At Media Event 2024 Allison Transmission Allowed Journalists to Experience the Power Behind the Wheel
Founded in 1915 by James A. ALLISON, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. With a presence in more than 150 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil, manufacturing facilities in the USA, Hungary and India, as well as global engineering resources, including electrification engineering centers in Indianapolis, Indiana, Auburn Hills, Michigan and London in the United Kingdom. Allison also has approximately 1.600 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. Allison’s transmissions can be found everywhere: in fire engines, refuse collector cars, airport vehicles and in coaches and buses. They are also used in special applications like military vehicles, both tracked and wheeled, and in mining equipments. Allison has an established history of delivering propulsion solutions that deliver unrivaled reliability and durability for the severe duty-cycles associated with the defense end market.
Allison Customer Experience Center & Drive Track (ACE)
Within the scope of two-day (September 30 - October 1) 2024 Media Event, Allison Transmission a hosted 43 journalists from 8 countries across the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) region at its Allison Customer Experience Center & Drive Track (ACE) and its state-of-the-art transmission manufacturing facility, which is adjacent to ACE, in Szentgotthárd, Hungary to experience the power and performance of a wide range of special vehicles including armored defense vehicles, buses, a real classic American school bus, coaches, fire trucks, construction trucks and even a real Dakar Rally truck.
Offcially openned on June 5, 2012 in Szentgotthárd to better serve an expanding global customer-base the 15-acre (6-hectare) ACE campus gives the company’s guests an opportunity to meet Allison’s people and learn about the company, their products and technology - while personally experiencing the performance of the fully automatic transmissions in both on- and off-highway vehicles in varying and demanding conditions on a variety of Drive Track road courses.
Visiting the ACE campus, VIP customers and guests can test drive a number of vehicles on various courses including road and off-road which are equipped with Allison’s fully automatic transmissions. For this purpose the multi-million dollar Allison Customer Experience Center & Drive Track (ACE) have a varied vehicle inventory including dump trucks, distribution vehicles, concrete mixers, heavy-haulers, fire trucks, buses and other commercial vehicles. Allison Customer Experience Center visitors can view the Drive Track activity aerially, from the roof-top terrace designed specifically for that purpose.
At the futuristic ACE building journalists were first provided with a background on the history of Allison Transmission. After the presentation, we moved to the roof-top terrace to observe a challenge between two identical trucks, Scania P340 4x2 (powered by a 340hp, 9-litre, 5-cylinder CNG Scania OC09 engine), one was painted white and the other was red. The purpose of this duel was to demonstrate the benefits of the Allison Transmission.
The two vehicles, construction tippers, were very similar, the chassis, the body, the cabin are all the same, but they were fitted with different transmissions. The white one was fitted with an Opticruise Automated Manual Transmission, while the engine of the red one was coupled to an Allison 3000 Fully Automatic Transmission. Both of the gearboxes worked in automatic mode, so none of the vehicles had a clutch pedal so the driver could actuate the vehicle with a throttle pedal and a brake pedal. One of the advantages of Allison transmission is the continuous power technology. With this the driver will achieve a faster acceleration, as the Allison transmission never interrupts the power while an AMT or manual transmission loses power with every shift. Allison transmissions are equipped with torque converters, which is able to multiply the torque. That means in real life that the gearbox provides more torque to the wheels than the engine actually is producing. So, with this effect the vehicle starts easier, provides more firm feeling and the driver experiences a better fuel economy and better productivity. Thanks to the continuous power technology and torque converter, which considerably increases the engine torque (higher torque meaning higher acceleration) the red truck immediately acquired an edge over its white competitor and won the race/duel. Following a short presentation made by the fire truck (KOMONDOR RDO 4336 VTMF8000 6x6 fitted with Allison 4000SP Fully Automatic Transmission) we went downstairs and taken a group photo in the front of the big Allison logo.
As part of this exciting event, journalists were given the opportunity to ride and even drive 13 vehicles, commercial and military, from different companies, all equipped with Allison automatic transmissions, on a 15-hectare on and off road test track, an experience not commonly available in everyday life. The vehicles waiting for the journalists on the parking area behind the ACE building included three military vehicles; a KOMONDOR RDO 3221 4×4 scout vehicle produced by the Hungarian company Gamma Technical Corporation and fitted with Allison 3200SP Fully Automatic Transmission, a VAMTAC 4×4 tactical vehicle provided by URO of Spain and fitted with Allison 1000 Fully Automatic Transmission, and a TATRA TITUS 6×6 wheeled armoured vehicle developed by Nexter (now KNDS France) and produced also in the Czech Republic, as it is based on a TATRA T815-7 6×6 chassis. The TITUS 6x6 wheeled armoured vehicle is fitted with Allison 3000 Series Fully Automatic Transmission.
Journalists were also given the opportunity to ride and drive commercial vehicles, including: Temsa's MD9 (equipped with the Allison T350 Fully Automatic Transmission with Hydraulic Retarder, the same bus was also used to transport journalists from the hotel in Vienna, Austria, to ACE in Szentgotthárd, Hungary) and Anadolu Isuzu's Grand Toro (equipped with the Allison T3270R Fully Automatic Transmission) buses, a real classic American school bus (International Blue Bird 3800, the 24-year-old bus fitted with Allison MT643 transmission and has smoothly reached 430.000 kilometers without any issues), fire fighter (TATRA Force fitted with Allison 4500 Fully Automatic Transmission), construction tippers (Mercedes Zetros 2051 AK and Mercedes Zetros 1833A fitted with Allison 4500SP and 3000SP Fully Automatic Transmissions with Hydraulic Retarders respectively), and even a real Dakar Rally truck (Iveco Powerstar EVO 3.2) equipped with Allison’s 4000 Series™ fully automatic transmission coupled with an 1.000hp Iveco Cursor 13 Euro 6 diesel engine.
The ride & drive event offered journalists a unique opportunity to compare trucks equipped with Automated Manual Technology (AMT) vs fully automatic and to experience how a fully automatic transmission feels and performs in several applications. Gerard de ROOY, a renowned Dakar Rally champion who has won the Dakar twice, also attended Media Event 2024 and gave journalists, who showed the courage to ride the Dakar Truck, a thrilling Dakar ride experience! The event demonstrated the unmatched reliability, durability and smooth drive of Allison fully automatic transmission technology. The journalists were truly impressed with the smooth, tough performance of Allison transmissions under challenging conditions.
Allison Transmission Opens the Doors of its Hungary Manufacturing Facility to the Press
The two-day 2024 Media Event also included a visit to Allison’s state-of-the-art transmission manufacturing facility in Szentgotthárd, Hungary, which is adjacent to ACE building and located at the meeting point of three country borders; Austria, Slovenia and Hungary. During the visit, which offered a unique opportunity to explore the company’s operations and production processes, we received insights into the production processes of the Allison’s 3000 and 4000 SeriesTM Fully Automatic Transmissions, which are distributed to OEMs worldwide.
During the plant tour Péter REZSNYÁK, the Plant Manager accompanied us and provided first-hand information about the history, capacity and ongoing final assembly activities at the Allison Transmission Hungary Manufacturing Facility (Final Assembly Line).
Allison Transmission Inc., market leader in automatic transmission manufacture, made its first significant investment in Europe in October 2000, when it began production of 3000 SeriesTM and Torqmatic® transmissions at its sister company Opel's facility in Hungary, which was then under the General Motors (GM) umbrella. Initially, the facility assembled 3000 SeriesTM and Torqmatic® transmissions and this was expanded with 4000 SeriesTM products in August 2005.
In 2007 Allison Transmission was acquired by The Carlyle Group and Onex Corp., and became stand-alone company for the first time since 1929, when the company was purchased by General Motors Corp. In 2010, Allison management decided to build a new facility in the industrial park at Szentgotthárd and move out the production from the GM’s Opel plant. On April 22, 2011, seven months after the construction work was started (on September 21, 2010), the new manufacturing facility in Szentgotthárd was ready. Assembly line relocation (from GM’s Opel plant to new facility) and implementation works started on April 22, 2011 and finished on May 30, 2011. Allison’s new manufacturing facility in Szentgotthárd became operational in June 2011 and the official opening ceremeony of the new facility took place in October. Since then the units of 3000 and 4000 SeriesTM Fully Automatic Transmission families are coming from Szentgotthárd plant. The plant has since evolved with investments aimed at diversifying the range of transmissions produced, opening new production areas, customizing products, and expanding the testing area. Most recently, with the addition of the TerraTran TM to its production range in December 2021, the Szentgotthárd plant now produces four types of Fully Automatic Transmissions; 3000 and 4000 SeriesTM (on-highway transimissions), TerraTranTM (off-highway tarnsimssion) and Torqmatic® Series (bus transmissions). Among them only the 3000 and 4000 SeriesTM Fully Automatic Transmission are used for military wheeled vehicles.
The 3000 SeriesTM Fully Automatic Transmission has up to 6 speeds, can accept a gross input power of 336kW and a gross input torque of up to 1.695Nm. Its mass is between 243kg and 297kg, depending on configuration, and can be fitted with an integral retarded and up to two Power Take Off (PTO). The 3000 SeriesTM Fully Automatic Transmission for a truck with PTO roughly has 350kg of dry weight. For the 4000 SeriesTM, which is more robust and heavier than the 3000 SeriesTM due to the higher engine performance and torque, the data increase to 485kW, 2.644Nm, 377-439kg, the same options being provided. The 4000 SeriesTM has a 7-speed option as well. The TerraTranTM, which is the new one, is also part of 4000 SeriesTM and 7-speed. But it has two reverse options. A 7-speed version of the 4000 SeriesTM can accept 597kW, 2.644Nm and has a mass of 555kg, 4000 SeriesTM Fully Automatic Transmission having the same key options of the 3000 SeriesTM.
The Szentgotthárd plant has assembled its 100.000th fully automatic transmission in April 2008, 250,000th (was a 4000 SeriesTM Torqmatic model) in July 2019 and 300.000th Series fully automatic transmission in February 2023. The Szentgotthárd plant, which is currently running on two-shifts per day and five days per week, has capacity to assemble 100-105 transmissions a day and roughly 24,000 to 25.000 transmissions in a year. But, if the market requires a higher output, the production rate could be increased by running on three-shifts per day thus the annual production capacity would be increased to around 36.000 transmissions. In case of higher customer demand the Szentgotthárd plant management then organize Saturday work hours. But no Sunday. Sunday is free.
Allison’s Hungary manufacturing facility just assemble the transmissions with components coming mostly (70% come in sea containers, every week plant receives 4 to 6 sea containers) from the United States, the remaining being provided by the company supply chain (including South Korean suppliers, Chinese suppliers, several European suppliers from Italy and from Türkiye), there is no manufacturing in Szentgotthárd.
Located on the western border of the country in the small town of Szentgotthárd, around 5km from the border with Austria and some 250km from Budapest, Allison’s Hungary manufacturing facility, which is, covers an over 106.071m2 area and the Final Assembly Line has a surface of 13.200m2. With the Hungary manufacturing facility, Allison also gained the capability to offer a "Customization Center (which becomes operative on October 17, 2011)," where the company's specialists prepare transmissions for individual applications. So, in 2011 Allison also started the so-called customization activity at the Hungary manufacturing facility. In the first 10 years while they were in GM plant, they just produced the base transmissions. And those transmissions have been sent to Slydrecht, to the Netherlands because they had a workshop for customizing the transmission. For dress up with customer specific parts. And this activity was completely relocated to Szentgotthárd, following the official opening of Allison’s Hungary manufacturing facility. The plant is able to produce base transmissions and customized the base transmissions, and then shipped them directly to all the OEMs and to all customers. At the Hungary manufacturing facility, the customization process for a 3000/4000 SeriesTM transmission, based on customer requirements, can take anywhere from 10 minutes to over 2 hours, depending on the defined specifications. Taking into account the diverse needs of its customers in various industries, Allison’s Hungary manufacturing facility produces the 3000 and 4000 SeriesTM Fully Automatic Transmission in over 300 different configurations.
Providing information about the layout of the assembly area, Péter REZSNYÁK, the Plant Manager, underlined that the U-shaped assembly line is 110 meters long and there are 16 stations on the main line including 8 stations on the final assembly and test, and 8 stations in the customization area, which is quite separated from the main line. Not all the stations at the assembly line are able to handle both the 3000 and the 4000 SeriesTM transmissions but, most of the assembly stations have two sub-stations for components and sub-assemblies alongside, as the single line produces either the 3000 SeriesTM or the 4000 SeriesTM depending on the day, currently two days a week (Tuesday and Thursday) are dedicated to the 4000 SeriesTM production. The same people, same team are working on both types of transmissions at the assembly line. According to the Péter REZSNYÁK, roughly 70% of the transmissions are 3000 SeriesTM model and the 30% is the 4000 SeriesTM. He also disclosed that the assembly of a base transmission requires around 2.8 hours.
At the customization area there is no serial production or moving of the parts station by station. There are single workstations, and one experienced operator starts and finishes one transmission. And the reason behind that there are really wide range of workload. Because it can be a customization just to install a wiring harness with a small bracket, which takes 10-15 minutes. But if you have to assemble a hydro accumulator for the retarder or the PTO drive or special bracket it can be more than 2 hours. So that's why there are single workstations and operators are working just on one transmission.
Péter REZSNYÁK, the Plant Manager, underlined that they are not producing transmissions for stock, “We just produce valid customer orders. So, only those transmissions are on the assembly line where we have already the serial number and the customer” he said. He also pointed out that the request for customisation is increasing in recent years, “in the past around 60% of our production had to go through the process, but now we have reached 75%” he added.
Providing high durability and reliability with its products and try to ensure high-quality level, Allison has a very strong quality ethics and policy. The Allison Transmission culture of building quality into the products is reflected in Hungary manufacturing facility’s U-shaped assembly line. To ensure quality control, the assembly line features 240 error proofing points, all connected to the line control system.
In the functional test the 3000 SeriesTM Fully Automatic Transmission is filled with 22-23 litres of oil, while the 7-speed 4000 SeriesTM is filled with 40-42 litres and then the transmission is run at different speed and gears are automatically shifted, while oil pressure is measured. The transmission is then emptied (not 100% because some 4-6 liters oil is always remaining inside) and submitted to the leak test, where it is kept in a water basin with an inside 0.5 bar overpressure to see if any bubble appears showing unwanted porosity. The transmission is kept in position for 30 seconds, then turned and kept for 30 more seconds. The transmission is then dried with pressure air before going to a station where rust protection is applied, before installing the cooler.
Responding my question whether they deliver the transmissions to the end user/customer with or without oil, Péter REZSNYÁK explained that depending on the customer’s request, they can deliver the transmissions either with or without oil. "Generally, without oil, only the remaining oil inside. But if you order with oil filling, we can fill up the oil. There is a oil filling station at the end of the customization area, but it's an option." When I asked about any differences between the military and commercial versions of Allison transmissions, Péter REZSNYÁK explained that the base transmission and construction are the same. “We do not make any difference,” he added.Upon my question about whether they produce the commercial version based on the military version or the military version based on the commercial version, REZSNYÁK provided the following information: “You know, Allison started automatic transmissions after the Second World War. At that time, I think everything which is a new construction or a new concept comes from the military. But the first product was in commercial, in bus applications. And it was not a military program, because the military was much bigger. The Abrams tank transmission, which is still produced today in Indianapolis, is a very special construction. It's not similar to this one (referring to the 3000/4000 Series™)." In response to my question about whether civilian transmissions or military transmissions are more advanced technologically, REZSNYÁK shared the following information: “It depends on the customer requirements. And as you know, the military always has higher requirements and stronger specifications. But practically in our plant, in many cases, we do not know what the final application will be. So, we just assemble the transmissions. We just check the E numbers, which is the configuration of the transmission. And we don't know what the final application will be.”
Allison Transmission & Türkiye
Allison Transmission, which meets the increasing demand for automatic transmissions of manufacturers in Türkiye, ranked among the world's largest bus manufacturers, is also one of the most important strategic suppliers of our country's leading wheeled and tracked defense vehicles.
With its proven reliability in military operations, Allison's Fully Automatic Transmissions have also become the choice of Turkish military vehicle manufacturers. It is estimated that Allison Transmission has delivered some 20.000 transmissions to Türkiye for wheeled and tracked military vehicles. The company continues to supply Fully Automatic Transmissions for wheeled and tracked armored vehicles, as well as tactical wheeled vehicles, manufactured by Anadolu Isuzu (Anadolu Defense, Novo Ultra Armored Bus, and SEYİT), BMC (KİRPİ/KİRPİ II, AMAZON, VURAN, Midilux-Z Armored Bus, etc.), FNSS (KAPLAN MT/Harimau Medium Tank), KATMERCİLER (HIZIR), Nurol Makina (EJDER YALÇIN, EJDER KUNTER, EJDER TOMA), and OTOKAR (COBRA, COBRA II, URAL, KAYA II, ARMA 6x6 and 8x8) in Türkiye. Allison’s Fully Automatic Transmissions are not only used in vehicles delivered to customers in Türkiye but are also utilized in military vehicles exported by our companies abroad (such as Nurol Makina’s EJDER YALÇIN deliveries to Hungary, and FNSS’ Harimau deliveries to Indonesia).
Partnered with HST Otomotiv, Allison’s licensed manufacturer in Türkiye, Allison Transmission is also delivering the X1100-5A4 cross-drive transmissions for integration into the Next Generation T-155 FIRTINA (FIRTINA II) 155 mm Self-Propelled Howitzers (SPHs) for the Turkish Land Forces.
As part of the initial delivery, 10 Allison X1100-5A4 cross-drive transmissions have been successfully provided to Türkiye and already installed in the FIRTINA II SPHs. Full production of the new tracked defense vehicle was scheduled for July 2024, with a total of 140 FIRTINA II Howitzers expected to be delivered to the Turkish Land Forces. As one of many growth opportunities of the company, the FIRTINA II SPH transmission contract is expected to drive $100 Million of incremental annual revenue in Allison’s defense end market.
The Allison X1100 SeriesTM cross-drive transmission is specifically designed for heavy tracked combat vehicles from 45 to 63 tonnes. It offers four forward ranges, two reverse ranges and a cross-drive design that integrates steering and braking into a single compact, rugged unit. The X1100-5A4 transmission will enable the FIRTINA II SPH to operate efficiently in lower engine speeds, which is often required in severe duty-cycles including defense operations.
Allison Transmission & Electrification
Allison has been busy with electrification for almost more than 20 years, when the company came out with the first generator integrated inside the transmission such that the RPMs of the engine generated electricity which was used either for propulsion, charging of batteries or the generating of electricity for auxiliary equipment. The next step was towards electric axles (e-Axles), for fully electric commercial vehicles and buses.
Allison Transmission is offering a wide range of products, including electric axles for Turkish bus manufacturers. Working together for more than 11 years Allison Transmission is supplying eGen Power® e-Axles (eGen Power 100S) to Türkiye’s bus and truck manufacturer Anadolu Isuzu to electrify their light-duty truck and midibus platforms.
The electric axle drive essentially replaces the original drive line since the eGen Power axle fits between the wheels without adjustments to the chassis. The eGen Power 100S integrates a high-speed electric motor and a multi-speed transmission, eliminating the need for additional drive shafts and support structures.
The eGen Power® 100S uses a single motor to generate 304 horsepower (225 kilowatts) of continuous power, with peak power of 437 horsepower (325 kilowatts) and 26.000Nm of torque at the wheels. It offers a 10.4 tonne gross axle weight rating and features a two-speed parallel axis gear architecture. The e-Axle efficiently meets application launch and highway cruise demands, while maximizing energy recovery through 100% regenerative braking capability.
The Allison eGen Power family of fully electric axles replaces the vehicle's traditional powertrain components, which provides easy installation and integration into existing vehicle chassis. eGen Power includes fully integrated electric motors, a multi-speed gearbox, oil cooler and pump. The technology is compatible with full battery electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles and hybrid applications, providing 100% of motor torque during regenerative braking.
Allison's e-Axle product range has been developed to meet the diverse needs of Allison customers, assessing the electric vehicle capabilities for the demanding requirements of the commercial vehicle market.
The all-electric solution does not make sense for armoured vehicles at this time. It may have sense on unmanned vehicles or on purely logistic vehicles, the latter operating in-country and not in operation in the field. It is widely accepted that hybrid is the solution for the military and it is coming to the market in various forms; hybrid-parallel or hybrid-serial, as well as in-hub solutions.
Allison Transmission has showcased eGen ForceTM, its new hybrid cross drive transmission for armoured combat vehicles, at Eurosatory 2024 (took place on June 17 - 21, 2024 in Paris). The eGen ForceTM is the newest product in Allison’s extensive armoured vehicle portfolio, meeting requirements across a wide spectrum of applications, including the Infantry Fighting Vehicle and future Main Battle Tank markets. eGen Force extends beyond the capabilities of a traditional transmission by functioning as a power distribution system with an electric motor and inverter. This innovative technology provides power for the vehicle and allows for parallel hybrid operation. This enables engine-off mobility, which reduces the risk of enemy detection, including acoustic and thermal detection, key to soldier survivability. Another advantage of Allison’s eGen ForceTM is that they smoothen the ratio of torque brought to the wheels. While in an internal combustion engine (ICE) application torque usually increases with the rotation speed up to a maximum, and then decreases, in an electric machine the torque is higher and is nearly constant, so the hybrid solution allows bridging the gap, our speaker explains
