News 2016
Trade fairs: Busworld Russia, Moscow 25–27 October 2016
The Busworld fair, this year held in Moscow for the first time, brought large numbers of bus- and coach-industry professionals to the Crocus Expo venue, along Moscow’s ring road, to hear about buses and coaches manufactured in Russia, Europe, and China – and to see these for themselves.
This also marked the first time BussiPro has had a stand at a fair outside Finland. The company prepared for the event with active market research all autumn. The feedback we received on our wide range of products and special expertise in buses and coaches was sincere and positive, and we established well over 100 new contacts. For us, the fair turned out to be a true success.
The only drawback we encountered was Jussi’s and Tuomas’s complete lack of knowledge of the Russian language, but our eager trainee Leevi Kaaretkoski and our local assistant Katarina did a great job interpreting our enthusiasm.
The interest has not died down on either side since the fair, and we have received and replied to many requests for quotes. These have been carried over into action too, with the first shipments of goods across the border already delivered.
Julia Kurhinen, from Ladec, deserves special thanks for helping us launch our export project.
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The opening event for our new premises (part II): 7 October 2016
We celebrated moving to our new premises, at Vasarakatu 2, in traditional Oktoberfest style. We were delighted to see a large number of our co-operation partners represented at the party – around 60 in all. There was a strong celebratory atmosphere, with a Lahti-based trio playing Bavarian-style music in the background.
As usual, Jussi opened the event by reviewing the past year’s highlights, such as new partnership agreements, and turned his gaze briefly to the future.
We were greatly honoured by the presence of Dieter von Gross, from Knorr-Bremse. He told us about up-and-coming factory-repaired replacement parts and air-drying of brake systems – quite appropriately, given the autumn weather.
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Trade fairs and new partnerships: Automechanika Frankfurt 13–17 September 2016
The Automechanika fair held in Frankfurt attracted 136,000 automotive professionals, from more than 170 countries, who were eager to see the novel products and solutions offered by 4,820 exhibitors. Tuomas and Jussi participated in the fair, looking for new innovations and partnerships for the continuously expanding BussiPro range while also strengthening existing partner relationships.
This trip was another success, and we came home with partnership agreements with Dana, Mekral, Timken, and Winnard, among others. Dana manufactures for instance VDL Citea axles and brake discs for Winnard axles. Timken provides a very large range of OEM bearings. As usual, Mekra continues to dominate the market for bus mirrors. These partnerships supplement BussiPro’s extensive range of products from original equipment manufacturers.
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Trade fairs: BussiPro participated in the FinnMETKO 2016 heavy machinery industry exhibition held in Jämsä on 1–3 September
As before, we took part in Finland’s largest heavy machinery trade fair, FinnMETKO, sharing a presentation space with lubrication product provider Voitelukeskus.
With the weather favouring exhibitors and visitors alike, this year’s event attracted 35,600 people over three days.
The main product group we showcased was fire-safety equipment: automatic fire-suppression systems and Knorr-Bremse’s TPMS system. Our work lights, machine glazing, and spare parts generated a great deal of interest, and we left the event with a large number of contact requests.
Also, bus based transport contractors found our exhibition space in large numbers.
We would like to thank our customers, old and new, for their interest in our products. Our continuing goal is to offer the high standard of services that our customers have come to expect.
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BussiPro is to expand its operations with relocation to new premises
1 June 2016
BussiPro staff worked up a sweat in the last week of May, helping with the move to new, larger premises on Vasarakatu 2, 15700 Lahti. Better suited to our goods flows, the new premises enable us to grow even more in the next few years.
The goods that needed to be moved filled 15 lorries, with the number of item types exceeding 4,000.
Trade fairs: Passenger Transport 2016, Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre
on 6–7 April 2016
BussiPro participated in this year’s Passenger Transport trade fair, held for the second time at the Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre, with a new and improved exhibition space. Similarly to last year, we shared a joint presentation space with lubrication product provider Voitelukeskus. Our new exhibition furnishings and image were completed just in time for this year’s fair. You can see the results of our work by following the link below.
Yet again, the event proved popular among passenger-transport professionals, with the number of visitors reaching 1,800, up by 1,000 from last year’s figure.
At the fair, we introduced a new product family: affordable spare parts made with German engineering expertise. In addition to OEM parts, BussiPro’s selection now includes a low-cost range of spare parts, manufactured by German Auger Autotechnik GmbH. Auger’s products are being added to our selection gradually, as we complete our field tests. At this year’s fair, we were able to introduce a Scania K-series belt-tensioner and Scania GR801 clutch fork.
For bodywork parts, our novelties and old favourites, such as toilet drain valves, attracted a large number of interested visitors.
On 7 April, our department was visited by Sami Mattila, who has acted as our representative in Ostrobothnia for a few months now. In that time, he has already become known especially as a specialist in fire-extinguisher maintenance. Excelling in the sale of automatic fire-suppression systems, Sami has actively forged new customer relationships. Our goal is to establish a new storage facility in Kortesjärvi to ensure that Sami has an adequate supply of products on hand, enabling him to serve both old and new customers in the region even more efficiently.
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The safest tank lorry in Finland?
4 March 2016
We recently installed a fire-suppression system in Kuljetusliike Maunola & Co Oy’s tank lorry, the second vehicle in this Mäntsälä-based company’s fleet to have such a system put in place. What makes this installation special is that it marks the first time in Finland that a vehicle has been equipped with a Knorr-Bremsen TPMS tyre pressure and temperature monitoring system. Monitoring tyres’ temperature in addition to their pressure is beneficial for several reasons:
– lagging brakes and worn bearings can be spotted before any damage occurs, which also helps to improve fire safety
– the tyres remain at thermal equilibrium, as designed, so tyre and fuel costs are lower
– unlike with conventional tyre pressure monitoring systems, valve leaks caused by freezing can be prevented
– pressure sensors no longer come loose and get lost in icy and slushy conditions, as the sensors are securely mounted between the tyre and the rim
Our pioneering vehicle-safety project was also reported on by online journal Konepörssi: http://www.koneporssi.com/uutiset/lisaa-turvallisuutta-busseihin-ja-raskaaseen-kalustoon-bussipro-oy/ (in Finnish)