Welsh firm wins French maker's approval

A Welsh coachbuilding company has won a major order from Citroen.

Tawe Coachbuilders will offer their skills as part of the French CV maker's Ready to Run programme.
The Ready to Run programme, already the most comprehensive of its type in the UK, includes dropsides, tippers, Luton vans, glass-carrying vans, temperature-controlled vans, car transporters, minibuses and dual-fuel vans.
Robert Handyside, commercial vehicle operations manager, comments: “To put the Citroën Ready to Run programme even further ahead of its competition, four unique and specially developed products are being added. Tawe Coachbuilders will be supplying a unique, versatile, wheelchair-accessible minibus; KFS a high-payload, multi-purpose small plant carrier; Somers is introducing temperature-controlled box van bodies; and Supertrucks is supplying a low-loading Relay-based glass-carrying van.”
Swansea-based Tawe Coachbuilders’ unique conversion of the Relay 40 L4 H2 offers an unusually high standard of internal trim and upholstery, and all passengers have an unobstructed view through panoramic side windows. Externally, it looks like a high-class conventional minibus or coach, with none of the usual external features of a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. The vehicle can be used as a fully-seated minibus, or with a combination of seated and wheelchair passengers, or as a pure wheelchair passenger carrier, or even as a van.
The versatility of this new minibus is a product of Tawe’s unique Flex-i-Trans system - a universal, fully ISO M1-compliant floor system, which will only be available on Citroën vehicles. The Relay minibus can be converted from seated to wheelchair, or load carrying mode in a matter of seconds.
The seats used with the Flex-i-Trans system can be folded flat and then pivoted so that they are folded alongside the vehicle sidewall - below the window line - to enable wheelchairs to be carried. The drop-down seat and locking operation means that there is no need for manual floor bolts and there is no manual handling of heavy seats. For larger loads, the seats can be quickly removed to convert the Relay into a van.
The unique Flex-i-Trans system allows a high degree of versatility - the new Tawe-converted Ready to Run Relay can carry up to 14 seated passengers, or 8 seated and 2 wheelchair passengers, or 5 wheelchair passengers and 1 attendant, or the vehicle can work as a van. This versatility makes the new Ready to Run Relay conversion ideal for a variety of roles, such as combined wheelchair and passenger transport or for hotel and airport shuttle work - as load and passenger space can be optimised for each application.
The Flex-i-Trans floor system has proved to be both reliable and durable - it includes integrated and patented fixing systems and folding/removable seats. The installation also incorporates ceiling-mounted three-point seat belt fixings that can be easily attached and automatic in-floor wheel chair fixings, which require no manual adjustment. As a result, manual handling/bending by the driver or attendant is greatly reduced.
With the seats removed, the new Tawe-converted Relay minibus has a flat floor that makes for easy loading or carriage of cargo, which can be easily secured by retractors and belts - eliminating the difficulties of tangled/missing belts with conventional load restraint systems.

Citroën is adding new Enterprise versions of the Nemo, Berlingo, Dispatch and Relay to its LCV range from January 2010. These new, well-equipped models have specially selected additional specification – air-conditioning to enhance driver comfort; Bluetooth® for improved communications; and reverse parking sensors for improved safety.

Robert Handyside, commercial vehicle operations manager, comments: “Citroën recognises that LCV drivers require and deserve greater standards of comfort and safety, while LCV operators are demanding more effective on-board communications. Thanks to these improvements, Nemo, Berlingo, Dispatch and Relay Enterprise models meet the aspirations of both driver and operator in one efficient package.”

In addition, the Enterprise specification also includes remote central locking, electric front windows, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, as standard. Also, most Enterprise models are equipped with Trafficmaster Smartnav satellite navigation and Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking.

Welsh firm wins French maker's approval

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