News 2015
Oktoberfest 2015
23 October 2015
BussiPro celebrated its traditional autumn party on a chilly day warmed up by a convivial Oktoberfest spirit.
Customers and collaboration partners from Helsinki, Tampere, and Lahti attended the party.
A delightful menu for the occasion was created by Menuet Heinonen, with Saku Heinonen manning the barbecue. In genuine Bavarian style, the tables were loaded with meaty sausages, sauerkraut, and pretzels – and, of course, German beer.
Thank you, everyone who attended and made the occasion memorable!
Let’s meet again next October!
Busworld 2015, in Kortrijk, Belgium
On 19–20 October 2015
The Busworld trade show celebrated 44 years of history with nearly 35,000 registered visitors.
Jussi travelled to the Kortrijk bus and coach exhibition, once again larger than ever and showcasing the numerous models of bus and coach on sale in Europe. Naturally, numerous part manufacturers and after-sales products were represented too. The most noteworthy trend in new models seems to be the emergence of electric buses for urban traffic, along with associated component manufacturers. As a cutting-edge supplier of spare parts, BussiPro strives to ensure that it is always ready for the requirements set by changing market conditions and entirely new types of fleets.
Beginning life as a provider and installer of bus and coach parts, BussiPro is now preparing for the arrival of lane-departure warning systems, already familiar from cars, for buses and coaches too. Some tourist coaches seen at the trade show in Kortrijk were already equipped with such systems.
The event yielded many new contacts for potential collaboration, and we are certain that we’ll be telling you more about them in due course. It was also a good opportunity to strengthen our collaboration with existing partners, such as Britain’s The Matador Company Ltd, whose wipers are used by Scania, VDL, and Vest Buss, for instance.
This wasn’t the end of the autumn’s travels. Jussi also stopped for a few more days, from 21 to 22 October, to visit our established collaboration partners in Belgium, among which are EFK glass, providing integrated motorhome windscreens, and Hamofa, with over 40 years of experience with diesel engines.
http://www.ammattiautot.fi/haku/?q=kortrijk
http://www.hamofa.be/index.html
http://www.efkglass.com/en/page/company/
MAXPO – the Nordic region’s biggest land construction trade show
On 10–12 September 2015
As we have many times before, BussiPro recently took part in the MAXPO trade show, held at Hyvinkää Airfield, where we shared an exhibition space with Voitelukeskus Oy. We can say confidently that this year’s MAXPO was a success all around, with the number of registered visitors over the event’s three days amounting to some 16,800. The weather conditions were rather favourable too.
Under the ‘wing’ of Voitelukeskus, we showcased our automatic fire-suppression systems and garnered a good deal of interest. We talked fire safety with the staff of both small firms and major players involved in land-based construction, the armed forces, transport companies, and – of course – our key partners: insurance companies. These talks led to several quote requests, which we’ll be working on during the autumn months.
As for the Voitelukeskus department, visitors were interested in seeing products related to equipment maintenance, such as spare parts, chemicals, and tools.
As always at this trade show, those attending also got to admire demonstrations by veteran work machines, among them the cable-operated excavator Jussi 610.
Oil-company instructions for automatic fire-suppression equipment on petrol tankers
9 June 2015
Neste has published instructions for the use of automatic fire-suppression equipment on petrol tankers, aimed at preventing fires originating from engine and auxiliary-heater areas. These instructions are based on FK-127 and FK-128 guidelines, particularly those sections relevant for the fire safety of petrol tankers. Neste limits the permitted fire-suppression agents to liquids, because many research projects have found water to be the most efficient fire suppressant, even for electrical fires.
In addition to the choice of suppression agents, Neste’s instructions address another important practical aspect of efficient fire suppression: all engine-related auxiliary equipment, fuel systems, hydraulic systems, and auxiliary heaters must be protected by a local application method. In practice, this means that piping and nozzles must be tailored for each individual vehicle, as, for instance, the starters of inline and V engines are in completely different locations.
Water is used as the suppressant in all fire-suppression equipment provided by BussiPro, and some of the most advanced carriers already have Dafo or Fogmaker equipment installed for their tankers.
Perhaps inspired by Neste’s instructions, carriers working for other oil companies (in particular, Teboil) have started to pay more attention to the fire safety of their fleets. For example, Kuljetusliike Maunola & Co Oy, from Mäntsälä, have already installed a Dafo system for two of their vehicles.
Of Neste’s partners, Kuljetusliike Vieno Ollonqvist Oy and Simeon Tank Oy are just two who have entrusted the fire safety of their vehicles to BussiPro and our solid expertise.
Marketing: Motorsport sponsorship
17 May 2015
Janne Lähde performed brilliantly in the V1600 class of the Finnish Racing Championships, notching up second- and first-place finishes in races held over the weekend (16–17 May 2015) at the Ahvenisto racing circuit, in Hämeenlinna. BussiPro is involved in spurring Janne to victory in the 2015 season.
Follow the link to read more: http://www.rata-sm.fi/content/fi/36/3861/RATA-SM%20Ahvenisto%2016.-17.5.2015.html (in Finnish)
The oil company does not compromise on safety
22 April 2015
From the beginning of June 2015, Neste Oil will require all petrol tankers to have an automatic fire suppression system in the engine compartment. This new requirement was one of the main safety-related themes at the training event held at Hotel Eden in Nokia by the Finnish Petroleum and Biofuels Association. Bussipro’s Jussi had been invited to give a presentation on automatic fire suppression systems (follow the link below to see the material). Transport companies and other stakeholders in the industry were keen to learn more about the topic, and the fire suppression demonstration carried out in the parking area attracted a large crowd of interested viewers. The high-pressure fire suppression system proved its mettle in the demonstration, which featured a fire with a high-pressure petrol spray (you can watch a video of a similar demonstration here).
Presence at a trade fair: Bus Exhibition 2015, at the Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre
19 March 2015
A new bus-industry trade fair was held at the Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre on 18–19 March 2015. All the major vehicle manufacturers and other interest groups participated in the event. BussiPro showcased the vast majority of its product range at the fair – only our remanufactured engines and gearboxes were excluded for logistics reasons. Individual parts from both still featured at the fair. As before, we shared our department with Voitelukeskus Oy.
The event attracted 886 registered visitors, which is an excellent result for a new trade fair. The arrangements were successful, and we look forward to participating in next year’s event.
Read more about the trade fair online: http://www.ammattiautot.fi/uutiset/bussipro-tarjoaa-varaosat-kustannustehokkaasti/
A new agreement: An expanded maintenance contract for fire-suppression equipment
24 February 2015
Oy Pohjolan Liikenne Ab and BussiPro have signed a maintenance agreement for the fire-suppression equipment of 36 buses, which covers the scheduled maintenance of the equipment and its repair when necessary. The chassis models involved are mainly Lahti Scala and Volvo 8700 units, from 2004–2010. BussiPro undertakes to perform the annual maintenance independently and on schedule, enabling the bus operator to focus on its core business activities. The fire-suppression equipment used in fulfilment of the contract is manufactured by Dafo and Fogmaker. BussiPro is the authorised representative for these devices.