PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Innovative emission control solutions developed to meet the needs of modern diesel applications. Expert engineering and technical support for all your exhaust after treatment needs
New Product Development & Australian Manufacturing
At DPF Sales & Service Australia, new product development is about much more than finding a part overseas and putting it in a box.
Before we introduce a new DPF, DOC or exhaust aftertreatment product into our RQP – Rhino Quality Parts range, we want to understand the application, how the original system operates and what is required to produce a product that is genuinely fit for purpose.
The process often starts with our customers. Workshops, parts suppliers, fleet operators, mining companies and heavy-equipment repairers come to us looking for a quality alternative to an expensive, obsolete or difficult-to-source OEM component.
From there, we look closely at the original component and its operating requirements.
Fitment is important, but with exhaust aftertreatment products, looking the same and bolting into the same position is only part of the equation. We also need to consider substrate specification and capacity, airflow, back pressure, sensor locations, exhaust temperatures, mounting points and how the component operates as part of the complete emissions system.
Manufactured in Our Own Fabrication Workshop
An important part of RQP product development is our own manufacturing capability.
We manufacture a large proportion of RQP products in our own fabrication workshop here in Western Australia.
Having fabrication and product development working together gives us far greater control over the finished product.
Rather than simply accepting an off-the-shelf component, we can manufacture and modify products to suit the application, make design improvements where required and respond quickly when our customers identify a new requirement.
Our fabrication capabilities allow us to manufacture components and assemblies using a combination of locally fabricated parts and carefully selected exhaust aftertreatment substrates and components.
Depending on the application, this can include fabrication of housings, pipework, flanges, brackets, sensor locations and complete exhaust aftertreatment assemblies.
This also gives us the ability to work on specialised and low-volume applications that may not be commercially viable for a large overseas manufacturer.
For mining, industrial and heavy-equipment customers in particular, that flexibility is extremely valuable.
If an OEM component is obsolete, excessively expensive or simply unavailable, we can investigate whether an RQP alternative can be developed and manufactured.
From an Idea to a Finished RQP Product
Our development process can involve:
- Identification of the customer or market requirement
- Evaluation of the original component and application
- Measurement and dimensional verification
- CAD design and technical drawings
- Selection of appropriate DPF, DOC or catalyst substrates
- Prototype development
- In-house fabrication
- Welding and assembly
- Sensor and mounting-point positioning
- Fitment verification
- Airflow and back-pressure testing
- Vehicle or equipment testing where appropriate
- Final quality-control inspection
- Production and ongoing product improvement
Having these capabilities in-house means that product development doesn’t stop at a drawing.
We can design it, fabricate it, test it, evaluate it and improve it.
That is a major part of what RQP represents.
Australian Development for Australian Conditions
We operate in a market that has some particularly demanding applications.
Australian vehicles and equipment can operate in extreme heat, dust, mining environments, extended highway operation, high-load conditions and remote locations where reliability and parts availability are critical.
We take those operating conditions into consideration when developing RQP products.
Our objective isn’t necessarily to reproduce every aspect of an OEM component. Our objective is to understand why it was designed that way, determine what is critical to its operation and develop a quality replacement suitable for the application
Testing Is a Critical Part of Development
Once we manufacture a product, we want to know how it performs.
Our in-house testing capability allows us to evaluate important characteristics such as airflow and back pressure and compare those results with the requirements of the application.
Where appropriate, products can also undergo vehicle or equipment testing before being released into the market.
That testing is important because you can’t determine the quality of a DPF or exhaust aftertreatment component simply by looking at it.
Two products can look almost identical externally and perform very differently internally.
We Keep Developing
Product development also doesn’t finish when the first unit is sold.
We listen to our customers.
Feedback from workshops, fleet operators and technicians working on equipment in the field gives us valuable information that can be incorporated into future production.
If we find a way to improve fitment, simplify installation, improve serviceability or make a product more suitable for the application, we can feed that information directly back into our manufacturing process.
That’s one of the advantages of developing and manufacturing a significant proportion of the RQP range ourselves.
More Than an Aftermarket Part
For me, RQP isn’t about producing the cheapest DPF or catalyst we can put on the market.
It’s about developing a quality, cost-effective alternative that we understand technically and are prepared to put our name behind.
And because we’re involved in the development, fabrication, testing and technical support of these products, when one of our customers has a question, they’re dealing with people who actually understand the product.
We don’t just sell RQP products. We develop, manufacture, test and support them.
If there’s an application you can’t find, an OEM component that’s no longer available, or a piece of equipment that requires a specialised exhaust aftertreatment solution, talk to us.
Some of our best RQP products have started with a customer asking:
‘Can you make one of these?’
That’s exactly the type of challenge we’re interested in.”