Trailer Builder - Engineer Your Own Trailer With New Online Tool
Understanding what is and what isn’t possible when it comes to trailer design has, historically, only been achieved by Fleet Engineers after a discussion with their OEM of choice. The new Don-Bur online Trailer Builder tool allows anyone to generate a fully illustrated engineering drawing of their own custom trailer solution. By choosing simple drop-down menu options and altering some basic dimensions to suit individual operations, the powerful technology automatically updates a real-time generated drawing that can be printed or saved.
The Trailer Builder tool has taken months of development and is the first example of the technology in the world. When asked about the incentive for developing the idea, Richard Owens, marketing manager for Don-Bur, commented “Quite often, our potential customers don’t know what to ask for because they don’t know what’s possible. In addition, for a 3PL, it would be difficult to offer their customer an optimised solution without having a representative from a trailer manufacturer present to discuss available options. This new tool provides a unique opportunity for anyone with access to the internet to quickly develop and illustrate a custom solution; all possible and all compliant.”
Don-Bur will also be using the new technology internally. Previously, it could take 30 minutes or more to quickly draft up one potential trailer concept but now, drawings are created automatically in milliseconds; allowing the user to very quickly try alternatives ‘on-the-fly’ until the optimal solution is reached.
To make life even simpler, there are guidance pop-ups on each section and even a live helper chat function to resolve even the trickiest of queries.
Slope is an interesting issue to consider. What is not commonly understood is that any floor slope down at the rear will push the overall height at the front up. This is particularly important when developing solutions where overall height is critical. The new tool calculates slope and the effect on overall height for you.
Owens makes one concession. “Obviously automated technology, however powerful, cannot cover every eventuality. The new Trailer Builder tool will provide the vast majority of common options but does not account for human ingenuity. At Don-Bur, we are credited for our ability to push, squash, stretch, pull, and innovate outside the boundaries of what would normally be achievable. A quick call to our office is always a good idea to squeeze in that extra pallet.”
The new Trailer Builder Tool can be found in the links below.
Published: Thu 28 Jan 2016
Updated: Thu 11 Apr 2024
Author: Richard Owens
Published by: Don-Bur
