Innovation isn’t driven by technology. It comes from a place far more human. It’s a drive deep within every Great Dane employee. An understanding that the job we do tomorrow will be even better than the job we did today. Innovation is simply the pursuit of excellence. And our latest campaign, “Innovation That Moves You,” is meant literally and figuratively.
From the steel that runs through skyscrapers to the food that lines the shelves at grocery stores, we help our customers get their products where they need to be. But that’s not where the journey ends. Because at Great Dane, a job well done isn’t just moving freight – it’s moving business. Day in, day out, we are driven to deliver innovation that moves our customers’ business forward, helping them achieve new levels of safety and efficiency.
It starts with our products, where we continue to push advances in efficiency, productivity and durability forward. Our newest product, FleetPulse, connects your fleet in powerful ways. By putting the data you need at your fingertips –from utilization and evaluation to tracking and maintenance – FleetPulse helps you optimize operations and keeps your business running smoothly. We’re taking connectivity to the next level with the first telematics solution designed for trailer owners by a trailer maker.
Innovation is also born of collaboration, and we make it a point to work with our customers and industry players to build better products. When Walmart set out to create the industry’s first 20-year trailer, we were standing right beside them, offering a trailer interior designed to provide maximum strength with features including Great Dane’s SSL interior panels, Great Dane’s exclusive PunctureGuard ceiling liner, and Rockland Pound Saver composite flooring, featuring a Grip Guard top coat and a 21-inch deep galvanized steel rear grid plate. For additional durability and corrosion-resistance, this trailer also featured several hot-dipped galvanized components, including the rear impact guard, upper coupler and rolled lip bottom plate and full-length crossmembers.
The partnerships don’t end there. We’ve partnered with Microban, a top provider of antimicrobial technology, to offer our exclusive antimicrobial reefer linings. We are partnering with ConMet to develop and test its innovative regenerative braking technology, the new PreSet Plus Electric Hub, which is currently in development. To improve trailer efficiency through aerodynamics, we’ve partnered with Plasma Stream to test and further develop a unique system that uses plasma actuators to create an active flow system, allowing a vehicle to be streamlined independent of its actual shape. We’ve also partnered with JOST to build trailers that can automatically couple with tractors.
Trailers aren’t the only way our customers move products, and we know it. That’s why our Great Dane truck bodies continue to evolve. When Southeastern Freight Lines came to us with a problem, we delivered a 20-foot, 6-inch Sahara C-Series truck body solution. When electrification began charging the last mile delivery segment, we partnered with eNow Inc. to add roof-mounted solar panels to our Johnson C-Series truck body with our AE Series all-electric refrigeration unit.
We are committed to safety, and investigating truck side guards with Volpe is part of that commitment. Volpe is advancing this technology’s adoption by conducting research and partnering with cities to help deploy side guards and other technologies that address pedestrian safety.
We’re also working with Arconic to design an aluminum truck body rear frame that weighs 24 percent less than a traditional stainless steel design, providing a weight savings of 84 pounds, while maintaining all the strength qualities of stainless steel. We are undergoing extensive testing and investigating how to bring this technology to trailer and truck body designs.
Life moves fast, but Great Dane moves faster. Just think – these are the innovations we’re ready to talk about today; imagine what we’ll talk about tomorrow. You can bet we’re already working on it.
