ISRI sits on history with latest bus and coach range

It’s been over 30 years since a wholly-owned subsidiary of ISRINGHAUSEN was established in Australia to serve the local transport market. The move came after ISRI seats were first sold in Australia by a licensee from 1977 to 1993, with the creation of ISRI Australia seeing the famous German seating brand strengthen its local representation in a growing market.

It followed a trajectory that first started back in 1919 when ISRI began building bicycle seats and springs. By 1972, the brand became popular for designing the first automatic self-levelling air suspension seat for commercial vehicles, with ISRI seats being specified as original equipment by major European truck, van, bus and train manufacturers on an ongoing basis since.

Now, fast forward three decades and ISRI seats are commonplace across the wider transport industry, with a range of trucks and buses sporting the German Isringhausen seats. Since this shift in 1994, ISRI has grown its market share in the Australasian bus and coach sector, with ISRI seats now being fitted as standard original equipment across a variety of brands.

In recent times, this gradual evolution locally has allowed the global brand to build on a legacy of high quality safety and comfort in its bus and coach seats. Following this extensive history of supplying Isringhausen seats to Australian truck and bus operators, ISRI is now progressing forward with its seating technology.

It all started with the NTS2 seat in Europe just under a decade ago, with ISRI’s Australian team working hard to see the model brought to Australia. It’s been five years since ISRI Australia got its wish, bringing in a new model for the brand to sell and support among the local bus scene.

“When we saw the NTS2 product released in Europe and other plants, we moved forward to bring this to Australia,” ISRI Australia general manager Ashley Thomas told ABC.

“Although the NTS1 has served us very well, the next step was to introduce this new design and platform to local operators.”

Distributed out of ISRI Australia’s warehouse in Sydney’s Wetherill Park, the NTS2 has become a permanent fixture for many buses and coaches across the country. ISRI has worked both directly to OEM customers and through a dealer network, as well as to aftermarket and trade customers, to ensure the updated model has graced many new heavy vehicles.

While the NTS2 can no longer be considered a brand new seating model, many of its benefits still ring true today. Unlike its predecessor, the latest ISRI NTS2 bus seat comes with an updated range of key features as standard equipment.

Thomas says the NTS2 has optional safety systems such as Lane Guard warning and seat detection sensors to keep safety at the forefront of ISRI’s product range. These additions have joined ISRI’s already built in three-point integrated seatbelt system and optional contact switches to create plenty of options to offer local bus operators in Australia.

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“This warning system connects with the chassis’ system within the bus and you have the ability to select optional swivel, heating, cooling and even ventilation for the seats,” Thomas says.

“All of these safety features, including occupancy warnings with seatbelts, are key to our NTS2 platform.”

With an effective operating weight range of 50kg to 150kg, the NTS2 product also features a pneumatic suspension system and pneumatic height adjustment, with an adjustable vertical shock absorber maximising driver comfort. In an environment where managing driver fatigue is so important, the integrated pneumatic lumbar and side bolster support, as well as simple horizontal and tilt adjustments, ensure those behind the wheel can emerge from the driver’s cabin fresher than ever at the conclusion of a shift.

An array of adjustments for head, backrest and shoulders hammers home the comfort focus on these seats, with the finished product coming trimmed in breathable Inka/Laos cloth to help handle the many hot days of an Australian summer. Optional extras include a set-up for lane assistance system, heaters and swivels for selected variants only.

The NTS2 range is diverse, including unique seated cushion foam and breathable seat fabric that are an improvement on recent seat comfort developments. While it is available in different forms across the truck and transport industry, Thomas says the NTS2 seat is perfect for buses.

But this isn’t the only member of ISRI’s growing heavy vehicle seat fleet. The NTS1 bus model comes with many similar benefits to the NTS2 variant, except it comes trimmed in breathable charcoal cloth. Optional extras include red webbing seatbelts, a seatbelt buckle contact switch and a swivel, as well as accessories like armrests and floor mounting brackets.

Alongside these two popular seats, the ISRI 6500 continues the brand’s trend of ensuring maximum safety and comfort. The two-point seatbelt anchorage points and integrated pneumatic lumbar support means that although the 6500 model may not be as large and strong as the NTS1 and NTS2 versions, it still allows for a cozy seat with plenty of safety features built in.

It all forms part of a product suite that ranges from static seats to fully-featured air suspension seat with integrated lap-sash seatbelts and driver adjustable shock absorbers. Now, with more than 100 years of seating system legacy behind its back, the Australian arm of ISRI is looking to continue bringing the same high standards of safety and comfort to the local bus and coach industry.

“These updates go to show that we’re not sitting still in terms of development and that we continually look at developing new product ranges,” Thomas says.

“We like listening to the industry and developing seats that suit platforms. We’ve just surpassed 30 years in Australia and will continue pushing forward with seats like the NTS2 model.”

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