CNG Case Study
Environmentally Friendly Customer, Customer Friendly Supplier Team Up to Make a Real Difference in Winnipeg
CNG is the next big step in Emterra Environmental鈥檚 mandate to become an even stronger leader in environmental responsibility. With Heil as their partner, they will get there even faster.
Rudy Frank
Emterra Environmental (Burlington, ON) takes the 鈥渆nvironmental鈥� portion of its name seriously. With more than 400 trucks, 800 employees and 14 material-recovery facilities throughout Manitoba, Ontario, and British Columbia and serving about 10 percent of the entire Canadian population, the company鈥檚 General Manager of metro Vancouver, Nevil Davies, did his own comprehensive research as to which supplier could best help Emterra to switch from traditional diesel-powered vehicles to CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) units that operate more cleanly, quietly and, ultimately, economically. All to support Emterra鈥檚 overall corporate sustainability effort to dramatically reduce the environmental impact of its collection of waste and recyclables.
鈥�To put it simply, we cold-called Heil Environmental,鈥� begins Paulina Leung, Emterra鈥檚 Business Development Manager. 鈥淲e liked everything we could find related to their proven CNG program, especially how seamlessly their fuel-delivery service was integrated between a chosen chassis and the Heil loader body.鈥�
But it wasn鈥檛 just Heil鈥檚 (Chattanooga, TN) promise to lower Emterra鈥檚 fuel and maintenance costs, reduce idling noise and cut down on emissions that captured the Canadian solid waste giant鈥檚 attention. 鈥淭o say that the Heil response was timely and attentive is a vast understatement,鈥� continues Leung. 鈥淭heir rep was on the ground in Vancouver within days to see first-hand our requirements so that he could accurately propose just which Heil products would best suit our objectives.鈥�
The Ideal Solution
But that sales call was just the beginning of Heil鈥檚 coordinated approach to satisfy Emterra鈥檚 search for the ideal CNG solution. Within days, the world鈥檚 premier maker of ultra-durable, exceptionally productive mobile refuse collection vehicles, had arranged for several members of the Emterra decision-making team to actually tour not only the Heil design and manufacturing facility in Fort Payne, AL, but to also visit a few current Heil customers, including like titles in Pasadena, CA, who managed a similar field fleet.
鈥�Heil made sure we also spoke directly with the equipment operator so we could learn the good and, frankly, the not-so-good points about all the equipment purchases we were considering for the city of Winnipeg and additional projects,鈥� states Leung. 鈥淩ight there, that kind of unlimited access gave us a strong feeling that we were dealing with a company that would stand 100 percent behind everything it sold to us.鈥�
There were a few other key factors in Heil鈥檚 favor as well. First of all, for more than 100 years, the company has been an unparalleled one-stop resource for virtually any type of refuse collection vehicles, whether they are front loaders, rear loaders, side loaders, and multi-compartmental styles. Its sales activities (direct and also through a nationwide dealer network) are completely backed by the waste management industry鈥檚 most trusted service organization. 鈥淗eil has done hundreds of CNG installations matching ours,鈥� says Leung. 鈥淭heir process, their history, their products, their desire to make things right all contributed to our choice. We have no margin for error when we undertake our extremely tight municipal contracts. Heil, from our very first interaction with them, made it clear that they not only could deliver to our timeframes and specifications, but that they also wanted our business. They carefully listened to our needs鈥攁nd then their passion to work closely with us became clearly evident.鈥�
Selecting the Equipment
For use in Winnipeg, where temperatures sometimes drop to 40掳 (Celcius) below, Emterra selected some 60 Heil bodies, a mixture of Rapid Rail庐 continuous-pack automated side loaders and PT 1000鈩� high-performance rear loaders. All on Crane Carrier chassis, giving Emterra the world鈥檚 largest fleet of CNG waste and recycling trucks for a truly cold-weather climate. But, just to be safe, some retrofitting was commissioned. 鈥淲e added extra-large driers to our fueling station and large block heaters to all the Heil units,鈥� says Leung. 鈥淚t now comes down to how well CNG performs in a Winnipeg winter. In a way, our order is a learning experience for Heil, too. To date, there have been no proven successes鈥攂y any CNG equipment supplier鈥攊n such frigid environments. We do know one thing, though: no matter what, Heil will stand behind its merchandise.鈥�
The Heil Rapid Rail庐 side loader, with a lift capacity of 1,600 lbs. and a lift cycle time of just eight seconds, features a patented paddle packer that continuously sweeps (and, thus, cleans) the hopper so that the operator never has to pause between stops to activate the loader arm. That means far less downtime and greatly improved productivity. In addition, there鈥檚 never a need to clean behind the packer blade, either鈥攁 great convenience for the vehicle鈥檚 driver. And there are no shoes, guide tracks, or guide rails to ever wear out.
鈥�The unique paddle mechanism results in low cost of maintenance, low cost of ownership,鈥� claims Leung. 鈥淧lus, its arm has an extended reach (96 inches), an ability to maneuver in very tight spaces, and a wonderful overall track record.鈥�
Heil鈥檚 PT 1000鈩� rear loader, with compaction up to 1,000 lbs. per cubic yard and a class-best packing cycle time of 15 to 17 seconds, comes equipped with an industry-renowned 3-cubic yard hopper and reloads in a blistering five to six seconds.
Adds Tom Binder, Heil鈥檚 Western Regional Manager: 鈥淔er-Marc Equipment, our Canadian dealer, did an extraordinary job demonstrating the superior payload capacities and low-maintenance benefits of Heil鈥檚 Rapid Rail and PT 1000 loaders to Emterra. Fer-Mac鈥檚 support, from the initial inquiry to the actual deal, enabled Emterra to make a confident equipment choice.鈥�
The Next Step
鈥�We don鈥檛 just talk the 鈥榞reen鈥� talk鈥攚e actually walk the walk,鈥� concludes Leung. 鈥淐NG is the next big step in our mandate to become an even stronger leader in environmental responsibility. With Heil as our partner, we鈥檒l get 鈥榯here鈥� sooner versus later.鈥�
Rudy Frank is 35-year veteran of authoring B2B case studies. Rudy is VP of Branding and Marketing Communications at Mirage MarCom, a Marketing Strategy and Tactics agency in Monroeville, PA. 聽He can be reached at (412) 372-4181, ext 130 or e-mail [email protected].
For more information, on Heil, contact Jennifer Shaffer, Corporate Manager, Marketing Communications, at (423) 855-3488 or e-mail [email protected].