Why designing a fleet of modern vehicles with maintenance-free components can reduce the cost of fleet ownership from the outset
Some government statistics: Over 4.53bn bus journeys took place in England in the year ending March 2016, an increase of 10% since the same study in 2006.
To accommodate this number of journeys, there are over 34,000 local buses in operation across the UK, travelling over 1.25bn vehicle miles. With the average age of local buses in operation in the UK at over seven years old, it is important for fleet and vehicle managers to properly maintain and service their vehicles from the outset. However, it is not just ongoing and regular maintenance that can help keep a commercial vehicle on the road longer.
Fleet vehicles like coaches and buses are only valuable to their owners if they are out on the road. Costs can easily spiral if vehicles are constantly in and out of the repair workshop or are generating big bills for replacement parts and services.
Ensuring vehicles are fitted with the right parts and have minimal maintenance requirements from the outset can significantly reduce lifetime cost of ownership.
Quality management systems, particularly for organisations certified with ISO 9001 accreditation, mean that operators must create an organisation that operates in a quality systems environment and undertake continual assessment and improvement of their procedures. All of this is made much simpler for fleet managers if there are fewer parts of the vehicle that require regular maintenance.
Designing vehicles with components that are easy to access goes some way towards making life easier. However, it is possible to take vehicle design one step further in making ongoing maintenance truly effortless. In fact, design engineers who fit the vehicle with maintenance-free components can eliminate the need for certain checks all together.
Maintenance-free parts
By working with manufacturers and design engineers that specialise in low-maintenance or maintenance-free components, the cost of part replacement or checks will also be significantly reduced. For example, using sealed parts that have incorporated life-long lubrication to their design can essentially provide a fit-and-forget product for owners, with the exception of safety critical checks.
Choosing a sealed sliding steering shaft for instance, that has been manufactured using specialist polymer bushes to reduce friction and that doesn’t require lubrication, can eliminate the need for regular servicing, which can become costly and results in time off the road.
Ensuring any sealed part is fitted with the right grade of grease is also vital. Dependent on the conditions of the road or the environment that the vehicle will be working in, parts can require specialist lubrication to keep things running. For example, vehicles working in sub-zero temperatures in countries like Canada will undoubtedly have different needs from those in hot climates like the Middle East or Australia.
Design holds the key
It’s important that newly designed vehicles have extensive design validation as well as production part approval to minimise steering system issues from the outset. Not only will this satisfy design teams, manufacturers and purchasers, it will also help fleet management teams prevent issues in the future.
Considering the options for vehicle maintenance from the design stages of the product realisation process can reduce the total cost of ownership across the vehicle’s lifespan. As around two-thirds of all public transport journeys are on buses across Great Britain, it’s vital to provide fleet owners and maintenance teams with the most appropriate parts for a vehicle’s purpose, while also enabling easy and minimal maintenance in the long run.
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