Fleet managers know the importance of uptime and proper upfitting. Your truck needs to be able to perform how you need it to, when you need it to. At International, those attributes are at the top of the list … and so is versatility. Fleet owners and operators know the importance of truck customization—as does International. International pulls in the top components from industry leaders to make sure every customer gets what they need from their truck with maximum efficiency and minimal downtime.
MWS: INTERNATIONAL OFFERS TWO ENGINES WITH ITS DURASTAR: THE NAVISTAR N9 AND THE RECENTLY ADDED CUMMINS ISB. HOW DOES THE CUMMINS ENGINE STAND UP TO NAVISTAR’S ENGINE IN SALES?
WEBB:
The Cummins ISB is our SCR engine for the majority of the medium-duty market and it delivers 200 to 325 hp and 520 to 750 lb-ft of torque. We also have the Navistar N9 engine with SCR technology; this engine has 275 to 330 hp and 860 to 950 lb-ft of torque.
Both engines are available in the Durastar. The ISB is the preferred choice for your general freight needs; for specific, more rugged, heavier-duty vocational applications, the N9 is the best choice.
If you look at the medium-duty industry, the Cummins ISB covers about 80 percent of the Durastar market. The balance of the market falls in that upper-end of the torque spectrum where the N9 engine competes. This is primarily driven by customer application and typically, these two torque ratings don’t intersect; there is a clear differentiation between what products and what vocations the Cummins ISB serves vs that of the Navistar N9.
The addition of the Cummins ISB to the Durastar has been very well accepted by our customers in the market place. The Cummins ISB is a proven engine with global scale; when you combine that with Durastar’s industry-leading truck chassis, you have a product that the customers are really excited about.
MWS: IN OCTOBER 2015, THE EATON PROCISION TRANSMISSION BECAME AVAILABLE IN DURASTARS. WHAT PROMPTED THE DECISION TO SWITCH TO THE PROCISION? DID ANY ADJUSTMENTS NEED TO BE MADE TO ACCOMMODATE THE NEW TRANSMISSION?
WEBB:
We didn’t necessarily make a change. What’s big for us is understanding and providing solutions the customers want—we call it open technology. Particularly, in the medium-duty market, customers need choices and options.
Not just one type of package is going to meet all the different needs of the customers, so we provide the best options and solutions for the customer. We still have manual and regular automatic transmissions available in our offering, but the Eaton Procision provides some features and benefits that some customers find attractive for their needs. So, we added that to our portfolio.
Now, customers have another option depending on how they want to use that medium-duty DuraStar. They can use either an Eaton Procision, manual, or a regular automatic transmission. That’s what we’re trying to do—open technology, open integration—we want to bring the best of breed from different suppliers. Cummins is world renown as one of the best engine makers in the world. We want to bring that to us. Eaton is very capable, one of the best in the world at providing transmissions. We want to bring that kind of expertise and capability into our products to be able to serve every customer.
MWS: THERE IS DEFINITELY NO SHORTAGE OF MEDIUM-DUTY TRUCK OPTIONS ON THE MARKET. WHAT MAKES THE DURASTAR THE TOP CHOICE WHEN IT COMES TO THE MEDIUM-DUTY MARKET AND HOW HAVE CUSTOMERS HELPED TO VALIDATE THE DURASTAR’S STATUS?
WEBB:
We own the space for uptime with DuraStar. Companies that own a Durastar know that it will do the job; it’s dependable; it starts, steers, stops, and is able to perform the job. The new DuraStars own uptime with either an automatic, manual, or an Eaton Procision transmission, a Cummins ISB or Navistar N9 engine, our chassis, our distribution network, parts on the shelf, and OnCommand Connection (OCC). With OCC, if you have an issue, we can see that in advance—we have early warning indicators. OCC also provides customers with insight into the performance of the fleet, which improves the efficiency of the DuraStar so that we have the best uptime out there and so that the product is up and running and doing its job every single day.
Customers that have our products and our competitors’ products will tell you that DuraStar is the best performing in their fleet. You take all those factors and add them up and we have the best product for them to get the job done. We can prove it. Our customers can tell us, “Ok, here’s how you rank against the competition.” Again, the medium-duty market is a lot of pick up and delivery, but there are different segments within the market place. We have a lot of flexibility.
MWS: DIAMOND LOGIC SEEMS TO BE A UNIQUE FEATURE—ESPECIALLY SINCE CUSTOMERS CAN TAILOR IT BY APPLICATION BOTH AT THE FACTORY AND ON AN AFTERMARKET LEVEL. WHAT SEPARATES DIAMOND LOGIC FROM COMPETING BODY BUILDER OFFERINGS? DOES DIAMOND LOGIC COME STOCK OR IS IT AN OPTIONAL ADD-ON?
WEBB:
Diamond Logic is a body integrator. It’s something we do better than anyone else, whether it’s a basic dry van or even as complex as an ambulance chassis—which is pretty sophisticated. We’re able to integrate the chassis and the body better than the competition. And, it comes with every DuraStar and you get it with—on the vocational side—every WorkStar, as well.
What’s really great about Diamond Logic is: it’s customizable. Let’s say you have a city truck, a dry van, and you have ten deliveries that you have to make. Well, that’s pretty standard; however, in order to make sure that you’re safe, you want to make sure that the truck doesn’t move every time you engage the lift-gate. You can program that. You can make it safe for the driver. There is a series of steps DuraStar runs through that is specific to your needs and will only allow you to lower the lift-gate and open up the door if certain safety features are engaged. It’ll check those things for you.
So, again, different from our competition. Everyone will say they have multiplexing. Our Diamond Logic is that—it allows you to work and talk from the chassis to the body—but you can customize it. In addition to some standard things we see that every customer kind of likes, there’s something unique to each business and you can program that into it.
Customers demand a truck that will deliver an efficient operation without compromising safety or uptime. The International Durastar with OCC, customizable Diamond Logic solution, and open technology (Cummins ISB, Navistar N9 engines, or Eaton Procision transmissions) gives customers exactly what they demand in a medium-duty truck.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Find out more about DuraStar and International’s other products and services, visit www.internationaltrucks.com. And, don’t forget to stay tuned for part two of the International Industry Insight, coming March 2016.
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MODERN WORKTRUCK SOLUTIONS: FEBRUARY 2016 ISSUE
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