Aggregates company reaps the benefits of using latest Edbro cylinder

Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK opted to run a CX14 cylinder as part of a weight saving initiative

It has been a little over one year since Edbro launched the latest cylinder from their CX range - the CX14. Designed as a compact combined tank and cylinder unit, the CX Series provides weight saving benefits to rigid truck applications from 15 to 32 tonnes GVW.

Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK opted to run the new cylinder as part of a weight saving initiative; it is now one year on and thanks to positive results, the company has opted to specify the CX14 exclusively on all rigid tipper fleet acquisitions.

In 2010 Lafarge began a weight saving initiative with the intention of working with their suppliers to try to achieve a 300kg weight saving on their rigid tipping vehicles. It was essential the reduced weight did not adversely affect the load capacity, safety or reliable operation of the trucks, whilst helping to reduce the company’s overall carbon emissions. Fortunately the initiative coincided with the launch of Edbro’s latest CX14 tipping cylinder and Lafarge opted to trial the cylinder for a year, instantly saving 65kg without compromising the body design and risking safety issues.

Nick Elliot, national transport manager for Lafarge, commented: ‘We were keen to develop ways in which we could safely increase our payload and reduce the number of miles covered by our trucks each year. To do this we spoke to some of our key suppliers, fortunately Edbro were able to offer a 65kg saving straight away through the latest tipping cylinder designed to reduce weight for rigid trucks.

‘The hydraulic cylinder is the integral part of a tipper and must be right; fortunately Edbro have a fantastic ‘fit and forget’ reputation within the industry and subject all of their cylinders to extremely vigorous testing throughout all stages of R&D and manufacture. We decided to trial the CX14 for a year to see what benefits it offered and to ensure that it operated efficiently with the loads that we wanted to carry.

‘It has been over 12 months since the cylinder was installed and I am happy to say that we are consistently achieving superb payloads. The gear has performed to Edbro’s self-set high standards and the weight saving cannot be ignored. We have chosen to specify the cylinder on all of this year’s vehicle builds.’

Peter Smith, Edbro’s sales and marketing director, added: ‘We were delighted when Lafarge chose to install the CX14 cylinder last year. They are well respected company that only uses the best equipment on their fleet. The CX14 uses a combined tank and cylinder to reduce weight, which is ideal for rigid truck applications. One year on and Lafarge are specifying the CX14 for all new trucks, it’s results like this that justify the effort we put into our R&D.’

Nick Elliot commented: ‘One of the driving forces behind last year’s initiative was to increase the efficiency of the delivery fleet and to reduce the company’s carbon footprint, which is a continual goal of ours. The CX14 has helped us to make an important step forward in that regard.



‘Having evaluated the cylinder’s performance over the last 12 months we can now credit the CX14 with at least 300kg reduction in carbon emissions for just this one vehicle. It has also taken two and a half less vehicle trips to move the same amount of material; when you consider what this means when applied across the fleet, it is phenomenal.



‘When we set our weight saving targets we knew that we would have to rely on our suppliers to help us achieve them, supplier support and involvement is critical to the success of these projects. Edbro’s involvement and communication were fantastic throughout, making this year’s decision even easier.



‘Last year’s trial reduced our carbon footprint by 300kg and saved over 130 litres of fuel. This year’s acquisitions are expected to produce similar results, reducing combined emissions by a further 3 tonnes; that’s why the CX14 is the right choice for Lafarge and, better still, the environment.’