Agrale
Light/Medium Truck Family
Driving Change:
Agrale’s Leap into the Future
Questtono, 2012
Context
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Agrale, a traditional truck and tractor manufacturer in southern Brazil
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A whole new project to meet Euro 5 regulation
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Introduces new technology into Agrale’s factory (RTM fiberglass)
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$4M budget for entire program, including project and tooling
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Brazil, Argentina (CKD) and South Africa market
My Role
Leadership of product design team (6/8 Designers)
Exterior design of final proposal and several internal components + 3D modeling in Solidworks
Technical link between Design and Agrale’s R&D
Prototype monitoring on all phases
The Urgent Call
Until 2011, Agrale used the Spray Up fiberglass process to produce 2 truck models, each with different configurations (engine and chassis). This setup created significant complexity for the company, leading to quality issues and lower profit margins. Moreover, the upcoming Euro 5 regulations would soon make the trucks non-compliant.
To stay in the truck market and ensure a commercially viable product, Agrale and Questtono joined forces not only to design a new truck but also to revolutionize the company’s manufacturing processes.
Product Concept
To optimize the lineup, a shared cabin was introduced for the 6-ton and 11-ton trucks. Improved assembly jigs, RTM fiberglass, and vacuum forming enhanced quality and kept tooling investment low, while production output tripled. These factors guided the product design development.
Design Development
Prototypes, Try-out and Sample selection
The 6-ton and 11-ton trucks entered the market in 2012 and were well received, enabling Agrale to expand operations to Argentina and South Africa.
Later, our team developed a special military model used by Brazilian troops for humanitarian missions in several countries.
The truck remained in production for 10 years, with minor modifications to meet new regulations.
