Optare today unveiled its rebranded Unitec after sales service organisation. A smart new look reflects considerable enhancements to the operation which are now live and providing further support for customers and their vehicles.

Announcing the changes today, Optare’s After Sales Director Paul Shepherd, who has led the Unitec team for five years, said: “As the demands on our customers’ businesses have changed so Unitec has changed and we’ve grown our services to meet the challenges of supporting our customers. A number of significant enhancements to our services have been introduced in recent years and the time has now come to re-brand the Unitec business in order to underline the tremendous advances we have made in providing new services for our customers”.

Mr Shepherd went on to detail the many improvements made to the Unitec operation in recent months. These include:

UNITEC – OPTARE Aftercare This is a new brand name for the primary task of Unitec: supporting the Optare product range from cradle to grave. Unitec provides warranty cover, training, technical support and all the necessary information to keep Optare products on the road earning money for customers.

SPEEDLINE This is a free phone service which logs any warrantable defects and ensures that the necessary repairs are carried out by one of Optare’s service centres or dealers. Its a fast friendly service. VOR jobs are normally completed within 24 hours and service work is arranged to suit operators’ service requirements. Steve Hunter is the manager of this service.

CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT Every Optare customer is allocated a CSM who manages their account and deals with any issues with the product or service. The CSMs are on the road every day visiting customers to provide information and assistance as required. All vehicles entering service are backed up by initial training and familiarisation at the customer’ premises.

Optare currently has three CSM managers: David Gabriel, Graham Richardson and Kenny Scott.

TECHNICAL SERVICES Headed by Roger Kay, who has a wealth of knowledge of the Optare products and bus engineering. This team keeps track of problems in the field and provides technical help for customers and has responsibility for providing all technical information in the form of publications, CD’s and the on-line parts and information system.

TRAINING This is provided by a Training Manager, Andy Whitworth, and can be arranged at the Unitec training school in Rotherham or on customers’ premises. Each course is tailored to meet the exact needs of operators depending on the age and mix of vehicles and the skills base of the business.

With increasingly complex system on buses today it is essential that customers are equipped to diagnose faults using the latest computerised interfaces to maintain their fleet effectively.

UNITEC SERVICE CENTRES There is a new logo for Optare’s three centres which support OPTARE Aftercare but also provide a full range of repair services. The centres are headed by Mark Wallis who has been with Unitec for x years and has a wealth of experience of operating buses in London. Rotherham was the first centre which opened in 1998 and shares the site with one of the two Optare production facilities. It now has 32 technicians covering all of the skilled trades with eight vans on the road each day. Facilities include a PCV test lane with tachograph calibration equipment and a workshop area capable of carrying out the full range of tasks including:

• Major accident repairs
• Refurbishments
• Mechanical repairs
• Electrical repairs
• Air conditioning servicing and maintenance
• Routine service and maintenance
• Electrical and multiplex diagnostics

The London depot at Thurrock in Essex was opened in April 2003 and now has 20 technicians serving the South of England. There are six vans on the road each day carrying out repairs at customers’ premises. It has a similar workshop capacity to Rotherham and again carries out the full range of repairs to all makes of PCV’s.

Cumbernauld in Scotland opened in January 2006 and now has 10 technicians with four vans on the road each day covering many miles to reach out of the way places in Scotland. This has been well received by Scottish customers who appreciate the local presence and quick response. Four of the technicians are from outside of the UK.

There are also a number of mobile technicians based remotely from the service centres to cover other areas of the country – they are based in Exeter, Ireland and Manchester.

There are also a number of dealers specifically chosen to support Unitec when there is a need for rapid response, especially in areas remote from the service centres. One example is Bulwark Bus & Coach who look after customers in Wales.

Mr Shepherd launched Unitec’s first dedicated mobile diagnostic unit. This van, based at Rotherham and in the hands of Kenton Hughes, covers the whole of the UK and customers can book his services through their local service centre or Speedline.

All of Unitec electrical technicians are fully trained in multiplex systems but with the increase in dependence on computerised systems it is necessary to provide a dedicated service. Whilst the normal diagnostics on Optare products is quick and simple using an ordinary laptop and the appropriate software, more difficult problems need specialised expertise. Also some customers do not invest in the equipment and rely entirely on Unitec to diagnose faults.

Utilising the latest “Tablet” type of equipment along with years of experience on the Optare, Kenton can diagnose faults on any system on Optare products and most systems on other manufacturers products, including:

• Actia multiplex systems
• Cummins Insite engine management
• Mercedes Star diagnostics
• Allison Transmissions
• ABS braking
• Klam retarder
• ACAS kneeling suspension

UNITEC – Approved Parts This is headed by Derek Searle, General Parts Manager, who has been with Unitec x years and formally was Sales and Service Manager for Dana in Leeds. Unitec is committed to support Optare products by stocking and sourcing components during their whole lifetime. Only genuine approved parts are supplied past products, including Excel, Delta and MetroRider, as well as current products - Alero, Solo, Tempo and the coach range – Bonito, Soroco, Solera and Toro.

“With product liability this is the only way to have peace of mind and know that in transporting people we are providing the safest and most reliable method with genuine parts. It is also of course the most cost effective whole life cost. Whilst you may pay a little more when purchasing the components, they will last longer and perform better since they are trialed, tested and approved”, said Mr Shepherd.

Unitec also has an all makes parts programme and supplies parts to customers for non-Optare products. Wherever possible the genuine parts are used from the original suppliers. Where this is not possible Unitec uses industry leading approved suppliers with full quality assurance.

The whole parts operation is now located here in Rotherham with the latest technology being used to pick parts accurately and effectively. A stock of £2m worth of stock is maintained in a purpose built warehouse delivering over 200 orders per day. These components are delivered next day all over the UK. Customers can order by phone, email fax and now using Optare’s revolutionary new online parts ordering system which is proving to be a huge success with customers.

This is a web-based electronic parts catalogue for mainstream bus products and midi-coaches. In addition, customers can access service bulletins, workshop manuals and order parts at the touch of a button, quick, easy and visible. Its called:

UNITEC EXPRESSWAY and the benefits of this system are as follows:

• Up to date live information
• Access to information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Ability to place orders quickly at anytime of day
• Same next day delivery service
• Full visibility of progress of orders

Already 35 users are ordering parts online out of 200 system users.

“With 110 staff, £2m worth of parts and three service centres, we go the extra mile. In fact we travel between us one million miles a year to service our customers’ needs”, concluded Mr Shepherd.

For further information please contact:
Martin Hayes, Communications Advisor, +44 (0) 207 494 8050