Instead of sitting idly by and watching its bus refurbishment work dry up during the pandemic, Thornton Brothers decided to diversify and begin offering PSVAR conversions. As Peter Jackson found out, that decision turned out to be a fantastic one
Covid-19 has had a huge impact on coach and bus operators, in many cases forcing them to totally reinvent themselves and find new ways of bringing in the cash. For coach operators whose bread and butter was once tour work and day excursions, rail replacement services have become a critical source of revenue. There’s only one catch: you need a PSVAR-compliant vehicle now to win the work.
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Just like operators, many suppliers have had to diversify too. Thornton Brothers very much fell into that category; with demand for its bus refurbishment work drastically reduced, it spotted the demand in the coach sector for PSVAR vehicles and set about developing its own conversions.
Andrew Pilkington, the firm’s National Sales Manager, elaborated: “Although our business has focused primarily on the bus refurbishment sector since 2006, our Directors decided in early 2020 to diversify into the PSVAR conversion marketplace due to the sudden downturn in bus refurb work being available.
“This diversification was not an easy undertaking due to the complexity of the PSVAR regulations, so we only dipped our toe into the water until we could obtain a full understanding of the conversion requirements. Fortunately, we already had a fabrication team in place who have previously carried out DDA conversion work to service buses, so we already had the necessary skills and tools available to make an immediate start.
“After an initial three-month shutdown in the first lockdown, we reopened our doors in June 2020 and have made huge strides forward in the PSVAR conversion scene since, taking on extra fabrication staff and conducting on-the-job training.”
I asked Andrew what proportion of the company’s current work is PSVAR-related. “In terms of the bus refurbishment, which before Covid would have represented 85-90% of our business, we’re at around half that level of work at the moment,” he revealed. “The other half of our work now is coach conversions. For us, the necessity for PSVAR conversions has offered a welcome opportunity for diversification, even though we have great empathy for coach operators, due to the lack of financial support being available to them throughout this pandemic and knowing many have relied on rail replacement work in order to stay afloat.”
Proving popular
Thorntons is certainly open-minded when it comes to conversion work. “We haven’t actively turned anything away – we’re happy to give any of the coach models a try really,” said Andrew. “Ideally, we prefer to do vehicles that have a factory kit available, because there’s less R&D and fabrication work involved. But, unfortunately, some manufacturers haven’t been that supportive of the kits, or even the pricing of them.
There have been a couple that have though, don’t get me wrong – the likes of VDL, Volvo and Jonckheere have been very good in terms of the pricing and the availability of their products.
“However, for coaches such as Setras and Tourismos we’ve had to develop our own solution, which has so far proven to be very popular. I believe our conversions are competitively priced and overall customers seem happy with the type of conversion we’re offering on those coaches.
“Glass supply appears to be the operators’ main concern going forward; if a vehicle is involved in an accident, they need to be able to source replacement pieces of glass fairly quickly. We’ve thought about that quite extensively and wherever possible, we’re using glass that can be purchased off the shelf and therefore readily available, which minimises the risk of VOR time for coach operators. Fortunately, we have a great relationship with a few glass suppliers – PSV Glass and Partline have been particularly helpful in this area.”
When it comes to vehicles with OEM kits available to order, Thorntons offers customers a choice, where possible: “When you look at the likes of the VDL Futura 2 for example, we’re able to give coach operators two options,” said Andrew. “The VDL parts are available to install a conversion over the drive axle, so we’re able to offer a ‘factory-style’ conversion which retains the full luggage storage capacity. Alternatively, we offer a fabricated door installation above the front locker, with the lift installed in the base of the locker, which is a considerably lower cost option for the customer.”
Andrew gave some insight into how the conversions are developed: “We’ve got some Van Hools in progress at the moment, EX16H and EX17H models. These models can be ordered from the factory with a PSVAR door fitted, but there isn’t yet a retrofit kit readily available for the doors and the lower locker adaption,” he said.
“In this case, we’ve ascertained (with assistance from PSV Glass) that there are windows in the Van Hool range that can be used to complete the job. We are fabricating the disabled access door to suit the glass. The end result should then be as near as possible to what the customer could have ordered from the factory on a new vehicle; that helps operators to not only keep the vehicle aesthetically pleasing, but to retain as much resale value as possible.”
Currently, Thorntons can install OEM conversion kits to the following models:
• VDL Futura 2 (above drive axle);
• Jonckheere JHV; and
• Irizar i6.
Meanwhile, it has developed its own in-house conversions for the following coaches:
• VDL Futura 2 (above front locker);
• Mercedes-Benz Tourismo (new and old shape);
• Neoplan Tourliner;
• Mercedes-Benz Setra coaches;
• Temsa HD12;
• Plaxton Panther and Leopard; and
• Van Hool’s EX range.
All conversion work carried out by Thorntons comes with a two-year fabrication guarantee and any paintwork it provides is guaranteed for 12 months. Every vehicle it converts is also tested and certified by the DVSA to meet DDA and PSVAR standards before it’s handed back to the customer.
“We really are a one-stop shop for this kind of work, as we handle the paintwork in-house,” said Andrew. “Some of the operators acknowledge that and if they’ve decided that the coach they’re having converted is in need of a livery change or a respray, we can offer that service whilst the vehicle is with us.
“We also have a number of years’ experience in recovery vehicle body manufacturing; we’ve had our own patented recovery vehicle designs in the past which have been sold into marketplaces around the world. With that level of engineering skillset and machinery at hand, coupled with our commercial vehicle repair and repainting experience plus our attention to detail, I firmly believe Thorntons have built up a solid reputation for delivering a high quality finish over the last 42 years and we certainly strive to continue in the same vein for years to come!”
Tailored to suit
You’re probably wondering how much one of Thorntons’ conversions will set you back. “Generally, where we fit a lower locker lift and a fabricated door above it, the price is fairly consistent between vehicles,” said Andrew. “It can vary a little from one vehicle to another of course. We produce our own doors, which generally takes a similar amount of time no matter the vehicle, so the overall cost of those conversions is generally around the £23-25k mark (plus VAT). The factors that can alter that figure are if the glass we have to use is special order or more expensive, or if it’s a special vehicle with a higher number of seats in it, it may need to undergo a new tilt test.
“For the VDL option with the ski locker lift fitted above the drive axle, due to the lift being more expensive and the parts from VDL costing several thousands of pounds, those conversions tend to work out around the £29-30k mark (plus VAT). Again, it can vary though, because some operators may choose to install extra wheelchair bays, for example, meaning more floor track with supporting structures and anchoring points is required.
“Every conversion is very much bespoke to each operator’s individual requirements. For example, we have one booked in for an operator from Nottinghamshire, who have specified five wheelchair bays in their VDL Futura 2 for a specific contract they have with a school which has a lot of children with special needs – it’s essential for them to be able to carry more wheelchair passengers.”
Happily, the decision t4o branch out into the PSVAR conversion market has proven to be a sound one. “We have already had to take on numerous extra staff, but we’re currently running another recruitment drive through our Facebook page and Indeed,” said Andrew. “We’ve been carrying out interviews all this week, and we’ve had a number of applicants for trimming and fitting roles – so stripping out interior panels and associated components to allow the fabricators to do their work, then refitting them all at the end. We’ve also been taking on trainee painters, who learn on the job, as every conversion we do always has an element of paintwork involved, from where we’ve had to cut a hole in the side of the coach to fit the door and of course painting the door itself. We’re also taking on extra fabrication staff as well, because we aim to improve our productivity in this area of the business.
“Our average turnaround time is three to four weeks for a conversion, plus the testing after that. But obviously some take longer – if it’s the first time we’ve converted a new vehicle type, it takes extra time to triple check things before we start cutting holes into stretch panels! If a vehicle is booked in for a full repaint as well, that of course adds extra hours to the job.”
Working together
Thorntons has been converting vehicles for dealers too. “Many dealers have turned to us for conversions to their new and used stock vehicles, as they’re simply not receiving as much interest in a coach unless it is PSVAR compliant,” said Andrew.
“We’ve got a very strong order book of conversions still to be completed, with estimates for work still going out on a regular basis. Our next available booking slots are currently a couple of months away, but we’re trying to improve upon this with our current recruitment drive.”
The company is also working alongside other converters behind the scenes: “We’re actually working quite closely with a couple of other converters, sharing information and best practices. They tend to be likeminded businesses who acknowledge that there’s too much of this work for one converter to handle, so it’s pointless falling out with each other over a customer choosing a different company.
“An example of sharing information is tilt test results, you’re talking £3,500-4,000 per vehicle for a new tilt test. So, if those results can be shared amongst convertors, it will ultimately save the operators downtime and expense, which we’re all for. Coach operators see PSVAR conversions as a necessary evil and we’re very empathetic towards that and trying our utmost to keep their costs as low as possible,” Andrew concluded.
For more information, visit thorntonsbuses.co.uk
The history of Thornton Brothers
Thornton Brothers Ltd was established in 1979 by brothers Keith and George Thornton as a light vehicle repair and refinishing business. It built up a solid reputation for its high standards of workmanship, growing over the years before becoming specialised in commercial vehicle body repairs and refinishing and recovery truck manufacturing on its original site in Bedlington, Northumberland.
In 2004 the brothers relocated their business to its current site in Ashington, Northumberland, which gave them further room for expansion. Since 2006, Thornton Brothers has focused predominantly on bus refurbishment services, though it still offers commercial vehicle repairs, chassis straightening, shot-blasting and refinishing services. A further expansion was carried out in 2018, with the erection of a secondary workshop building on the 5.5 acre site.
The company has three of the largest paint ovens in Europe, a walk-around preparation gantry for double-decker buses, an on-site shot-blasting factory, powder-coating services, re-upholstering services and mechanical services including an MOT bay.
“Predominantly, the type of work we do on buses is refurbishment,” Andrew said. “In our eyes, the best work we can get in this area is when the vehicles are around seven years old, and the operator is ready to carry out mid-life refurbishment to both the interior and exterior of the bus. Having a mixture of paintwork, interior seat retrim plus hand pole replacement gives us a more extensive job to carry out, which we’re specially geared up for. If there’s multiple vehicles to do, it becomes second nature to our operatives and we end up with a streamlined process very similar to a factory production line; this is when we operate at our peak, profitability wise.
“That type of work is our bread and butter, but we do also undertake major RTC repairs; we’ve got a very high-quality chassis straightening setup here from Josam, which was one of many considerable investments our directors have made in recent years. We have the skillset and equipment to repair buses that you might otherwise think were total write-offs!”
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