Centrebus switches to Stertil Koni lifts across four depots
Jun 13, 2012
Successful bus operator Centrebus has recently switched vehicle lifts to Stertil Koni in four of its depots. With a fleet of 140 buses in service, the company needs reliable, professionally maintained lifting equipment. It turned to Stertil Koni both to kit out a new depot and replace outdated screw and nut electro-mechanical lifts with Stertil's electro-hydraulic models.
Glenn Hirst, Area Manager, was tasked with sourcing lifts for the new Centrebus depot in Halifax. He met with the Stertil Koni team, already aware of the company's reputation and encouraged by positive reports from industry contacts. Having experienced low-cost commercial lifts elsewhere, Glenn knew he needed a supplier with a reliable product that would be delivered on time and supported by a fast-response maintenance team. It was also important to find a solution that would enable the Centrebus depots to continue to be fully operational without interruption.
Centrebus chose Stertil Koni's ST1073FCF cabled mobile column lifts featuring a unique sychronisation system to ensure a smooth lifting and lowering cycle, even where a vehicle has an uneven load distribution. The ST1073 hydraulic mobile column lift provides a lifting capacity of 7,250kg per column and the total capacity can be increased by adding more columns to the system, up to a maximum of 28. Its lifting height of 1.85 metres is reached in just 70 seconds, making it amongst the fastest mobile lifts in the world. Importantly, Stertil Koni's lightweight ergonomic design enables the columns to be moved easily by one person.
"Stertil Koni's might not be the cheapest lifting solution, but I firmly believe that a reliable and professionally maintained product will always prove to be the most cost-effective solution over time," says Glenn Hirst. "Stertil Koni's response times to even minor teething problems have been very quick and they've delivered against promise in all areas."
The success of the installations in Halifax led to Centrebus ordering further sets of Stertil Koni mobile column lifts for another three depots in Leeds, Stevenage and Harlow. An additional installation at the company's Huddersfield site is also planned.
"I'd advise anyone investing in new lifts not to scrimp on their purchase it's a false economy and doesn't pay in the long run," adds Glenn.
Centrebus is a privately owned bus company providing local bus services in the northern Home Counties, East Midlands and Yorkshire. 2011 marked the company's tenth anniversary and it continues to develop and expand through a policy of ongoing investment in the latest vehicles and support systems.
