Customer case

More sustainable – and profitable – transportation with tipper bodies in Hardox® 500 Tuf

November 11, 2022 6 min read

Tipper truck on a job site with body made in Hardox® 500 Tuf steel, with the slogan It’s New, It’s Here, It’s Ready For Wear!

Case details

Product Hardox® 500 Tuf

Country France

Company Bennes Vincent

Industry Trailers and body builders

Brand program Hardox^® In My Body

Tough on wear, gentle on the environment. When Bennes Vincent upgraded to Hardox® 500 Tuf, they could build tippers that have less tare weight, take a higher payload and are more sustainable – and more profitable.

In July 2020, Bennes Vincent became the first tipper body builder in France to launch a new rear tipper line – Multi-Blocs – made entirely in Hardox^® 500 Tuf steel after they upgraded from Hardox^® 450. So why the upgrade?

Christophe Thal, sales director at Bennes Vincent, cites his customers: “They say it’s an excellent product that helps them optimize their truckload.” He estimates a tare weight reduction and payload increase of between 280 kg (617 lbs.) and 320 kg (705 lbs.) for each tipper body.

Case details

Product Hardox® 500 Tuf

Country France

Company Bennes Vincent

Industry Trailers and body builders

Brand program Hardox^® In My Body

An employee at Bennes Vincent pointing to a hard and tough trailer body made in Hardox® 500 Tuf steel.

CUSTOMER BENEFITS

Greater customer satisfaction thanks to tare weight reduction and payload increase
Tipper can travel lighter when empty or partially loaded
Less steel used in production, so end product weighs less and has a smaller environmental footprint
Less unnecessary weight during operation means less pollution, something customers are starting to request
No tooling changes needed during fabrication compared with Hardox^® 450

Less material = less weight, with the same wear resistance

Benne Vincent’s rear tippers are used in construction, roadworks and public works. A majority of their tipper bodies are built entirely in Hardox® wear plate, and they appreciate that they can use less steel with Hardox^® 500 Tuf and still have the same wear resistance. And the less steel they use, the less their tippers weigh.

“One of the biggest benefits when upgrading from Hardox 450 to Hardox® 500 Tuf is that you get a more high-end product, using less material and without changing any tools in the workshop,”

- Christophe Thal, sales director at Bennes Vincent

Slashed fuel costs, lower emissions

For Bennes Vincent’s customers, bodies that weigh less make a big difference. With reduced tare weight, not only can they load their tippers more than before, but they can travel lighter when the tipper is empty or not fully loaded. The results? Slashed fuel costs and less wear and tear on the trucks themselves.

“In just five years, the tipper body has already paid for itself and the following years translate into pure profit. The tipper body will last as long as the truck itself, if not longer,” Thal explains. But he says that the main advantage is the reduced environmental impact.

“By moving less unnecessary weight, you pollute less, and this is essentially what our customers are all aiming for.”

This is also in line with the European Union’s new and tougher CO₂ emissions standards, which aim to reduce heavy-duty vehicle emissions by 15% from 2025 compared with 2019/2020 levels, and by 30% from 2030.

A smiling employee of Bennes Vincent standing in front of a truck body made in Hardox® 500 Tuf steel.

The secret to weight savings is in the steel

“Hardox® 500 Tuf is super resistant and has higher elasticity, so we can use thinner gauges than before. Our Multi-Blocs tipper body, for example, was using 8 mm (0.315 in.) thick floor plate and 6 mm (0.236 in.) side panels compared to 7 mm (0.276 in.) and 5 mm (0.197 in.) today with Hardox 500 Tuf.”

Benefits of a long and strong partnership with SSAB

Bennes Vincent and SSAB have been partnering and innovating together for 30 years.

“We’ve always had a great relationship,” says Philippe Mengel, Bennes Vincent’s technical director. “Over the years, we’ve evolved our products alongside SSAB’s steel evolutions, which has allowed us to constantly keep improving our tipper bodies,” he says, noting that cooperation has grown into much more than just a commercial transaction.

“They are always there to support us technically, even in our own product designs, and help us with calculations and solutions. Personally, I’m on the phone with them pretty much every week.”

Bennes Vincent is also a member of the Hardox^® In My Body program. Today, they make 80% of their tipper bodies with steel from SSAB’s Hardox wear plate product range, of which Hardox^® 500 Tuf accounts for 10%. This is about to increase even more, since Bennes Vincent has started working Hardox^®500 Tuf into its two-way tipper bodies. And there are plans to ramp up production, for good reasons:

“The Brinell hardness is higher, the elasticity is increased, and the abrasion resistance is improved,” Thal concludes.

Close-up of a welder with weld helmet, working a plate of Hardox® 500 Tuf steel

About Bennes Vincent

Bennes Vincent, a subsidiary of the Vincent Group, is located in Cernay, France, and operates two tipper body production plants in Poland. The company produces an average of 650 tipper bodies each year, with an estimated annual growth of 5%. It was the first tipper body builder in France to launch a product line made exclusively in Hardox^® 500 Tuf steel. Bennes Vincent is a qualified member of the Hardox^® In My Body program.