Bus and coach HVAC manufacturer Coachair is intent on developing points of difference in the Australian market. Its new technology and service networks are both unique additions for the local HVAC industry.
When Anthony O’Donnell first started at Coachair four years ago, he had a clear vision for the company. He wanted to see the Australian-owned bus and coach air conditioning manufacturer establish a local engineering support network. It’s taken time and hard work, but now the Coachair national manager of sales has achieved this crucial point of difference.
It’s culminated in a close support network that is quickly acting to work with customers when they need assistance most.
“It’s something we made clear that we wanted to do early on,” O’Donnell told ABC. “We’ve made people responsible as sales staff, technical support or engineers to keep them part of this network.
“It provides a very big point of difference for us that’s starting to hit home to our customers. No one else is offering this level of local support or staff to assist clients.”
One recent example saw a local team of Coachair engineers travel down to Melbourne to work with Bus & Coach International (BCI), who has Coachair systems onboard as standard, and support BCI with any problems.
O’Donnell says the team went above and beyond on short notice to help BCI with understanding Coachair’s systems. Travelling the country to provide extraordinary assistance is something O’Donnell is excited to continue providing customers to show Coachair’s unique capabilities in Australia.
This vision for supplying a local engineering support network first came to fruition just before COVID-19 impacted the Australian industry. Now that the worst impacts of the pandemic have passed, O’Donnell says Coachair is implementing these plans to great effect.
Coachair now offers a network boasting design manufacturers, sales staff, technical support and service support in all capital cities along Australia’s eastern seaboard. The manufacturer has large contractors in all Australian capital cities to offer warranties and repairs, as well as spare parts outlets in various cities for customer support, regardless of if they’re situated in metropolitan Melbourne or the Pilbara.
O’Donnell says this is a unique approach in the HVAC game. When looking at other air-conditioning unit providers for buses in Australia, the Coachair national manager of sales says no other company has on-shore engineering and technical support. This is because they’re on-sellers of the product, while Coachair is responsible for the designs and manufacturing of products.
Combined with an intimate knowledge and experience of Australian conditions, O’Donnell says Coachair’s new network is something the company is very excited about.
“For more than 40 years, Coachair has been an Australian HVAC provider,” O’Donnell says. “My colleagues and I also have more than 30 years of experience in HVAC sales and technical support.
“Through this experience, we have the knowledge of what’s required for Australian conditions, whether it’s the vast temperature differences or the harsh conditions.”
O’Donnell says Coachair has always been an Australian-owned producer of HVAC systems for buses and coaches. He says Coachair products used to be fully Australian manufactured before the company made an economic choice to manufacture many of its components in Australia and then ship it out to be fully assembled.
Now, Coachair makes its control systems and electronics in Australia, while other models are manufactured in Australia and then assembled in Malaysia and China before being brought back into the country and sold.
This method was challenged during COVID-19, when supply chain disruptions threatened Coachair’s streamlined process. O’Donnell says Coachair was fortunate it designed and manufactured its products in Australia during that period, reducing the impact COVID-19 had on the company’s operations. With the main issue being lead times, O’Donnell says Coachair has been able to control its supply chain.
“The main issue we’ve had is that the shipping side has seen extended times,” O’Donnell says. “A container of units ordered today is now taking 90 to 120 days to arrive compared to 45 to 50 days pre-pandemic.
“Because we also manufacture a number of products in Europe before having it physically assembled in Malaysia or China, we have been able to balance our various supply chains and minimise customer disruption.”
After working through any supply chain delays, Coachair has been able to continue manufacturing both its electric and diesel products. Prior to the Australasian Bus & Coach Expo, Coachair released an updated version of its XT353 model in the new XT44.
In its electric range, Coachair has continued developing and designing its EX series, including the EX20, EX26 and EX32 models, which O’Donnell says is the only electric vehicle product being offered in Australia specifically for the market. O’Donnell says both the diesel and electric models have been developed specifically for Australian conditions and with power consumption and weight in mind.
It’s this capacity that makes O’Donnell excited for the service and technology Coachair will provide for the Australian market at the Expo and beyond.
“Our new XT44 diesel product will have the largest heating and cooling capacity on the market in Australia today,” O’Donnell says. “It has a lighter weight and a higher capacity, which is important for our new models.
“Our weight for capacity is 40 per cent more than what the previous model has. It’s good proof that we’re developing and designing new and better products that’ll be exciting to show off.”