In recent years, Royans Coachworks has invested in its equipment and people to provide improved services in a wide range of bus and coach technologies
As one half of the combined Royans Coachworks, Coachworks has a rich history in servicing bus and coaches in Australia. Years ago, its servicing capabilities looked a little different. In the years that have followed, the combined group have developed expertise in servicing heavy vehicles.
“It’s not 1989 anymore, we don’t just cut rust out of buses,” Royans Coachworks branch manager Scott Isaacs told ABC.
“Royans Coachworks has been committed to learning as a business to grow and develop our people so that we can meet the needs of the changing industry.”
The two combined companies continue to further elevate their collective capability. While the Royans Group brings knowledge in the transport accident repairs sector for the heavy vehicle industry, Coachworks brings its rich expertise and standing in the local bus and coach sector.
In recent times, Royans Coachworks’ commitment to development means it is now beginning to expand its transport accident repair, spray painting and other capabilities. With the new wave of electric vehicles coming through, Royans Coachworks is putting in effort to adapt to these changes.
“We’ve invested in our training and equipment so that we can support our clients as their fleets evolve,” Isaacs says.
Over recent years, Royans Coachworks has kept abreast of the different versions of buses and coaches being introduced to local services. Whether it be the excitement of electric or the recent hum of hydrogen fuel-cell technology, Royans Coachworks is aware of what is coming in the zero-emissions world and has familiarised itself with the risks involved in working on high voltage vehicles.
Through both training and equipment, the company has adjusted to offer its well-known services to different technologies in various Australian jurisdictions.
“As a group, we’ve made sure we’re in all of the discussions on this technology so that we can do everything we can to support the industry as these vehicle numbers grow,” Isaacs says.
“The rules may be different from state to state, but we’ve taken the time to educate ourselves about what we can do to upskill our support areas.”
This isn’t as easy as it initially sounds. In some instances, there’s only basic training available for workers wanting to learn how to manage and handle zero-emissions buses. The requirements that allow employees to work on these vehicles also varies around Australia, meaning Royans Coachworks has also had to consider whether it’s most efficient to sometimes hire subcontractors when it’s not possible to work themselves on certain buses.
It’s paying off for Royans Coachworks, with the company still maintaining its traditional expertise while developing new skills. In July, the company was involved in “a small truck battery pack transplant”, supporting a client in this process to understand the best ways to replace a battery pack on fleet vehicles.
From both the Royans and Coachworks sides, there’s much to benefit from these projects.
“From an accident repair perspective, there’ll be lots of vehicles involved in incidents where batteries are affected, even in buses with great protection,” Isaacs says.
“The group needs to be prepared to support this so that we can get vehicles back on the road fast to keep the industry moving.
“On the other hand, for our Royans Coachworks dedicated branches, there is potential growth in supporting some of the manufacturers, whether it’s in partially building vehicles or in other areas.”
Royans Coachworks will continue to remain open to opportunities in the zero-emissions space as they arise in both the repair and manufacturing sectors while continuing to offer its traditional services.
Throughout this, Royans Coachworks will continue to do accident repairs for all the major insurance companies and has just become the 11th NTI Premium Repairer for the Royans Group.
Yet it’s not just in this sphere that Royans Coachworks has enhanced its capabilities. When it comes to wheelchair accessibility and Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliance, the company is committed to refining its processes to help install wheelchair lifts and provide accessibility solutions.
“The retrofitting of wheelchair accessibility solutions is a big part of what we do, and it’s become a major growth area for us,” Isaacs says.
“Having worked in this space for more than 30 years, we’re involved in projects to achieve wheelchair accessibility or seatbelted seating solutions that meet industry demands.
“We’ve always been involved in bodybuilding for companies and have played a part in projects for companies importing products. When it comes to DDA compliance, this experience ensures that we remain in the mix to help when the industry requires it.”
From Royans Coachworks’ perspective, the brand assesses vehicles presented to it before it offers wheelchair accessibility solutions that are the most comfortable and safest for all involved.
Isaacs says a key lesson the company has learnt in this regard is to always opt for the safest option, as with safety comes efficiency and effectiveness.
This experience in handling wheelchair accessibility conversions and fittings for bus and coach operators means the Royans Coachworks staff have already spent plenty of time understanding the requirements of operators. Royans Coachworks understands it is not a case of fitting a lift into the vehicle and moving on – Isaacs says the company knows the importance of considering all parts of the fitting from an operational perspective.
“This understanding shows the business has the customer’s best interest at the front of mind,” Isaacs says.
This growing capability of Royans Coachworks to look at wheelchair accessibility extends into the route bus and school industry, as well as in aged-care vehicles.
As a supporter of local manufacturing in Australia, Royans Coachworks has always stepped up to support the local manufactures capabilities and aftersales service when the industry calls for it. The Royans Group network offers additional local support for the industry both in Australia and New Zealand.
Royans Coachworks is now equipped with technology that fulfils its commitment to the future repairs of a wide range of vehicles and projects, DDA compliance upgrades and any other issues that require servicing in the Australasian bus and coach industry.
The group’s strong relationship with suppliers helps introduce technology and support that can help the bus and coach industry more than ever before. Combined with what Royans Coachworks refers to as ‘subject matter experts’ in its staff and the brand is leading the way in allowing its passion for the industry to become enmeshed with solutions to help the sector with anything it needs.
“There’s a real commitment in the business to develop people,” Isaacs says. “We’re putting in effort to develop an apprentice program to make sure we bring people through not just for us, but for the entire industry.”
The business will also continue to push to be a trusted supporter as the industry evolves in the coming years.
“We’ve purposely decided to do this as a company,” Isaacs says. “We’ve put in the commitment to understanding these changes and dedicating people to manage projects that support the industry better than ever.”