Piecing Together the Puzzle

Jul 13, 2023

In December 2021, OMFB Pacific announced that it would be offering a new purpose-designed valve which would deliver “unrivalled hoist lowering speeds” for tipper applications.

And as Christmas approached, the team at OMFB Pacific was confident that the pneumatically piloted Hoist Safety Valve (HSV) would, upon its arrival, offer the best performance in the market.

Almost two years down the track, with thousands of valves already providing reliable service to the fleets of many Australian owners and operators, OMFB Pacific Product Manager, Gary Butler, says the valve has achieved what it set out to do.

“The pneumatic valve we announced back in 2021 is now in the market, and it’s been very successful,” he says. “Since then, we’ve been working on an electric version as well.”

The electric HSV, among OMFB Pacific’s other offerings, was showcased for the first time at this year’s Brisbane Truck Show.

All valves on display were manufactured to exacting standards, ensuring high levels of safety and reliability. It’s no surprise, after factoring in the HSV’s high flow rate, that it offers the fastest lowering speeds on the market and minimal pressure drop.

“We wanted to highlight the new product at the Brisbane Truck Show and that we’ve now got an electric option, so that kind of completes our offering for safety valves,” Gary says.

Prior to its release in the market, OMFB Pacific’s HSV went through a series of local testing to make sure the product was performing to the highest standards before being released.

The feedback, Gary says, was unparalleled.

“It’s doing what it was made to do,” he says. “It is already benefitting customers through its reliability and, as we like to think through all our products, by not giving them trouble.”

A common problem encountered with many valves in the industry is that they can slow the descent speed of the tipping hoist. This is eliminated in the electric HSV, as it was specifically designed to combat this issue.

“Whilst being a compact valve, it’s still rated at 120-litres a minute,” Gary says. “This is important, because with a good flow rate, it’s not going to affect the descent speed of a hoist. We wanted it to be reliable. So, when a body’s being lowered, it’s not going to slow it down.”

The valve also includes an emergency override feature, meaning that in the unlikely event of an electrical failure, operators can still get the tipper body down. The solution was also developed in-house from the ground up, solely by OMFB Pacific for tipper applications.

This is a key differential for the Italian manufacturer.

“Everything we offer is an in-house product, so someone buying an OMFB system is getting a genuine OMFB system,” Gary says. “We’ve got our own quality department and we take care of everything on our side. So, if we do ever have a problem with a product, we can investigate it and solve it very quickly.

“I think the fact that we’re not relying on third parties, that we’re responsible for our own supply chain and that we hold stock locally means we can respond to anything.”

The Deutsch connector is widely regarded as one of the most reliable electrical connectors in the industry, which is why OMFB Pacific has it fitted to the new HSV unit.

As opposed to a DIN connector, which Gary says isn’t as reliable, the Deutsch connector is weather- and dust-proof to offer ultimate durability.

In addition, the plug which is required to join onto the wires powering the valve is also included with the HSV to give OMFB customers a complete package, eliminating the need for them to source their own plug.

This process of offering a complete solution – coupled with the fact that OMFB Pacific has the ability to create a product from the ground up within its own walls – is where Gary says the team provides a key point of difference within the market.

“Some people might have a product that they’ve designed, but it’s still manufactured by a third-party, whereas that’s not the case for us,” he says. “So many of our competitors only deliver part of the jigsaw, but none of them deliver virtually 100 per cent like we do. With this product especially, we’re showing the industry that we can really complete the full picture.”

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