Two specialist suppliers to the transport sector have joined forces to help bus and coach operators cut emissions and reduce costs.
Grayson Thermal Systems, manufacturer of cooling, heating and air conditioning products, has signed an agreement with Zeta Automotive to market its ‘EconoSpeed Connect’ product, which automatically adjusts driver acceleration for optimum engine performance.
The partnership will also look to explore natural synergies between both product ranges, with trials currently underway with a number of fleet operators to use complementary technologies to minimise environmental impact whilst improving passenger comfort.
Managing director at Grayson Thermal Systems, Stuart Hateley explained: “It was during the development of E-Drive was when we first realised that the two companies had products that could be integrated together to deliver a single solution to the end user.
“The electric fan we used to replace the power-sapping hydraulic system meant we created added power at the fly wheel and we needed a way to control it, which is where EconoSpeed came into its own.
He continued: “It quickly became clear that there was a natural synergy between the products, a synergy that delivers reduced operating costs, weight and noise on operator vehicles.”
“We will only work with or sell on behalf of organisations where there offer adds value to what we do at Grayson. It’s an approach that has helped us grow and establish long-term relationships with our customers and an area we want to build on.”
Zeta Automotive’s John Lawrence added: “Grayson’s experience in the bus and coach sector is second to none and we are very excited about our partnership, possible product combinations with EconoSpeed Connect and the extended team of service engineers now available to us.”
Grayson is hoping the ‘chosen distribution partnership’ will deliver more than £3m of new sales in its first 12 months, with customers already engaged across the UK and Europe.
The next stage will be for both organisations to pool their resources and technical expertise to identify and bring to market new products that deliver solutions to age-old industry problems.
“In EconoSpeed Connect, we have got a way of controlling driver acceleration and speed and we want to move this to the next level with the possibility of using GPS mapping to adapt vehicle speed when in certain areas,” explained Stuart, who runs the business with brothers Ian and James.
“This means we’ll be able to limit the bus or coach to the maximum speed of the road it is travelling on.”
He concluded: “Together, we are also developing a service kit programme that will be aimed at giving fleet engineers greater visibility of potential issues, thus providing increased reliability and reduced downtime for repairs.”
