BLK Auto is intent on supporting the Australian bus and coach industry. In its latest partnership with AngelTrax, it is helping a First Nations company find a foothold in the market.
Global truck and bus manufacturer BLK Auto first came to Australian First Nations registered company AngelTrax earlier in the year looking to partner. Originally BLK wanted a reliable Australian Design Rule (ADR) approved electronic mirror for its zero-emissions buses. It came away with plenty more.
“We first approached AngelTrax around six months ago,” BLK Auto managing director Jason Pecotic told ABC.
“It was based on the fact that we’re building new energy vehicles in our electric and hydrogen bus models and we saw the need for approved electronic mirrors.”
BLK moved quickly to use AngelTrax products on its buses. Pecotic says it was the right move for BLK Auto as it looks to become a leading zero-emissions bus provider to the Australian market.
“It helps us be positioned right at the cutting edge of the industry,” Pecotic says.
“It’s an exhilarating partnership going forward and we’re excited about what it will bring.”
For AngelTrax Australia, it was the perfect opportunity for the First Nations registered company to showcase its varied suite of products for buses and coaches. AngelTrax sales specialist Bob Barwick says BLK came to them looking for electronic mirrors that adhered to ADR standards, but walked away impressed by more.
“We first introduced the product to them and then showed them our development of our new destination signs and e-mirrors,” Barwick told ABC.
“We then showed them our CCTV range and got a very positive reception from them.
“AngelTrax has thousands of CCTVs around Australia at the moment – it’s been a very good and reliable product. It was nice to see that BLK Auto also viewed them as bulletproof products.”
The partnership between BLK and the local AngelTrax may only be in its infancy, but it’s already beginning to pay dividends. BLK Auto’s buses that it showcased at October’s Australasian Bus & Coach Expo in Sydney featured AngelTrax destination signs to give the First Nations registered company exposure on a large scale.
Some of these signs have recently been developed and introduced to the local market as Australian-made options. Barwick says he’s hopeful that customers that attended the Expo will want to buy AngelTrax’s products due to it being manufactured by a local company.
“We don’t want to ever bring in from overseas because the cost of buying and shipping it in is extraordinary,” Barwick says.
“The company is employing Australian people to manufacture our latest products, so creating local jobs for us is a big deal, and it is too for BLK.
“We think that being able to have our products bought and repaired locally without having to source parts from overseas is a major bonus for customers looking to buy signs, mirrors or CCTV models.”
The systems manufacturer and provider has been around for more than 70 years, with AngelTrax having an Australian arm. Over time, AngelTrax has specialised in producing signs, whether it be highway or LED signs for buses throughout the country.
RELATED ARTICLE: BLK Auto Expo preview
Barwick says being a First Nations registered company is important for AngelTrax. It is continuing to supply its mirrors, signs and other systems in Australia to ensure customers in the industry have a local option to source parts from.
“The technology we have is of a superior quality than most other systems overseas because we develop it in Australia for what the operators and local market want,” Barwick says.
“Buying European-designed systems from overseas is totally different to buying Australian-
made and designed products.
“We’re only a small market here in Australia, so being able to build something for Australian operators specifically is important to us.”
BLK Auto will become the first company outside of trials to put AngelTrax’s e-mirrors on its buses. Previous trials with Australian companies like Interline Bus Services gives Barwick confidence that AngelTrax’s electronic mirrors are ready to adorn BLK’s vehicles.
The partnership between the pair will extend further than just e-mirrors. Barwick says BLK is also interested in AngelTrax’s destination signs and CCTV products. This includes AngelTrax’s latest CCTV system, which has been expanded to have more information recorded. This means customers can use various types of cameras at the highest resolution to achieve 30 days of recording while adhering to New South Wales’ CCTV specifications.
AngelTrax is then intending to use its opportunity with BLK Auto as a stepping stone to grow its presence in the Australian bus market.
“We’ll be trying to provide these products to not just BLK Auto, but to everyone,” Barwick says.
“Having our mirrors on BLK’s buses at the Expo has been a great start.
“It’s even better to have it on a bus than just presented at a static stand. BLK having our e-mirror on its bus is a great reference point for AngelTrax.”
Barwick is certain the partnership also benefits BLK Auto. The AngelTrax sales specialist says BLK’s investment in Australian-made parts is proof that locally sourced systems distributed through BLK can be beneficial to the local market.
“There’s no reason why AngelTrax won’t be around for another 20 or so years,” Barwick says.
“So we’ve got the lifetime of buses covered with our local supply.”
Pecotic echoes this sentiment. The BLK Auto managing director says he is keen to continue working with AngelTrax in the future after helping it gain exposure at the recent Expo.
“We’re looking to expand through technology,” Pecotic says.
“Technology is moving at such a fast pace that we want to continue keeping up with it, and AngelTrax’s products will help us do that.
“It’s so important that we have this arrangement with Australian owned suppliers like AngelTrax where we’ll be using Australian made and supplied reliable products going forward.”