Customer case

Amrep® full-body trash truck design crushes waste with Hardox® wear plate

December 11, 2023 6 min read

Case details

Product Hardox® 450

Country United States

Company Amrep® Manufacturing

Industry Trailers and body builders

Brand program Hardox^® In My Body

Think it’s overkill? Amrep® Manufacturing keeps collection operators on the road with long-lasting, hard and tough refuse vehicles

Case details

Product Hardox® 450

Country United States

Company Amrep® Manufacturing

Industry Trailers and body builders

Brand program Hardox^® In My Body

Amrep^® Manufacturing takes refuse collection to a higher level as North America’s only builder to craft a full-body truck design featuring Hardox® wear plate in all areas for hard and tough performance in such an extreme application.

Following years rebuilding refuse truck bodies on account of shortened wear life caused by underperforming steels, the Amrep design team turned to Hardox^® wear plate for superior durability, longer service life and higher workshop efficiency.

The waste and recycling industry demands long-lasting performance to provide uninterrupted weekly, and sometimes, daily, collection and hauling services. According to Eric Mattson, Amrep President, Hardox^® wear plate solved a number of challenges because it combines toughness with high hardness that extends a truck body’s use life, while delivering resistance to blows and dents, which is especially critical for vehicles like garbage trucks operating in harsh conditions.

“For our industry, we had to come up with a material that was strong enough to withstand the compaction and the severe-duty environment we have in the refuse collection industry,” says Mattson. “Eventually, we landed on Hardox^® wear steel.”

Eric Mattson, Amrep President, certifies the highest quality and long-lasting performance of the company’s hard and tough elliptical design trash trucks.

Watch the full story in the video

Hear why certified Hardox® In My Body trash trucks from Amrep Manufacturing keep rolling over the long haul.

American-made refuse trucks for the long haul

Amrep was among the first manufactures to develop a shaped body and removed the reinforced ribbing needed for such large, long spans like those found on trash trucks. Today, they build an entire elliptical body design using essentially four sheets of Hardox® steel.

“We build the entire body shell, the entire rear door shell and the hopper out of Hardox® steel.” Some people might think that might be overkill,” Mattson explains, “but what we found is that because of such a high strength rating, we don’t see any deformation of any of the product.”

Headquartered in Ontario, California, the company’s history spans more than five decades. Incorporated 1976 by the Ghibaudo brothers and acquired in 2019 by Wastequip, Amrep operates manufacturing and repair facilities across four states with more than 260 employees.

“We’re not just an assembler,” Eric Mattson, President Amrep Manufacturing. “We actually bring in the raw material. We process that raw material, and we make all the subcomponents that we use to make the finished product. We looked at the design. We looked at the material types, and we changed everything all at once.”

Consistent material properties along with repeatable performance means Amrep’s work flows are faster and safer when processing, including welding, bending and forming.

Making friends in the workshop

Hardox® steel also offers workshop efficiencies. Consistent material properties along with repeatable performance means Amrep’s work flows are faster and safer when processing, including welding, bending and forming. Because SSAB continuously works to improve production processes, Hardox® steel is manufactured under strict standards, with guarantees for tight thickness and flatness tolerances, as well as tight bending guarantees.

Committed to the highest quality equals being certified Hardox® In My Body

Amrep specified Hardox® 450 nearly 10 years prior to joining the Hardox^® In My Body program in 2010 with its certified elliptical body. SSAB’s brand program Hardox® In My Body features a sign that represents equipment manufactured to the highest standards by qualified members.

All members are thoroughly assessed and earn the right to display the program’s logo as signs of their commitment. Certified equipment offer long-term cost efficiency, increased payloads, fuel savings, low maintenance, long service life and higher resale values. Each company’s sign is traceable for authenticity and can be validated. For Amrep, installing the sign of quality decal ensures their customers’ value.

“It’s important because when you’re looking at a trash truck, for example. When you see a painted, completed unit. How do you know what material is in that body?” Mattson asks. “By putting that serialized label on it, you know that the material under that paint that you can’t see is actually that high quality Hardox material. The labels are provided and tracked by Hardox, and also serialized and tied to our serial number and tracked by us.”

Ready to step up your steel?

Join companies like Amrep and take full advantage of Hardox® wear plate, the world’s leading abrasion-resistant (AR) steel in your extreme application.

Amrep, installs the sign of quality decal to ensure their customers know and trust what steel is in their vehicle.

Stay up to date on the benefits of Hardox® wear steel

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Try our Hardox ^® WearCalc application and calculate how long the life of your products will increase and the payload will increase with a replacement for a Hardox ^® wear plate.