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BCI prove collaboration is key to success

As one of Australia’s leading bus and coach body builders, Bus and Coach International (BCI) knows well and truly how to make a bus.
BCI

For decades, the heavy vehicle company has been supplying top-of-the range buses and coaches that combine the best chassis and body combinations. 

While the company is well versed on how to design, manufacture and sell these creations, the work that goes into it all is no easy feat. 

“Teamwork is the driving force behind getting these buses on the road,” BCI national sales manager Cameron Millen told ABC.

“There is a delicate dance between chassis manufacturers, body builders and engineers to ensure the final product is up to standard and of great quality.

“That’s why BCI have ensured our team is top tier in executing this perfectly.”

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BCI senior project manager Fedele Schibani and technical director Boyd Denning bring a combined 35 years’ experience to the company. Together, they lead the efforts in assembling BCI bus bodies onto diverse chassis, ensuring that each integration meets the highest standards of quality and performance.

Installing a bus body on a new chassis is a meticulous process that begins well before any physical work starts on the production floor. The first critical step involves a comprehensive analysis of both the chassis specifications provided by the chassis manufacturer and the specific requirements of the customer. 

During this process, collaboration is key, with BCI’s recent partnership with Volvo and Scania proving to be a major win for the team.

“I still clearly remember the call from our CEO Desmond Armstrong and national sales manager Cameron Millena couple of years ago when they informed me that our collaboration with these major chassis manufacturers was officially underway,” Schibani told ABC. 

“They mentioned that accounts were being set up for BCI to access their extensive body guidelines, and that was a pivotal moment for us. I was initially shocked by the large amount of information available in their systems. Both Scania and Volvo have incredibly detailed and comprehensive guidelines, covering every aspect of bus body building.

“In only a few days we implemented a system where we created dedicated teams, one focused on Scania and the other on Volvo. This allowed us to absorb the information more efficiently and ensure that our teams could become project-focused, specialising in the requirements of each manufacturer.”

Both companies offered an extensive and detailed package of information—Volvo’s BBI (Bodybuilder Instructions) and Scania’s BBM (Bodybuilder Manual) that guided engineers through every aspect of the process. 

“Both Scania and Volvo are deeply involved in every stage of our projects, from the initial design phase to the final delivery of the bus,” technical director Denning told ABC. 

“Their involvement is crucial to ensuring that our buses meet the high standards expected by our customers and comply with the rigorous requirements set by the chassis manufacturers.”

Image: BCI

During the design phase, the teams from Scania and Volvo provide extensive support by supplying detailed chassis drawings and offering their expertise to address any specific customer requests. This collaboration is invaluable, allowing the BCI team to optimise the design and ensure that the final product is perfectly suited to the customer’s operational needs.

Schibani says the key challenges in adapting a body to a chassis involve integrating interior components, such as the dashboard, into the different driver’s area configurations that come with various chassis. 

Both Scania and Volvo have specific design requirements and layouts for the driver’s area and it’s the engineer’s job to adapt these layouts to meet the operational requirements of customers while maintaining ergonomic and functional standards. This often requires custom solutions and a high degree of flexibility in the approach to design and manufacturing.

It’s not only the driver area that can require modification or custom solutions, with meeting specific operational requirements a priority for the company. 

“These can vary significantly depending on the intended use of the bus, whether it’s for urban transit, long-distance travel, or specialised services,” Denning says.

“Recently, we managed a particularly challenging project that involved developing an entirely new coach body design for a customer who required this on a low-floor chassis. This was an innovative request that posed unique challenges in both design and production. 

“However, through close collaboration and teamwork with Volvo, we successfully brought this new design to life, and it was met with high praise from the customer.”

In moments like these, BCI prides itself on the expertise of its engineers, allowing them the freedom to raise concerns and suggest modifications, particularly when encountering customer requests that deviate from the standard products.

“The key to this process is transparency and clear communication,” Schibani says.

“By being provided detailed and accurate information from the chassis manufacturers, we can facilitate a swift decision-making process. This system ensures that while we strive to maintain the integrity of the chassis manufacturers’ standards, we also have the flexibility to customise our products to meet our customers’ unique requirements.”

The process of these builds begins with the preparation of a General Arrangement drawing based on the vehicle specifications. This drawing is submitted for customer comment and approval where it is then reviewed by various departments within the BCI engineering group, including Chassis, Body, and Electrical departments. Each of these departments breaks down the integration requirements further, addressing specific aspects such as chassis-body connections and electrical connections.

“Our strength in managing these complex adaptations is reinforced by over 10 years of experience working with Mercedes-Benz chassis. This extensive experience laid the foundation for our current approach with new projects involving Volvo and Scania,” Schibani says. 

Denning says one of the biggest challenges with builds is ensuring that they meet customer needs while also using as many common parts as possible, ensuring that the aftersales support is accessible and quick. 

“Exterior panels come as a challenge as each chassis supplier has different configurations for radiators, intercoolers, air inlets, fuel tank locations, battery and electrical components on their chassis,” Denning says. 

“We try to utilise standard luggage bin doors and wheel arch panels, this then leaves engine access and radiator intercooler doors chassis specific.

“It’s all part of the package; meeting customer needs while also ensuring they can be taken care of quickly and without fuss if any problem arises.”

The team at BCI emphasise that its success has been a massive team effort involving all departments.

“The collaboration with Volvo and Scania, and our internal team has been incredibly beneficial for all companies involved,” Schibani says.

“Our ability to implement changes in production and our flexibility in adapting to customer needs have positioned us to offer, without a doubt, one of the best products on the market. 

“The teamwork displayed during this period has been truly inspiring, and it has set us up for continued success in working with these world-class chassis manufacturers.”

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