MAN Truck & Bus celebrates 100 years of commercial vehicle manufacturing by demonstrating the next generation emergency rescue vehicles at ‘Interchutz’ – an international trade fair for fire rescue , civil protection and safety, in Hanover, Germany.
Showcasing a wide range of rescue vehicles such as the TGL, TGM and TGS series, MAN reinforced it’s industry leadership at the international trade fair with innovations in engine and chassis design in addition to reliability of rescue vehicles.
MAN Truck & Bus has a historic record of engineering the appropriate specification for any municipal or firefighting application, backed by 100 years of expertise. It also has an extensive history with both municipal and civil defence fire services in many countries of the Middle East where its vehicles hold a well-deserved reputation for exceeding the most demanding application requirements.
“The reliability and robustness of MAN vehicles is appreciated by rescue services around the world and especially here in the Middle East region where we have earned a reputation for being the best manufacturer of such vehicles over the years while providing a solution for any application requirement.” said Dr. Richard Brown, Head of Product Management, MAN Truck & Bus Middle East.
“MAN has always set itself apart through its innovations in engine and chassis design, and our TGL, TGM and TGS series set a new standard for efficiency and performance to reinforce our industry leadership. The vehicles allow for country-specific flexibility and are designed to deliver superior driving comfort, while ensuring protection of the crew, vehicle and load.”
Fire services require vehicles that are not just reliable and responsive but most importantly safe in operation in any emergency situation. Before the vehicles are introduced, they are tested thoroughly for speed and distance specifications while accelerating and decelerating.
At the Interchutz 2015, some the the features showcased by MAN were Integration of Allison automatic gearboxes in the driveline, electronic stability programme (ESP) for rescue vehicles with engage-able all-wheel drive and payload optimisation in the TGL series.
MAN TGL represents the idea base for small fire fighting vehicles with its range of wheelbases, frame lengths and cab variants. Some of these vehicles include water tender fire fighting vehicles, gear trucks, control vehicles or logistic vehicles. The two-axle chassis with on-road drive comes in many different variants in the 7.49- to 12-ton weight class. The four cylinder engines produce 150, 180 or 220 hp with the most powerful engines in the series delivering 250 hp.
The spotlight of the fire service segment was on the TGM series, weighing 12 to 18 tons. This TGM base is used for various sizes of crew fire fighting trucks, turntable ladders and telescopic masts, gear and recover trucks, hose layers and swap-body vehicles. The series features entry-level engines from 250 hp which can be extended with both the 290 hp and 340 hp performance levels of the six cylinder common-rail engine.
For heavy-duty loads, the MAN TGS comes in to play. Some of the vehicles that use the TGS base are heavy fire fighting vehicles, large water tender fire fighting vehicles, water tank trucks for industrial facilities and airports, turntable ladders and telescopic masts with a high rescue height, and swap-body trucks. This feature is accomplished by the many different variants in the series with two, three or four axles which can be combined with leading or trailing axles. The performance range of the efficient six-cylinder inline engines extends from 320 hp to 480 hp with interim levels of 360 hp, 400 hp and 440 hp.
MAN is a pioneer in heavy duty vehicle manufacturing and continues to be an avant-garde with its constant redefining of the game. MAN began manufacturing trucks in collaboration with well-known Swiss carmaker Saurer in 1915, and fire services were among the company’s first customers.