WEW – GSV-IPT’s Responsive and Flexible Partner
31 July 2008
WEW has recently been awarded a contract for the supply of 25 fuel tank containers for the British Army. The units will be deployed with the new Support Vehicle (SV) Enhanced Load Pallet System (ELPS) MAN trucks to enhance the Army’s fuel logistics capability and the contract is being managed through GSV-IPT.
Tight Lead-Times
"I was most impressed with the way you (WEW) and your team dealt with our changes and proposals to an already good piece of equipment," said Staff Sergeant Smudge Smith after working with WEW to ensure the MoD SME approval. WEW worked closely with various staff in the MoD to ensure they got the right product (in this case, a 10m7#179; fuel tank container with integral twin-head pumping set) in what is, by any standards, a very short lead-time UOR for bespoke equipment.
WEW obtained two fuel units from the German Army in order to provide a very rapid 'prototype' testing programme; the test units were on site in Aldershot within a week of contract signature. There followed a series of static and dynamic tests of the system and function tests of the Alfons Haar KPA 400 twin-head pump integral pump systems.
The first production units are scheduled for delivery in October, 2008 and the total contract is for 25 units. The new units will provide the British Army with a significant improvement in fuel delivery capability. After unloading the container the system can be operated independently using its autarkic dieseldriven pump.
WEW – Hazardous Cargoes Expertise
WEW pioneered the development of specialist containerised pressure-vessels, or tank containers, for civilian supply-chains in the 1970s. From origination, the basic WEW tank container design had to transport and store some of the most hazardous and toxic chemicals and gases known to man. Therefore failure (i.e. load leakage of any form), even under the most extreme stress/shock loads such as road-traffic accidents, cannot be an option.
WEW and the Military
About ten years ago, WEW applied its core design capabilities to water and fuel logistics for the German Bundeswehr (BW) and units underwent extensive testing including operation to -40°C in the BW’s testing laboratories.
Six years ago, WEW was invited by the US Army to develop a water tank for their 'Hippo' program. WEW’s design solution underwent a $3M testing programme lasting 18 months, which simulated the most arduous climatic and operating conditions that the tank would ever encounter in operation. DoD's choice and continuing belief in containerised water and fuel solutions was completely vindicated, as WEW’s design passed every test with very few modifications to the original design. Hundreds of Hippo tanks are now in service without a single reportable operational defect.
A modernized version of the Hippo is currently being built as a prototype for later testing at Tacom’s facility in Warren, Detroit. This unit will be exclusively assembled in WEW’s newest facility which includes latest series CNC bending, cutting and welding equipment. The factory has also been extended by 2,600m² to increase production efficiency and therefore further reduce lead-times.
Apart from this, WEW has delivered around 500 tank containers to various Nato militaries, British and European Civil Defence forces. For Nato, these include the German, Belgian, Lithuanian and Slovenian armed forces in Nato, as well as other friendly armies such as the Irish (these tanks are used in peacekeeping duties in Chad). This MoD contract is particularly important, since the British Army have the reputation of being a tough and demanding customer.
Operational Advantages
WEW's tank container concept has a substantial number of operational advantages compared with other systems, particularly in fuel storage; most notably, immediate deployment without the need for any prior ground preparation and total intermodal flexibility (road, rail, ship, aircraft, DROPS primemover). Equally, a WEW tank container can be collected full, empty or even half-full and simply placed into any civilian supply chain at very low cost.
Most WEW military designs incorporate a number of innovative features which are patented. WEW is now in full production with the Hippo, German Army water tanks and has recently delivered combined systems to the Slovenian, Lithuanian and Belgian Armies.
WEW – a Focused Supplier
WEW applies two main competencies to the development of military tank container solutions. Firstly, WEW has a deep understanding of the ISO and IMDG regulatory environment surrounding the transport of products considered hazardous and toxic, including diesel fuel. This allows WEW to offer bespoke solutions which conform with all national and international regulations, whilst accommodating the special military operational requirements in the field.
Secondly, WEW are welding and fabrication experts with exotic materials and are truly flexible in manufacturing tailored solutions to military (and civilian) requirements. The whole production area is configured with 'customerisation' in mind and WEW have over 30 years’ experience in this field. Typical production runs are anything from a single unit, with a typical batch order numbering 10–15 units. This winning combination gives WEW the benefit of being able to respond quickly to military technical challenges and leverage their already well-developed experience in military fuel and water logistics solutions.
