Urea Distribution Stakeholder Group
Detroit, MI - On September 10, Volvo Powertrain, Inc. (supplier of engines to Mack Trucks, Inc. and Volvo Trucks North America) and Detroit Diesel Corp. (DDC) hosted in Chicago the first meeting of the Urea Distribution Stakeholder Group, composed of 25 people representing urea producers, chemical distributors, truck stop operators, fuel refiner/distributors, fleet operators, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) component manufacturers, and truck manufacturers. Urea is an important ingredient of SCR emissions control technology. The meeting was open to all interested industry partners.

On September 10, Volvo Powertrain, Inc. (supplier of engines to Mack Trucks, Inc. and Volvo Trucks North America) and Detroit Diesel Corp. (DDC) hosted the first meeting of the Urea Distribution Stakeholder Group, composed of 25 people representing urea producers, chemical distributors, truck stop operators, fuel refiner/distributors, fleet operators, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) component manufacturers, and truck manufacturers. Urea is an important ingredient of SCR emissions control technology. The meeting was open to all interested industry partners.

The purpose of the meeting was to develop a better understanding of the key components of a new urea supply chain, and to brainstorm various scenarios for a distribution process sufficient to support SCR technology for potential application in heavy-duty diesel trucks. This meeting confirmed the high level of interest expressed in informal stakeholder conversations over the last several months, and further explored the means for developing an integrated urea distribution proposal for discussion with EPA.

DDC and Volvo Powertrain, which together represent nearly half of all Class 8 heavy-duty diesel engine production in North America, each indicated that they must decide soon the emission control technology pathway to pursue in order to meet the new, more stringent U.S. emissions standards scheduled to take effect in 2007.

Participants characterized the kick-off meeting as a useful and informative first step in a process intended to assure the EPA that a urea infrastructure could be in place by 2007.

For further information, please contact Tom Freiwald, Vice President of Marketing, Detroit Diesel Corporation at (313) 592-5912, or John Walsh, Manager of Trade Relations, Mack Trucks, Inc. at (610) 709-2560, or Jim McNamara, Senior Manager of Communications, Volvo Trucks at (336) 393-2143.