Stertil Koni supports continuing growth of bus and coach world

Bus and Coach World Limited has invested in a set of Stertil Koni wireless mobile column vehicle lifts to upgrade the company’s workshop facilities in Blackburn.

Since its establishment in 2006, the growth of Bus and Coach World has been phenomenal. Its premises have been expanded from 4000sq ft to 16000sq ft and the number of employees has grown from an original three to 35. As one of the UK’s leading bus and coach repair specialists, the company offers a range of services including immediate body repairs, full refurbishments and ongoing refits for any number of vehicles up to 200.

To support this relentless expansion and future plans, the company’s MD and Chairman, Robert and Philip Hilton, visited the Euro Bus Expo in October 2012 to evaluate suitable vehicle lifting equipment. Apart from seeing demonstrations of the Stertil Koni range, they also sought advice from trusted industry experts including Steve Swire of Hyde Road Stagecoach depot and Phil Cummins of Arriva North West. Their recommendations were unequivocal and, as a result, a set of four Stertil Koni ST1075FWF 7500kg capacity wireless mobile column lifts was specified.

Providing a combined lifting capacity of 30 tonnes, the ST1075FWF wireless lifts are relied upon to ensure safe raising and lowering to provide maximum access to the underside of raised buses and coaches. Each mobile column lift houses a control box thereby enabling operation from any column whilst long-life deep cycle batteries will power the lifts for at least a week on average before recharging is necessary. The batteries can then be charged overnight via a 230v single phase supply. As one of the fastest vehicle lifts available, the ST1075FWF provides lifting heights up to 1.85 metres which is achieved in just 89 seconds. Significantly, the lift’s unique synchronisation system ensures a smooth lifting and lowering cycle, even in the event of extremely uneven load distribution of vehicles to be lifted.

Positioning of the wireless columns is flexible: they can be used in any configuration around a vehicle. With no cables on the workshop floor, the risk of tripping is removed, providing valuable health and safety benefits and, with no power supply necessary, the system can be used inside or outdoors. Also, the absence of power and communication cables means that set-up time is drastically reduced thereby making the system fully operational much more quickly.

"Our new Stertil Koni lifts have proved to be an extremely valuable investment," says Philip Hilton. "They provide us with a flexible and reliable method of raising buses and coaches without the problem of cables running across the workshop floor. Also, the level of training and after sales support from Stertil has been second to none. All in all, a thoroughly professional service from a genuinely customer-focused organisation."