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How I-Shift Dual Clutch helps Italian transport company Sartori save fuel on demanding mountainous routes

2016-11-01
Text: Raimondo Santucci & Photo: Sören Håkanlind
In the hilly northern regions of Italy, family-owned transport company Sartori Trasporti needs vehicles that combine high performance with low fuel consumption. With the Volvo FH with I-Shift Dual Clutch, they might have found the perfect solution.
The Sartori Trasporti founder, Giorgio (left), with his daughter Cristiana, son Enrico (right) and Cristiana’s husband Federico.

When Giorgio Sartori, the patriarch of the Sartori company started his business with a three-wheel utility vehicle fifty years ago, it was out of sheer passion for trucks. He soon got in contact with companies that needed help with their transportation of engine parts and leather, and has since then consolidated strong collaborations with the most prestigious Italian and international brands of luxury leather goods.

Sartori Trasporti operates in Italy and primarily drives between the province of Vicenza, where its headquarters is located, and Tuscany, where it delivers goods to its customers.

Today, Giorgio runs the company together with his son, Enrico, who is in charge of the vehicle fleet, maintenance and freight logistics, and his daughter Cristiana, who takes care of the planning and administration. Cristiana’s husband Federico is also involved in the company business and the family members spend a lot of their time at the head office in Arzignano.

“I think that being a family business is a great advantage, especially if you are as united as we are. Naturally, there are also ‘bumpy’ moments, however it is always moving forward without too many difficulties,” Giorgio Sartori says.

Since its formation, Sartori Trasporti has had a strong focus on quality, precision and punctuality, and early on began to use Volvo Trucks for their deliveries. Today, their fleet consists of 29 trucks, 16 of which are Volvos.

Because we travel a lot of mountain routes, we require vehicles which offer performance but with low fuel consumption.
The mornings and early evenings at the Sartori site are extremely busy when the trucks are loaded and unloaded.

Each day, from 6 to 8 o’clock in the morning and at the end of the day, the trucks queue up at the Sartori company gates for freight handling operations. It is an impressive whirl of forklift trucks reminiscent of the flight of hummingbirds, from the warehouse to the beds of the waiting semi-trailers. It is son Enrico who oversees this delicate stage of loading and unloading the trucks together with Federico, his brother-in-law.

“We load our vehicles at dawn because they need to leave early to cover the distance in the least amount of time possible, in order to satisfy the warehouse requirements of our clients. We also have drivers who only travel by night: they leave in the evening, arriving at their destination in the morning.”

Just like his father, Enrico is a truck enthusiast with a passion for technology. He follows all of the innovations proposed by Volvo Trucks with great interest, and is very satisfied with his latest purchases, two Volvo FH trucks with I-Shift with Dual Clutch which have proven to be absolutely perfect for their route in Tuscany. 

Sartori Trasporti has noticed considerable fuel savings using I-Shift Dual Clutch when driving in hilly areas. The Dual Clutch is at its best here because with the quick, nimble gear changes, engine speed is not lost.

 

“For me, performance is 50 per cent of a vehicle’s earnings. However this goes hand in hand with fuel consumption, which must be consistent. Because we travel a lot of mountain routes, we require vehicles which offer performance but with low fuel consumption. Thanks to the latest dual clutch gearbox, we estimate a fuel cost reduction of 3 per cent in comparison to the previous version!”

In actual figures this means that the Dual Clutch trucks, which travel 150,000 kilometres, now allow Sartori Trasporti to rely on €2,500 diesel being saved at the end of the year. But it also benefits their business in other ways. 

Sartori Transporti's trucks usually travel 150,000 kilometres per yer. With the I-Shift Dual Clutch, they estimate that each trucks saves €2,500 per year in fuel.

 

“After only six months, we estimate additional savings across the entire vehicle Powertrain, with a slight increase in average speed and lower tyre wear, all thanks to the steady engine torque. We are currently testing tyres with which we are also able to travel 400,000 km”, says Enrico.

The Sartori business is currently flourishing, but it hasn’t always been an easy ride for the family, especially not during the financial crisis that took hold in Italy a few years ago. Luckily, the family had their own warehouses and did not have to pay any leases, and together with their customers they were able to successfully deal with that tough period.

Father Giorgio at the building site of the new Sartori headquarters.

“Given the fact our financial difficulties were tied to theirs, we worked alongside each other. The link we have with several of them is longstanding, because they started with my father. This triggered a virtuous circle and the fundamental idea of mutual aid”, explains Cristiana Sartori.

Today, the financial crisis seems distant and all the ingredients for further growth are there for their family business. The Sartori family are already investing in their future by building new headquarters just outside of Arzignano, which will house the merger of Sartori Trasporti and Velo Trans SRL, a company which they hold 51 per cent ownership.

“Bringing our two companies together in a single operation spread over 10,000 square metres will make it easier to work, will optimise space and resources and once again improve the services we provide. We plan to move in next spring”, says Giorgio Sartori with a content smile.

SARTORI TRASPORTI SRL

Founded: 1966.
Ownership: Giorgio Sartori. The Sartori family also owns 51 per cent of the transport company Velo Trans SRL.
Headquarters: Arzignano, Vicenza.
Number of employees: 36 (including drivers).
Assignments: Transportation of third-party goods, especially leather of all types, chemical products, textiles and machinery. The company has been UNI EN ISO 9001:2008 certified since 1996.
Number of Volvo trucks: 16.
Features: All latest generation Volvo tractor units are equipped with I-Shift Dual Clutch, cabins with dual bunks and advanced specifications (Volvo Dynamic Steering, Lane Keeping System and Collision Warning with Emergency Brake).
Fuel Consumption: 35 litres/100km on journeys to Tuscany - 28 litres/100km on journeys to Campania.
The market: Sartori Trasporti operates in Italy and primarily drives between the province of Vicenza, where its headquarters is located, and Tuscany, where it delivers goods to its customers. Since the company also delivers chemicals for leather preparation at different factories, it almost never runs with empty trailers.

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