Additionally, Swank says PHIL now offers full-body upgrades to Hardox 500 Tuf, with its first units coming this spring.
Autonomous-ready
PHIL designs around size and clearance constraints for autonomous hardware to ensure compatibility with current and future systems. If customers use third-party systems, Swank says those need to stay within those constraints.
“Our equipment is largely passive, so whether a truck is autonomous or not, our products function the same,” he says. “The truck controls dumping, not us.”
PHIL’s water tanks already integrate with Caterpillar’s water distribution system, which is moving toward autonomy. That will allow selective spraying based on environmental monitoring, Swank says.
With autonomy sweeping across aggregates, Swank emphasized at ConExpo-Con/Agg that all Philippi-Hagenbuch products are autonomous-ready.
PHIL can also accommodate third-party systems if producers prefer them.
“We work with OEM systems whenever possible and use supplemental controllers when needed,” Swank says. “Everything ties into the truck’s system through standard interfaces.”
Water tanks
For Philippi-Hagenbuch, 2026 marks 25 years in the water tank market. In aggregates, Swank says water tanks have become a larger segment for PHIL than tailgates.
According to Swank, every water tank PHIL has ever built remains in operation.
“The industry standard is five to seven years, and we’re far exceeding that,” he says. “That’s due to both design and the use of Hardox 450 steel, which is naturally corrosion-resistant.”
Related: Find out what you missed at ConExpo-Con/Agg
