Customer case

Al Jeathen reduces tipper weight while increasing payload capacity with Hardox® 500 Tuf steel

June 28, 2024

5 min read

Three trucks by Al Jeathen driving in the desert with tipper bodies made in Hardox 500 Tuf.

Case details

Product

Hardox® 500 Tuf

Country

Saudi Arabia

Company

Al Jeathen

Industry

Trailers and body builders

Brand program

Hardox^® In My Body

Since making Hardox® 500 Tuf wear steel its material of choice, leading heavy-transport equipment manufacturer Al Jeathen has seen its products last longer, weigh less and become more sustainable.

“We’ve been able to reduce the weight of our 22m3 trailers by around 20%.” —Ali Al Jeathen

Expanded export market

“You get a more high-end product without changing any tools or processes in the workshop.” —Mohammed Khatib

20% less weight. 20% more payload. And 100% Hardox^® 500 Tuf. That’s what Al Jeathen got when it upgraded from Hardox^® 450 in 2022 and started making its trailer bodies entirely in Hardox^® 500 Tuf wear steel. So, why the switch?

“Our products are quite heavy, so we were looking at solutions that could bring the trailer weight down and payload capacity up on each trip by the equivalent amount. Hardox^® 500 Tuf provided that,” says Ali Al Jeathen, General Manager at Al Jeathen in Al-Kharj.

So, what is Hardox® 500 Tuf? Find out here

How to build a lean machine that delivers more

Hardox^® 500 Tuf is perfect for designing weight-optimized trailer bodies. Al Jeathen is one of the country’s biggest manufacturers of heavy transport equipment; the company’s 22 cubic meter (28 cubic yard) trailer bodies used to be built using 6 mm (0.236”) and 8 mm (0.315”) mild steel. Today, they use Hardox^® 500 Tuf wear steel in 4 mm (0.157”) thickness. As a result, the tipper body now weighs less than 2 metric tons – 2.5 tons less than before.

“By upgrading to Hardox^® 500 Tuf steel, we’ve been able to reduce the weight of our 22 cubic meter trailers by around 20 percent compared to Hardox^® 450, thus increasing the load capacity by the same number of kilograms,” Al Jeathen says.

Up to 40% longer wear life of the steel

Reducing the weight and thickness of the abrasion-resistant steel is just one option when upgrading from Hardox^® 450 to Hardox^® 500 Tuf, according to Mohammed Khatib, SSAB’s regional sales manager. The other option is to keep the same thickness and instead increase the lifetime of the steel by 40 percent.

“One of the biggest benefits when upgrading from Hardox^® 450 to Hardox^® 500 Tuf is that you get a more high-end product without changing any tools or processes in the workshop,” says Mohammed Khatib.

Get free technical advice to build lean

“The partnership with SSAB has been a success for us. They always support us in terms of technical aspects and always help us find solutions to existing problems until they are solved.”
- Ali Al Jeathen, General Manager of Al Jeathen

A partner you can trust

According to Al Jeathen, SSAB is a reliable key partner who gives the company dedicated technical support on material selection, bending, welding and production optimization.

“The partnership with SSAB has been a success for us. They always support us in terms of technical aspects and always help us to find solutions to existing problems until they are solved,” Al Jeathen says.

Benefits of Hardox^® In My Body membership

Al Jeathen has been an SSAB customer since it began using Hardox^® steel in 2019, and since February 2022 has been a qualified member of the Hardox^®In My Body brand program.

“The certification proves that our products have been manufactured according to the highest quality standards in Hardox^® wear plate and not an inferior imitation,” Al Jeathen says.
Thanks to the Hardox^® In My Body program, the company has also expanded its geographic reach and customer base.

Visit Hardox® In My Body

About Al Jeathen

Major Saudi Arabian manufacturer of heavy-transport equipment, including water and fuel tankers as well as trailers and semitrailers.
Founded in 1983 and based in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia.
Al Jeathen’s tippers are made in Hardox^® 500 Tuf steel
Member of the Hardox^® In My Body brand program since 2022.