Knapheide saves costs, time by moving vehicle life testing in-house

The Knapheide Manufacturing Co. has always sent its products out to be tested, but with the wide variety of product types that the Quincy, Ill.-based company makes, the cost of farming out the testing process had become excessive. The manufacturer specializes in the North American utility truck body market, both military and civilian grade, including crane trucks, electrician trucks, and Class 8 heavy-duty truck chassis.

“Just one test could cost tens of thousands of dollars,” said Kent Birt, Knapheide testing project manager. In addition, the lead times associated with working through outside testing labs were long. “Often we had to wait six weeks or more for results, impacting our ability to meet schedules,” he added. Company managers concluded that they could save a lot of cost and improve customer service by developing their own test systems in-house.