ELVALHALCOR

The development of an innovative product with environmentally friendly features, while meeting the needs and demand of the market. ElvalHalcor, through the aluminum rolling sector-Elval, created this new product, responding to the growing needs of refrigerated truck manufacturers to move loads on high strength aluminum floors.

It is mainly aimed at our customers who are active in the construction of trucks and trailers, as well as those who want it for decorative purposes.

From 2012 until today

Elval grain is a particularly innovative concept for the manufacture of aluminum sheets, which are produced in a single length of up to 13.5 meters with a specially shaped embossed surface and specifications for perfect adhesion with the body of refrigerated trucks. Elval grain sheets excel in construction as they not only offer increased anti-slip properties when moving loads, but also stand out for their high mechanical properties and long service life. In addition, thanks to the specific relief pattern on the surface of the sheets, a significant reduction in noise is achieved during loading and unloading with pallet trucks, while at the same time they are easier to clean with water.

The Elval grain pattern is made on large aluminum sheets, suitable for covering the floor in the construction of refrigerated trucks, trailers, as well as for decorative purposes.

The design featuring the Elval grain pattern increases the coverage percentage of the embossed sheet to 40% as opposed to conventional floors where the percentage is around 30%. It has been observed that the lower the percentage of smooth coverage with a textured surface, the higher the risk of skidding as well as the noise levels when rolling pallet trucks. Thus the Elval grain provides increased anti-slip capacity and noise reduction during loading and unloading.

It is also worth noting that Elval grain in terms of its production process is innovative and environmentally friendly, while its use is human-friendly. After the sheets are produced with the Elval grain pattern and cut to a suitable length, the bottom surface (smooth surface) is chemically pre-treated. This treatment is called passivation and has the effect of improving the mechanical and chemical adhesion of the metal with the materials used when gluing the sheet to the floor of the refrigerated truck. This production process is carried out in the Elval industry with methods that are friendly to the environment and people.

Our Company innovated in terms of designing a new pattern and managed to achieve the appropriate conditions on the one hand to enable the application of the product in truck refrigerators, and on the other hand to win the trust of the market in a period of three years.

The Elval grain pattern exhibits good slip resistance and produces low noise levels during loading and unloading thanks to the increased pattern overlap compared to competing products in its class. In addition, the relatively low thickness of the relief allows it to be easily cleaned with water under pressure and gives it good wear resistance. The dimensions of the pattern design are designed to make the production process relatively easy by reducing cracks during the final reduction of the material thickness. All this, combined with the environmentally friendly production process, made the product particularly attractive in the European market.

The product, Elval grain is registered by the European Patent Office and has conquered the European market with a share of around 80%.

Additionally, in 2016, in collaboration with our customer (a truck manufacturer), we placed this product on the floor of a refrigerated truck under construction. Upon completion of the construction, the inspection was carried out by the organization that controls the noise limits during the rolling of loads on the floor of refrigerated trucks, at our client's premises. Our product has successfully passed the relevant tests and received Piek certification, a regulation which states that the noise is less than 60 dB.

For the development and production of the Elval grain product, no collaboration with an external organization was carried out.

In the product development phase, specialized personnel from the Research, Development and Technology department of Elval-aluminum rolling sector participated. Regarding  the production of Elval grain, the relevant group of workers from the production department participated. 

Inofyta Viotia, ElvalHalcor facilities-Aluminum rolling sector (Elval)

Until today our Company has managed to win over 80% of the total demand for refrigerated truck floors in Europe with customers who are the largest manufacturers of refrigerated trucks. The total sales of Elval grain abroad for the year 2017 exceeded 24 million euros, thus contributing to the extroversion of Greece. In addition, we note that in the four-year period 2014-2017, sales of Elval grain abroad exceeded 20,000 tons.

The benefits for the Company from the production and distribution of the "Elval grain" product are significant as it contributes to:

• Expansion of ElvalHalcor's product range
• Entry of the Company into new markets
• Promotion of innovation and maintaining the Company in international competition (competitive advantage at the sectoral national and international level).
• Responding to customer needs and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction
• Projecting an image of ElvalHalcor as a pioneer and innovator Company through relevant distinctions such as the 1st Innovation Award received at the 3rd Applied Research and Innovation Competition "Greece Innovates!"
• Increased prestige in the market as the product is PIEK certified.