Scania creates the world’s first clock made of trucks
Tick, tock, truck. Scania has taken on the toughest challenge of them all – the race against time. A challenge that involved 14 trucks having to keep track of every second. Literally. At a deserted airfield in the middle of nowhere, Scania set out to create a gigantic clock made out of trucks – one that would run for 24 hours straight.
When you operate in long haulage transport, being at the right place at the right time can make or break your business. This is why Scania put its new generation of trucks and services through the toughest test of them all – time itself. The process of setting up the world’s first clock consisting entirely of trucks required 14 trucks, 90 drivers and 750,000 square feet of deserted airfield. The gigantic truck clock will start ticking on September 20th at 19.00 CET and be broadcast online.
“Trucks are huge, powerful machines, but they’re also intricately designed, refined instruments. Just like watches. Each truck had to be optimized for its specific task in the clock, and real-time monitoring and analysis through our connected services made the whole operation possible”, explains Staffan Arvas, Head of Marketing Communications, Scania.
The trucks that made up the clock faced a variety of difficulties depending on which clock hand they were forming. The trucks that made up the second hand had to drive on a round track in a perfect circle every 60 seconds for 24 hours. The inside truck had to maintain a constant speed of 13 km/h, while the outside truck had to hold a constant speed of 53 km/h. For the trucks making up the minute and hour hands, the challenge was to ensure a perfectly synchronized sequence of starts and stops.
In order to maintain a correct, even speed while minimizing fuel consumption, each truck had to be carefully managed depending on their position in the clock. Scania fleet managers in the control tower were able to keep track of all the trucks and constantly monitor the status of each vehicle to avoid unexpected stops and keep wear and tear to a minimum. The drivers played a key role in ensuring that the whole operation worked smoothly. Elin Engström, a truck driver at Scania, played a lead role in the second hand that all the other trucks had to follow. She explains:
“The most demanding challenge in long haulage is precision and punctuality. The clock was the ultimate test of staying in your line, maintaining your speed and keeping track of every second for 24 hours straight. All the drivers had to be in perfect sync and precision was the key to achieving this”.
The clock was filmed using five different cameras, which allows viewers to switch between different angles on the website. Visitors to the site can also learn more about the project and the new generation of Scania trucks and services.
The clock was set up to prove that regardless of whether you are hauling grain or fuel, transporting timber or building a 750,000-square-foot clock – Scania can always offer a solution tailored for the only business that matters. Yours.
Check out the clock at: scaniaclock.com
For more information, contact: Staffan Arvas, Head of Marketing Communications, Scania, tel +46 8 553 832 53, e-mail staffan.arvas@scania.com
Scania is a part of Volkswagen Truck & Bus GmbH and one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks and buses for heavy transport applications. Scania is also leading provider of industrial and marine engines. Service-related products account for a growing proportion of the company’s operations, assuring Scania customers of cost-effective transport solutions and maximum uptime. Scania also offers financial services. Employing some 44,000 people, the company operates in about 100 countries. Research and development activities are concentrated in Sweden, while production takes place in Europe and South America, with facilities for global interchange of both components and complete vehicles. In 2015, net sales totalled SEK 95 billion and net income amounted to SEK 6.8 billion. Scania press releases are available on www.scania.com
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