprint, use less equipment, and maintain fewer engines. Now, 10 years later, the company has increased its number of HIPPOs from fewer than 10 to more than 50 units.
“At the end of the day, what we care most about is ensuring Americans are safe and have reliable power,” says Blank. “Whether that’s across the world as they defend our nation or right here at home, keeping the water supply flowing safely into homes and businesses, I’m proud that people can count on HIPPO. It’s everything municipal and field service workers need to answer the call of duty—day in and day out.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Heath Chapman is the chief marketing officer at HIPPO Multipower. Find out more about HIPPO Multipower’s products and services, visit www.hippomultipower.com or call 800.844.0624.
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MODERN WORKTRUCK SOLUTIONS: SEPTEMBER 2016 ISSUE
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