Cogent Seating is one of the main suppliers to accessible minibus manufacturers. It has the same attitude to service regardless of the customer, and that has paid dividends ever since it was founded
The seating options for accessible minibus buyers are extensive. Competition is fierce, and a variety of suppliers chase their business. Among them is Cogent, which has a vertically-integrated design, production and testing capability.
Cogent was founded in 1996. It built its early success on rapid turnaround and a willingness to develop bespoke products to complement standardised seating. Those principles have served it well since, and they remain key today.
“When a customer – either a converter or an operator – calls and asks for seats, our answer is ‘yes’,” says Chairman Roger Pownall, who in 2017 handed over the Managing Director role to his stepson Rhys Kotschy.
It matters not whether the enquiry is for a standard product or an unusual one. As an example of the latter, Cogent worked with a Japanese company to provide suitable seats for an amphibious vehicle. It delivered exactly what was required.
But such a deal is the exception. Just as much thought and preparation goes into seats that are dispatched in quantities of 16 every working day. In a competitive marketplace, to do so is a must.
Weight off your mind
An absolute priority for all seat manufacturers is weight. Cogent’s most recent development in that field is the Solo Light. Each seat weighs just 9.9kg with steel legs attached, a 2kg reduction over the previous figure. Roger promises that, in the future, that will reduce even further.
There are several reasons for a focus on weight. Pressure from converters is one, but Cogent realises that it will be driven in other ways in the future. “Electric cars are becoming prominent and electric trucks are being tested, so it is inevitable that minibus base vehicles will go the same way,” says Roger.
“OEMs have taken as much weight as possible out of their existing products, but batteries have to be considered. We’re now into the realms of exploring how many micrometres of powder coating are applied to seat legs.”
Cogent is also examining alternative seat frame production methods to welding, to further cut weight. They will allow greater accuracy with no impact on durability. Other changes could further reduce mass, but with end users under cost pressure, they are difficult to justify.
Testing times
Of great benefit to product development is Cogent’s test rig. Representing a £160,000 investment, a good relationship with the Vehicle Certification Authority (VCA) means that Cogent can save months by testing in-house.
Rhys adds that the test rig’s presence allows seats to be fine-tuned to meet the VCA’s requirements while keeping weight as low as possible.
“When developing a seat, we use a base design for testing. We then adapt and improve it. Having the test facility on site speeds that process.” The test rig is VCA accredited and it is available for hire by clients to test Cogent’s products or to develop their own concepts.
The test facility has delivered for customer Allied Vehicle Group. “Cogent has supported us from initial design concepts to production,” says Design Engineer Greg Barnard. “We were able to quickly develop and complete type approval testing within a tight schedule. On top of that, its team is friendly and has a strong can-do attitude.”
Although the requirement to test seats in a vehicle influences the overall development time, the rig still makes a major contribution to Cogent’s ability to develop custom applications.
The fact that it relies on few specialist suppliers also helps. Foam is bought in, but cloth is cut in-house and legs and frames are created in the same manner. The efficient production process means that no seats are in stock. Instead, all are constructed to order.
Customer focused
A byproduct of the reduction in the number of converters has been a professionalisation of the industry. Gone are the days of vehicles being worked on in a shed; today’s minibuses are produced to very high standards, and that focus on quality cascades through the supply chain.
“From a production perspective, we have fewer customers than 20 years ago, but that means that we have to focus very heavily on meeting their needs,” says Roger.
If a supplier does a good job for the converter, it’s likely that satisfaction will filter down to the end user. “It’s arguable that natural selection in the minibus industry has led to the survival of the fittest and the best,” he adds.
“We recognise that it is as important to keep a customer as it is to win one. To maintain business we have to be on our toes at all times. Our commitment to that means that we work with the majority of converters in the UK.”
Although Cogent’s primary customers are converters, that does not mean that it is divorced from operators. Nothing could be further from the truth, says Rhys. It welcomes enquiries from those looking for a bespoke solution.
What Cogent achieves from its modest Swansea premises is impressive. It is on a continuous journey of incremental improvements, while at the same time facing up to the challenges of demands to reduce weight and the ever-present financial constraints of end users.