A tensioner for all heavy loads

Elmia Lastbil advertises itself as the home of intelligent solutions. One Swedish company to answer that call was ExTe Fabriks AB. During the fair the company promoted its new compact TU automatic tensioning device. “It’s a product that makes everyday life easier for the user,” explains ExTe representative Ulf Göransson.

Elmia Lastbilar gathered together a number of products under the respective headings of “Smart constructions” and “Smart solutions”. The latter category was created to showcase innovative solutions in the industry and to drive further development. One excellent example is the TU tensioner from ExTe, which is used to secure loads.
“The tensioner has some clever features and is basically fully automatic,” Göransson says. “It’s also easy to use both when you tighten it and loosen it.”

He and Jörgen Spring are in charge of the company’s Nordic sales.
“It’s based on the old Luftman tensioner we had – that’s the forerunner,” Göransson says. “We’ve taken those principles further, refining them and creating this new version, TU, whose features include unlimited tensioning lengths. This is obviously an advantage but the TU model also meets many other requirements and conditions.
“You must have the tractive force required by the regulations. Plus the tractive force when tipping and doing other operations. Both the strap and the attachments must hold if there is an accident and the rig turns over. These kinds of conditions must be met.”

Safety is always the most important focus and is the key when fastening all types of cargo.
“Exactly. It’s about securing the load. We want to protect all road users – that’s super important.”

While securing logs has always been the main focus of ExTe products, the TU model can also be used to fasten other types of cargo.
“We developed this new model based on all the ideas we had from the old tensioner just so we could expand into other types of load securement,” Göransson says. “It makes no difference if the strap is around a load of logs or on flatbed trucks. The product is adaptable. There are various tractive forces for what is needed. If you need to go up to 1.2 tonnes we have the equipment for that too.”

ExTe Fabriks AB is based in Färila in Hälsingland, Sweden. The company was founded in 1898. At first it focused on agriculture and forestry but since the 1960s its special niche has been cargo securement.
“We’re active in 36 countries. We’re heavily export focused, with about 70 percent of our sales going abroad. In terms of securing loads we’re a world leader,” Ulf Göransson concludes.