Stagecoach West has purchased two sets of four wireless mobile column lifts from Stertil Koni to support its workshop operations at its depots in Gloucester and Ross-on-Wye.

Stagecoach West provides local bus services across Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Swindon, South Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Bristol. The company recently introduced a proactive maintenance programme for its fleet of 300 buses and coaches, designed to reduce the overall number of vehicle breakdowns, which is supported by the new wireless mobile column lifts.

The Gloucester and Ross-on-Wye depots both took delivery of a set of four wireless mobile column lifts, type ST1075FWA. Each lift in the set provides a lifting capacity of 7.5 tonnes, making the combined capacity of the set 30 tonnes. The maximum lifting height is 1.85m. Each column incorporates Stertil Koni's ebright Smart Control System, which allows workshop staff to operate the columns individually, in pairs, or in any other combination in the set, and flexible positioning means they can be used in any configuration around a vehicle.

The ebright Smart Control System simplifies the operation of the lifts by providing maximum visual information about every lifting operation. For added safety and performance, the system also shows how many columns are in use plus the battery status of each column. An independent mechanical locking system, incorporated into each column, enables engineers to securely lock the lift to prevent a vehicle from being inadvertently lowered.

The lifts are powered by long-life, deep cycle batteries that provide optimum performance for at least a week on average before recharging is necessary. As the columns are wireless there are no cables on the workshop floor and the system can be used inside and out.

The lifts are used for a wide range of vehicles by Stagecoach West, including single desk minibuses of five tonnes up to double-deckers weighing 13 tonnes. ‘The lifts are in constant use five days a week from six in the morning until midnight, handling approximately 50 vehicles a week,' said Tom Large, Engineering Director at Stagecoach West. ‘We've had experience of using Stertil Koni lifts for a number of years, so we know them to be robust and reliable.'