A lot more goes into lifting wheelchair users into and our of a minibus. Converters constantly push lift manufacturers to do more with less – and that's a challenge that access specialist PLS will take on
The Japanese automotive industry is known for lean production. But Toyota’s highly-regimented 5S workplace organisation system is delivering benefits to the accessible minibus industry closer to home – in Smethwick, to be exact – thanks to PLS.
PLS stands for Passenger Lift Services, and its full name is the best descriptor of what it does. It has a small sideline in ramps, but as a business, it is solely concerned with passenger access. And just as minibuses have become more advanced, so have PLS’s solutions, something that is set to continue.
“We amalgamated four sites into one in 2014, and that has delivered tremendous savings,” says MD Adam Beck.
“As soon as all manufacturing was in one place, we started our ‘lean journey’ based on Toyota’s 5S principles. Everything has become more efficient. Handling and holding of stock has been cut, waste has been reduced, and we have smoothed peaks and troughs of demand.”
PLS has also brought in-house various operations that were formerly in the hands of suppliers, such as hydraulic hose and wiring loom manufacture. Painting is likely to follow.
Doing that has leveraged greater control of costs and quality. Traceability also figures highly in the quality management strategy – which is documented in its entirety and displayed for staff and visitors to see.
Alongside the streamlined and more efficient day-to-day operation, a programme of continuous product improvement has delivered benefits various areas including reliability and ease of use. Customers have also seen cost stability financed by these efficiency gains. A modest pricing increase in 2016 was the first for a number of years.
The more things change…
Adam and his team maintain a strong focus on efficiency and quality, but that apart, much remains the same as it has been since PLS was formed. Its trademark outboard lift is as popular as ever, and the company continues to develop it. The inboard option remains important, and a hybrid of the two – a cassette model called the GXI mounted beneath a false floor – has been produced for a Scottish customer.
One area that has also been majored on is safety, leading to the introduction of both the DoorSafe and StopSafe devices. They are made in-house and prevent passengers and drivers from falling out of the minibus or off the lift, respectively.
DoorSafe is well-known and at least one bodybuilder fits the necessary in-vehicle equipment as standard. It is a lifting arm that raises when the rear door is open and the lift is not docked.
StopSafe, meanwhile, is a barrier that fixes into pre-prepared holes at the rear of the lift. It is accompanied by two retractable belts that create a ‘pen’ around the platform, and it also mitigates against powered wheelchairs that may be able to ride over the lip.
“There has been a huge increase in safety awareness among customers, and it is down to us to match that with our products. Additionally we do bronze, silver and gold training packages on the correct use of lifts that include a certificate, and we also ‘train the trainer’,” says Adam.
Latest generation
The fourth generation of PLS’s Access Lite outboard lift has become even lighter. Australia and Japan are among key markets, and at the time that miniplus visited Smethwick a short-lead batch for Taiwan was under production.
Lead time is key for many buyers, and streamlining of the manufacturing process means that PLS can usually dispatch lifts quickly. “Our outboard lift is the market leader and 95% of those that are for UK operators are fitted at converters’ premises by our engineers,” says Adam.
UK buyers and vehicle manufacturers are driving PLS’s next stage of development. “The minibus market here is the global leader in terms of efficiency, passenger numbers and weight reduction.
“We are constantly striving to reduce weight. In 2016 we got the total ‘wet’ weight of a fitted, serviceable lift down to 159kg. Like all of our range it has a capacity of 400kg, and it has been used on Treka’s high-capacity Mercedes-Benz Sprinter conversion, where weight was critical.”
The weight game
Vehicle manufacturers want lift weights to be even lower, and PLS is examining more avenues to make that a reality. Adam is confident of delivering, and energy consumption will also come down – key for the next stage of minibuses’ development into the zero-emission sphere.
PLS employs 3D CAD to explore further innovations. High-tensile steel and even composites are likely to make a showing in the future, but the company’s commitment to lean and efficient operation will remain.
“Lifts have a basic structure that will last 10-12 years. We are focusing on everything around that, and there are some exciting things currently at the R&D stage.
“But first and foremost, buyers take our products because they are reliable and long-lasting, and that is not going to change,” he adds.