Press Cuttings... SAE Off-Highway EngineeringAugust 2003 Designed specifically for compact equipment such as telehandlers and rough-terrian forklifts, the HG 310 from ITL is a complete hydrostatic drive transmission solution. Read the full article...  Diesel Progress InternationalEdition July / August 2003 With a maximum input speed of 5000 r/min, optional service and parking brakes and ultra compact dimensions, the HG 310 from ITL is aimed at the growing compact equipment market. Read the full article...
IVT International 2002  With the release of three new transmissions and the building of
a new facility, ITL is poised to take advantage of OEM requirements for faster, quieter and more reliable components.Download the full article from the 2002 IVT International Review in PDF format. Click here to open PDF document in new window. Diesel Progress North America March 2002  The following new PS760 powershift transmission launch article appeared in the March 2002 edition of Diesel Progress North America.Click here to open PDF document in new window   The article reproduced below appeared in July edition of Diesel Progress International and the 65th anniversary edition of Diesel Progress North America. ITL Expands into New Advanced Factory Continuing expansion at International Transmissions Ltd (ITL), has seen the opening of a brand-new plant adjacent to the existing factory site located at Wrexham in North Wales. The new 230,000 sq. ft. building extends the Wrexham manufacturing area to some 478,000 sq. ft. on the combined 53-acre landscaped site. ITL was set up in 1985 as the marketing arm of JCB Transmissions. Originally, it supplied primarily rigid and steer axles, but has since branched out into transmissions and powertrains (based on Perkins engines) and complete drivelines. This reflects the parent company's expansion from the original backhoe loader (which established JCB as a household name) into a wide variety of construction, mechanical handling and agricultural vehicles. The plant supplies axles and transmissions to all JCB divisions, but also supplies some 20% of its product to individual OEMs outside the group. The target over the coming years is to expand overall production whilst increasing external supplies to 50%. Currently, the Wrexham plant is manufacturing around 50,000 axles a year and production is progressively being switched to the new factory. The first production line is already in operation manufacturing a range of 'one-piece' steer-drive axles. (The term 'one-piece' comes from the rugged single centre casing which transmits the propshaft input drive through to the planetary hubs). Two other lines manufacture the so-called 'three-piece' axles and high-variety, low-volume special products. These ''three-piece' axles comprise a range of inboard wet-brake planetary-geared hubs with both steer-drive applications and rigid-drive axles. The steer-drive applications can have power track rods. Finally, the high-variety line caters for customed design specifications. JCB Transmissions' strategic planning manager, tells Diesel Progress that the new plant has given the company the opportunity to rethink and upgrade its manufacturing strategies. "The original computer-controlled plant was considered to be one of the most advanced of its type in Europe when it was conceived," he notes. "However, manufacturing philosophies have moved on. We looked closely at the systems being introduced in the automotive industry and the new plant is conceived on ideas similar to that." Seville explains that the aim is to retain the flexibility of production whilst reducing much of the handling and non-value-added operations as possible. "We have taken on board the Toyota Production Philosophy (TPS) in which the Japanese vehicle builder has become a world leader," says Seville. "We will be applying these same manufacturing techniques to the transmissions which are still being made in the original factory." What are the main advantages of the new system? Certainly better quality for ITL's customers. From a production point of view, however, the important thing is that there is less handling of product between operations. The system has good capacity for growth - paramount, as production needs to be expanded in the future - and represents a significant increase in productivity. The company points out that productivity has been steadily increasing over the years. For instance in the last decade, while the workforce has increased by around 46%, output in terms of units produced has jumped by 133% and in terms of value by 160%. ITL points out that the inherent flexibility of the new system means more choice for the customer who increasingly wants not only particular gear ratios, but often special external features affected by wheel fixings, mounting pads, input flange, brake pack specifications and so on. Also, additional machining and exterior paint finishes are frequently required. Customers' machines are tending to increase in speed. This is a worldwide trend and affects axle ratios and braking capability. ITL says it regularly reviews stopping-force calculations associated with higher speeds to cope with the heat build up within the axle. "Stopping a machine travelling at 40mph takes four times the energy required to stop a machine at 20mph, since energy goes up with the square of the speed," notes an ITL engineer. On design trends, the company says that current axle designs are determined by factors like the aim to offer maximum wheel size and increased customisation. "The single-beam product tends to be a steer-drive axle with brakes at the wheel hubs: the three-piece axle (so-called because of the central separate drivehead assembly) incorporates inboard brakes with greater oil capacity to reduce heat build up," notes a spokesman. Currently, some 50% of ITL's output is exported and ITL has intensified its activities in the North American market recently by its newly commissioned facility at Pooler, GA, USA. The company has appointed its previous technical sales manager, to sales manager - Americas. This brings enhanced technical expertise and continuity to the territory and reinforces the ITL service. To suit the somewhat special requirements of the North American market, different axle widths are being offered. There has also been an investment in new axle arm tooling. This is to cater for vehicles working in the agricultural and fruit-growing sectors. ITL has been successful in the materials handling market in North America, where increased manoeuvrability in arduous conditions is important. The company says the robust and competitively priced SS600 synchromesh transmission is proving particularly popular and a number of rough-terrain forklift trucks are using ITL driveline components. The PS750 powershift, although slightly more expensive than the synchromesh transmission, has been successful due to its increased torque capacity. Its optional electronic control also serves to protect the transmission and core driveline components from abuse by inexperienced operators. The new manufacturing facility at Wrexham, with its ability to increase quality and productivity, will support the company's efforts both in the North and Central American markets. 
The following magazine article appears in the April 2000 edition of IVT International.  
The following magazine article appears in the April 2000 edition of IVT International. 
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