January 31, 2023 8:00 CET 6 min read
With more than 40 years’ experience in tipper manufacturing, GF Engineering is a market leader in the segment in Malaysia. Since making Hardox® 500 Tuf steel its material of choice, its tippers last longer, weigh less and can handle heavier loads than ever before.
The people at GF Engineering know a thing or two about tippers. A mid-sized, family-owned company, GF Engineering was founded in the 1980s and has been making tippers for the Malaysian market ever since.
In 2016, the company switched from mild steel – the industry norm in Malaysia at the time – to Hardox® 450 wear plate. More recently, it elected to upgrade to Hardox® 500 Tuf. A good decision, says Mr. Ho Kam Fatt, Director of GF Engineering.
“We had been using Hardox 450 for years and now we’ve upgraded to Hardox 500 Tuf,” he says, adding that he and his colleagues have confidence in the performance that Hardox® delivers.
“So far, we’ve completed making approximately 200 units of tippers and can see that the service life and productivity of the equipment has increased to approximately 20 percent more,” continues Ho Kam Fatt.
John Kuan is SSAB’s Area Sales Manager for Southeast Asia. As one of the most established body builders in Malaysia, he believes GF Engineering shares SSAB’s long-term vision to improve the overall tipper market.
“At SSAB we see our customers as partners and customers’ business as our own business,” he says. “We see similarities between SSAB and GF Engineering and want to help them utilize SSAB products in the best possible way to create new innovative steel solutions and applications.”
“So far, we’ve completed making approximately 200 units of tippers and can see that the service life and productivity of the equipment has increased to approximately 20 percent more.”
Ho Kam Fatt, Director of GF Engineering
Since making the switch to Hardox® 500 Tuf, GF Engineering has benefited a whole slew of improvements. For one, Ho Kam Fatt says he and his colleagues like the fact that Hardox® 500 Tuf is easier to weld and, furthermore, saves them from having to weld consumables. Hardox® 500 Tuf also delivers consistent workshop properties and offers predictable cutting and bending results.
“Overall, the tipper body is 10-15 percent lighter as compared to a conventional tipper,” says Ho Kam Fatt, adding that this “also increases the loading capacity of a 40-foot trailer by 10-15 percent.”
Other developments brought about by the switch to Hardox® 500 Tuf include a shorter production lead-time and an overall productivity increase of some 15-20 percent, while fewer welds result in reduced maintenance needs since the number of weak points is significantly smaller.
Last but not least, the choice of Hardox® 500 Tuf has enabled GF Engineering to improve the design of its tipper, removing most of the structural and reinforcement columns, thus allowing for further weight reduction and payload increase.
This tipper body made by GF Engineering is also a qualified Hardox® In My Body product.
“The Hardox In My Body sign represents equipment that is manufactured to the highest standards,” comments John Kuan, adding that all the members of the program have been thoroughly assessed and have earned the right to display the logo as a sign of their commitment.
“We also urge all end users to only buy genuine Hardox from SSAB – the sole manufacturer of Hardox wear plate,” he concludes.
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Hardox® wear plate is the world’s leading abrasion-resistant (AR) steel. Hardox® is hard through and through, from surface to core, giving you an extended service life and high productivity in even the toughest environments.
Look for the Hardox® in My Body mark when you're looking for products that are hard, tough, cost-effective and made of genuine Hardox® wear plate.
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